Theatre & Performance Studies 

What are Primary Sources?  Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to the truth of what actually happened during an historical event or time period. Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied.  A primary source (also called original source) is a document, recording, artifact, or other source of information that was created at the time under study, usually by a source with direct personal knowledge of the events being described. It serves as an original source of information about the topic. Similar definitions are used in library science, and other areas of scholarship. In journalism, a primary source can be a person with direct knowledge of a situation, or a document created by such a person. Primary sources are distinguished from secondary sources, which cite, comment on, or build upon primary sources, though the distinction is not a sharp one.

www.safepassageohio.org/.../primarysources.asp

A selection of newpapers covering 1700 to present.

The Billy Rose Theatre Collection of The New York Public Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive archives devoted to the theatrical arts.

www.nyu.edu/.../tam/ewen/freedom_fellowship.html

Use these databases to lead you to historical content. Remember, Not all the Library databases are available here, so you may need to consult our complete list of databases.

It is especially strong in English literature from the middle of the 18th century to the present, documenting developments in the novel. The Downtown Collection documents the downtown New York art, performance, and literary scenes from 1975 to the present and is extremely rich in archival holdings, including extensive film and video objects.

one of the finest research collections in the country documenting the history of radical politics: socialism, communism, anarchism, utopian experiments, the cultural left, the New Left, and the struggle for civil rights and civil liberties.

The University Archives serves as the final repository for the historical records of New York University.

www.nyu.edu/.../exhibits/arch/1967/1967-5.html

Having a problem finding hard to find items?  Archives are places or collections containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest.