LibGuides: Junior Research Project: Home

Getting Started with Primary Sources

LHS Yearbooks Available at Your Fingertips

Thanks to a collaboration among Cary Library, Lexington Historical Society, and the LHS Library, LHS yearbooks back to the 1920's are available 24/7.

Available from Cary Library - Historical Newspapers

Link through Cary Library databases to Historical New York Times, Historical Boston Globe, & Lexington Minuteman. Scroll. down to Newspapers & Current Events & select your choice.

What is a Primary Source?

A primary source is a document or physical object of the time you are researching. It could be any firsthand account or artifact from that particular time period.

Analyzing a Primary Source

These slides will walk you through the steps to analyze a primary source.

Dive into Research Here!!

Launch your project with an encyclopedia article that will give you a general overview and lots of key words to start you on your way.

Encyclopaedia Britannica This link opens in a new window Articles from Encyclopaedia Britannica, related magazine and journal articles, an atlas, and other reference sources.
Scholastic Go! This link opens in a new window Includes five encyclopedia databases: Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, The New Book of Knowledge, Lands and Peoples, and The New Book of Popular Science.
World Book Advanced This link opens in a new window The content of World Book Encyclopedia is available here but with constant updating, special reports, and online links. When you find an article you want, you can e-mail it to yourself or print it.

Consider These Websites

Next Stop Databases

African American Experience (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window The American Mosaic: The African American Experience gives voice to the African American experience from its African origins to the present day
American Government (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window American Government connects contemporary issues with the foundations of government and compares the political and economic systems of the United States with those of other countries.
American History (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window From the earliest explorers of the Americas to today's headlines, American History investigates the people, events and themes of the nation's evolution.
U.S.History (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window Uncover information on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in U.S. history from a variety of sources.
Gale in Context: Biography This link opens in a new window Search narrative biographies, news, magazine, and multimedia content about influential people.
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window Explore American history through primary source content from complete editions of U.S. newspapers
Black Life in America This link opens in a new window The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.
Hispanic Life in America This link opens in a new window Comprehensive coverage of the Hispanic American experience from the early 18th century to the present day
New York Times This link opens in a new window Search the full text of The New York Times starting in 1985.
Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window Search thousands of academic journals at once. Topics include: Biology; Chemistry; Engineering; Ethnic and multicultural studies; Geology; Law; Mathematics; Music; Pharmaceutical sciences; Psychology; Religion and philosophy; Science and technology; Veterinary science; Women's studies; Zoology

Salem History This link opens in a new window Collection of Salem Press titles including: Great Events from History; Great Lives from History; Milestone Documents; Weapons & Warfare; Defining Documents in American History; Decades; and, Forensic Science.

Check Library Catalogs

Next check catalogs to see if there are materials on your topic. Not enough? Expand your topic. Too many? Refine your topic.

More Libraries, More Resources!

BPL eResources (History)
Use your BPL eCard to access databases. If you don't have one, sign up below now.
BPL eCard (sign up)
Cary Library eResearch
Databases provided by Cary Library. Use your Cary card.