Political Science

Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later. Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format. Primary sources in political science can be found in the Libraries Special Collections Department, the Libraries' print and microfilm collections, electronic databases to which the Libraries subscribe, and on the Internet.

Political Science primary sources held in the Special Collections Department include:

Papers documenting the lives of elected and appointed Florida officials, such as Governors Reuben Askew, Spessard Holland, LeRoy Collins, Fuller Warren, U.S. Senator Claude Pepper, Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Glenn Terrell, and the Allen Morris Papers.

Records of Florida State University (FSU), such as Faculty Senate, the FSU Student Government Association Records, and the FSU Center for Participant Education Records.

To search for these sources:

A paper-based Manuscripts Name and Subjects Index and finding aids to FSU Libraries' manuscripts holdings can be consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Examples: In the Name and Subjects Index, look under name/subject headings "Government Officials-Florida," "Governors-Florida," or "Judicial System-Florida," then find "Collection Name" under the column directly across from those entries.

Primary Source materials in Special Collections are also listed in the Library Catalog. To find these: Click on Advanced Search.

If you are uncertain of the exact Subject Heading, type an Anywhere search and link your subject(s) together with "AND" plus one of the following typical primary source subheadings:

Sources

Diaries

Correspondence

Interviews

Personal Narratives

Limit search by Location. Select "Strozier, Special Collections" in pull-down menu.

If you wish to limit search by time period, type in year(s) in the "Published from year(s)___to___."

Here's some finding aids to our Florida political collections: