Primary sources are important for research because they provide first-hand, original, and uninterpreted information about a particular topic or event. They can include documents, artifacts, recordings, and other materials that were created at the time of the event or soon thereafter. There are several good online resources for finding primary sources for research. Some of the most popular and reliable sources include:
Embedded Files
Dollar Street is a project created by Gapminder, an independent, non-partisan non-profit foundation based in Sweden, that promotes sustainable global development through increased use and understanding of statistics about social, economic, and environmental development. It is a one-of-a-kind image bank of everyday life across the world, using photos as data to show what life looks like at all different income levels. Photographers have documented over 264 homes in 50 countries so far, and the list is growing.
A World Atlas as a website, with over 2,500 datasets to explore. This site is the front-end to thousands of datasets. It allows users to see the data through colours and shapes. With over 12 million data points spanning 100 categories, find a dataset that interests you and explore it using a suite of interactive maps and charts. All data is fully sourced and available for download. It's designed to be easy to use and fun to learn.
Europeana is a digital library that provides access to millions of primary sources, including artwork, photographs, and historical documents from libraries, archives, and museums across Europe.
The World Digital Library (WDL) is an online resource that provides free access to cultural heritage materials from libraries, archives, and museums around the world. The WDL was launched in 2009 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and UNESCO. It aims to expand non-English and non-western content on the Internet, and contribute to scholarly research.
Digital Public Library of America:
DPLA is a digital library that provides access to millions of primary sources, including photographs, manuscripts, and other historical documents from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States.
The Library of Congress provides access to a wide range of primary sources, including historical documents, photographs, and recordings, as well as digitized collections of newspapers and maps.
Other resources for Primary Sources:
Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek: The Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek provides access to millions of digitized primary sources, including books, manuscripts, and artworks from libraries and museums across Germany.
Gallica: Gallica is the digital library of the National Library of France, providing access to millions of primary sources, including books, maps, photographs, and manuscripts.
African Online Digital Library: The African Online Digital Library provides access to a wide range of primary sources, including historical documents, photographs, and artwork from African countries and beyond.
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