If you are seeking to learn about the past, primary sources of information are those that provide first-hand accounts of the events, practices, or conditions you are researching. In general, these are documents that were created by the witnesses or first recorders of these events at about the time they occurred, and include diaries, letters, reports, photographs, creative works, financial records, memos, and newspaper articles (to name just a few types).
Secondary sources are documents written after an event has occurred, providing secondhand accounts of that event, person, or topic. Unlike primary sources, which provide first-hand accounts, secondary sources offer different perspectives, analysis, and conclusions of those accounts. They can also be reports of original research in specific areas of study. They include journal and magazine articles, encyclopedias, textbooks, and newspaper articles that do not report specific events, but interpret these events.
What are Statistical Sources?
You are probably most familiar with statistical sources in the form of charts and tables, but keep in mind that these sources come from the development of datasets.
The same variables you apply to discerning whether an article or book is appropriate and useful for your research apply to statistics. The utmost measure is that of authority. Who collected the statistics, how were they collected and for what purpose were they collected? There is a big difference between the collection of census statistics (as flawed as they are), UN statistics, and statistics developed for say the coffee growers association. With statistical tables, you should know the title of the table, the basis of measurement for the table, the date of the table and the source of the table. The same applies for the datasets you will encounter as you continue your explorations in research methods.
Scholarly sources (also referred to as academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed) are written by experts in a particular field and serve to keep others interested in that field up to date on the most recent research, findings, and news. These resources will provide the most substantial information for your research and papers. When a source has been peer-reviewed it has undergone the review and scrutiny of a review board of colleagues in the author’s field. They evaluate this source as part of the body of research for a particular discipline and make recommendations regarding its publication in a journal, revisions prior to publication, or, in some cases, reject its publication.
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Atoma Batoma, PhD African Studies Internet PortalRelated Pages:New Africana Books |
The Africana collections of the University of Illinois Library are among the finest in the world. The University Library has made a serious commitment to acquire Africa-related materials since 1969. The collection covers all African countries and includes materials in more than 80 African languages; Swahili, Arabic, and Amharic are its most heavily collected languages. The collections are interdisciplinary, in all formats, and concentrated mainly in the humanities, social sciences, human rights, law, and agriculture. The Library has an extraordinary collection of primary source materials for Africana in print and microform. Africana materials are estimated at 295,000 in all formats. The collection contains more than 245,000 printed volumes, mostly in English, with a large number in French, and smaller numbers in Portuguese, German, and other European languages. It also contains more than 15,000 Arabic-language volumes that deal with African topics and more than 5,000 in Amharic, Hausa, Swahili, Wolof, and other African languages. In addition, it contains 2,900 serials, 46,000 maps, 12,000 microforms, and more than 800 films. Due to the decentralized nature of the library, the collection is distributed by subject and format throughout the system, with its greatest parts in the Library’s general book stacks and at the Oak Street Facility. The Reference collection is housed at the International and Area Studies Library, Room 321 on the Main Library’s 3rd floor. It contains Africa-specific indexes, bibliographies, handbooks, directories, and other reference materials, as wells a current-year collection of some of the most-read general periodicals. Older issues of these periodicals are shelved in the Library’s general stacks, at the subject libraries, and at the Oak Street Facility. The Map Library, housed on the 4th floor of the Main Library, holds an extensive collection of maps of Africa. See the Maps of Africa to 1900 project for access to the digitized map collection. The Media Collection in the Undergraduate Library contains the collection of films on Africa. See our African Films Database. The Africana Internet Portal provides 950 links in twenty-two categories, browsable by subject and country. The Collection of Primary Materials contains 120,000 pages of Arabic manuscripts, many of which are housed at the University Archives. Faculty and graduate students that need extensive assistance are encouraged to make an appointment in advance with the African Studies Bibliographer, Atoma Batoma. The Bibliographer also teaches a full-semester graduate-level course, “Bibliography of Africa” (LIS 530M). |
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ShuYong JIANG, Ph.D. Quick LinksRelated PagesNew Chinese Studies books |
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library started collecting Chinese language materials as early as in the 1920s. The collection has grown steadily ever since with few large acquisitions that highlights the efforts and strength of the collection. In 1934, the Chinese Alumni Association of University of Illinois donated a complete set of Si bu cong kan [四部叢刊] with total of 2,112 volumes. This 1929 reproduction of Chinese ancient texts by the Commercial Press [上海商務印書館] gave the collection an early booster and was the largest Chinese book acquisition prior to the establishment of the Asian Library, previously known as the Far Eastern Library. The focus of the collection has been directed by the need and demand of faculties and students on the campus and the trends of the Chinese studies in North America. In supporting the teaching and research of the University campus, the collection has become home for Chinese publications of all formats, including print monographs with some multi-volume sets; current print periodicals, microfilms; and a good number of videocassettes and CDS. These are supported by additional secondary materials in Western languages throughout the University Library system. The strength of the Chinese collection lies in the areas of humanities and social sciences with substantial holdings in language, literature, history, anthropology, philosophy, religion, especially Buddhism, arts, politics, and economics. Since 2003, the Chinese collection has expanded to include electronic resources. We are currently subscribing to three series of the China Academic Journal Database (CAJ), providing online access to nearly 2,400 academic journals published in China, covering from 1994, with full-text articles. The addition greatly enhances our ability to service the information needs of China scholars, researchers, and students. Collaboration |
