MU 1000: Music and Its Makers: Primary & Secondary Sources

Primary sources are materials that provide firsthand testimony or the closest evidence to a subject under investigation. Researchers often use these firsthand accounts of specific events, or direct investigations to understand events from the viewpoint of people living during that time period. Primary sources include letters, diaries, photographs, newspaper articles, and pamphlets. 

Secondary sources are works that analyze, interpret, or merely describe historical or scientific events. They’re written based on firsthand accounts without being firsthand accounts themselves. Secondary sources draw on the data and experiences from primary sources to reassess the information and draw conclusions by combining them with information from other sources. 

The Gordon Library Archives are a great resource for primary sources. To learn more about the Archives' collections or to schedule a visit to the Archives, please e-mail archives@wpi.edu or fill out their contact form. 

To find primary sources via Google, try adding keywords like journals, papers, letters, documents, primary sources, documentary history, maps, or archives to your search terms.