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Research in FSU Special Collections & Archives

Understanding Search Results

Types of Sources

Primary Source: material that contains firsthand accounts of events and that was created contemporaneous to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness.

  • When utilizing primary sources, it is helpful to conduct an evaluation of the author and the nature of their perspective before considering it a useful piece of evidence. Consider these questions: What is the author’s background? Why did they produce this document? Who was their intended audience? Are you viewing the entirety of the document? Are there other perspectives to consider?
  • Refer to the libguide linked below for more information about primary sources.

Secondary Source: A work that is not based on direct observation of or evidence directly associated with the subject, but instead relies on sources of information.

Helpful Definitions

Call number - A unique combination of letters and numbers used to identify an item and to facilitate storage and retrieval.

Finding aid - a description that typically consists of contextual and structural information about an archival resource

Facsimile - A reproduction that simulates the appearance of the original as closely as possible.

International Standard Book Numbering (ISBN) - A standard ten to thirteen-digit number used to uniquely identify books.

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) - A standard eight-digit number used to uniquely identify serial publications, including electronic serials.

Journal - A periodical, especially one of a scholarly nature or published for a professional group.

Metadata - information about data that promotes discovery, structures data objects, and supports the administration and preservation of records. Metadata may be embedded or external. It may be applied at a variety of levels of granularity and during different periods in the life cycle of data. It is typically demarcated and standardized, and it often provides context.

Location of Materials

Now that you have located materials you would like to view in-person, make sure you know where to go to see them! FSU Special Collections & Archives serves materials in two different readng room locations and also store materials offsite. 

Special Collections & Archives

Visit SCA Online

Special Collections & Archives Website

FSU Library Catalog
Filter results for SCA by selecting "Library > FSU Special Collections and Archives"

FSU Finding Aid Database

FSU Digital Repository

Email SCA Staff

 

Visit SCA In-Person

Visit SCA Spaces

SCA Reading Rooms Hours

SCA Research Center
110 Strozier Library, Main Floor
(850) 644-3271

Claude Pepper Library
Claude Pepper Center, 636 W Call St
(850) 644-9217 

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