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Lynne Rudasill (217) 265-6879 New EU Books |
The European Union Library Collection and Global Studies Virtual Library contains materials related to globalization and global studies and encompasses materials of all types that are relevant to this area of study. As part of the largest publicly-supported, academic library in the United States, we endeavor to provide you with books, journals, data, databases and links to the resources you need, and the services that are essential to researchers from all over of the world. Please explore the links here for direct access to our new books, blog, a guide to resources in the University Library, and the Global Studies Search Engine for more information. |
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Steve Witt Library ResroucesLanguage ResourcesArea Studies in JapanResearch HelpNew Japanese Books |
Welcome!The Japanese Collection at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign started as one of the language collections in the Far Eastern Library in the 1920’s. In 1969, 1,800 volumes of Joseph K. Yamagiwa Collection were purchased to enhance the Japanese collection. As the Asian Library was formed at the University Library in 1979, the Japanese Collection began focusing on more distinctive subjects rather than language materials. Over decades, Japanese studies librarians have built one of the most solid collections in the Midwest alongside the development of the Japanese studies programs on campus. Its strength lies mostly in the humanities and social sciences with key holdings in literature, history, philosophy, religion, theater, business and economics. Japanese collection holdings are approximately 86,000 volumes, 150 serial titles, and over 1,000 microform items (as of Fall 2014). The Collection primarily supports faculty and student research and classes taught in the Japanese studies programs at the University of Illinois, but simultaneously, it emphasizes collection of materials in unique subjects. Approximately 2,000 volumes of books and journals on Jewish Studies in Japan were donated by emeritus professor Masanori Miyazawa of Doshisha Joshi University, Japan in 2004. This collection is currently the only one of its kind both in Japan and in North America. Other materials that we focus on are early modern newspapers, materials related Japanese colonialism and pre-modern history and literature. Location of MaterialsThe Japanese Collection is one of the area collections that makes up the International and Area Studies Library. Japanese serials and the reference collection are available for in library use in the reading room of the International and Area Studies Library (Room 321 Main Library). The circulating collection is located on the 7th through 9th decks of the Main Stacks. The collection is searchable via the University Library online catalog with Japanese characters and/or Romanized Japanese, and available via Interlibrary loan. SuggestionsSuggestions for new Japanese books, serials, and all other information resources are welcome and may be forwarded to: Steve W. Witt |
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Yoo-Seong Song Seong-Eun Park |
The Korean Collection at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign contains nearly 17,000 volumes and 2,000 volumes of non-Korean language that support teaching and research in the Korea related studies. Recently, the Korean Collection developed a Golden Age Korean film collection and Korean feature film collection at media center, Undergraduate Library and Korean Graphic Novel collection at the Undergraduate Library. The Korean language collections are housed in the International & Area Studies Library at the third floor of Main library while titles in western languages are located in the Main Stacks and departmental libraries. The Reading Room in the International & Area Studies Library also contains a good collection of reference works and a selection of Serials in English and Korean languages. Electronic resources such as Korean studies Information Service System Database(KISS)(off-campus access), DBPIA (Trial) (off-campus access) are available to the students and faculty members at UIUC through the web. |
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Antonio Sotomayor, PhD Tel. 217-300-4812 Office hours: by appointment |
As a part of the nation’s largest public academic library, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies collection at the University Library exists to support instruction and research in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and related interdisciplinary fields at University of Illinois. With more than 993,000 volumes and close to 300 serials from Latin America in Spanish, Portuguese, Creole, French and several indigenous languages, the collection ranks among the top five collections nationwide and is the largest in the Midwest. Digital access to resources from and about the region has become an integral focus of the collection. The library provides access to a large number of newspapers and magazines from all over the region through online portals such as Latin American Newstand, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, Access World News, PressDisplay, among others. We also subscribe to all the major electronic databases for academic journal resources, including the Hispanic American Periodical Index (HAPI), Handbook of Latin American Studies, Oxford Bibliographies: Latin America, as well as EBSCO, Infotrac, JSTOR, and a host of other disciplinary databases. We are also participants in the Latin American Microfilm Project through the Center for Research Libraries, which gives us access to a comprehensive microform collection of historic primary material covering everything from politics to culture over the past five centuries. Recently, our library acquired a promising new database called Confidential Prints: Latin America, 1833-1969, containing official British documents pertaining to revolutions, territorial changes and political movements, foreign financial interests, industrial and infrastructural development (including the building of the Panama Canal), wars, slavery, immigration from Europe and relations with indigenous peoples, among other topics. |
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Laila Hussein Subject (LibGuides) GuidesRelated PagesNew Middle East Books |
Historical city of Petra in Jordan’s Ma’an Governorate The Middle East and North Africa collection (MENA) at the University of Illinois is a part of the International Area Studies Library. Our collection covers the region through the rise of Islam to the present and is developed to support the University’s centers and departments that offer courses related to the Middle East, North Africa, and the Islamic world. The Middle Eastern Collection contains 85,897 total items. There are 66,577 items in Arabic including 61,630 books and 4,186 magazines and journals. In Hebrew there are 9,679 items total, 8,237 books, and 809 magazines and journals. In Persian there are 6,302 items total, 5,627 books, and 365 magazines and journals. And, in Turkish there are 3,339 items total, 2,054 books, and 967magazines and journals. The collection covers various disciplines of the humanities and the social sciences and includes languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, English, French, German, and Spanish. To locate non-Latin script language materials please follow the guideline set by the Library of Congress and the American Library Association, ALA-LC Romanization Tables. This website is by no means a complete representation of the vast MENA collection however it serves as an entry way and portal to the digital and electronic resources available in the field. If you have any questions or comments about using our collection, or wish to submit requests for new materials please contact Laila Hussein, Middle East & North African Studies Librarian. |
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Do you need help with locating items or have difficult reference questions? If so, you may want to try this free year-round service at the University of Illinois. The Slavic Reference Service handles bibliographic and reference questions in all subject areas connected to Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. In addition to contacting the Slavic Reference Service directly, researchers can browse our collection of research guides which contain information on vernacular language print and electronic resources for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, see our research guides. Moreover, the reference staff have a blog, which highlights recent online resources they have found useful in answering requests. Schedule a Research ConsultationSRS staff is available to consult with faculty, students, and scholars in Russian, Slavic Reference Service Staff
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Mara L. Thacker Country StudiesLanguage ResourcesLibrary MaterialsOnline Resources |
Welcome!The University Library was one of the first subscribers to the Library of Congress foreign acquisitions program for South Asia and has been actively collecting South Asian materials since 1963. The collection comprises of excellent printed and electronic resources that support teaching and research in South Asian Studies, which includes countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bhutan. Today the South Asian Collection is comprised of over 210,000 volumes. In addition to its many books and journals, the library has a growing collection of Indian popular media, especially films. The library also has the most comprehensive collection of Indian comics and graphic novels in North America. The South Asian library collection has grown steadily with gifts from the government of India and individuals, and substantial library acquisitions. Cooperative and exchange agreements exist with the following institutions: Center for Research Libraries (CRL): CRL has large numbers of South Asian newspapers and journals, and acquires local and state government publications, both monographs and serials, from all South Asian countries. Digital South Asia Library (DSAL): The DSAL is a global collaborative effort to make important and rare resources available to the international community. South Asia Microfilm Project (SAMP): SAMP is a cooperative project to which the UIUC library subscribes. It places an emphasis on the preservation of retrospective files and in making available in the United States special South Asian collections from other countries. (*Microforms acquired or filmed are owned by CRL, but are available for loan to SAMP subscribers.) The primary focus of the South Asian Collection is on the humanities and social sciences. And, as a result the South Asian collection is strong in the areas of Linguistics, Literature, Geography, History, Indology, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Cultures, Societies and Women Studies. The South Asian Collection contains materials in both English and vernacular languages of South Asia, including the 23 languages of India. By providing reference materials in vernacular languages, the South Asian division of the International and Area Studies Library directly serves departments such as Linguistics, Religious Studies, Comparative Literature and other areas under the Center for South Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES). Some of the language materials included in the collection are: Assamese, Bengali, Burmese, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Prakrit, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Location of MaterialsReference works and a selection of current serials in English and South Asian languages are housed in the International and Area Studies Library located on the third floor of the Main Library. All other materials can be found in the Main Stacks and in various departmental libraries. |
