The Library of Congress

History Firsthand
Primary Source Research in Elementary School

Vocabulary

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A number of new vocabulary terms are introduced in the unit. Click on the term for a brief definition.

appraisal	archives	arrangement and description
artifact	attributes	collection
document	primary source	secondary source

Appraisal:
The act of determining historical or monetary value in a document or artifact.

Archives:
Archives refers to three related concepts: the primary source collections held in an archives building, the institution that collects primary sources, or the building itself.

Arrangement and Description:
The process of placing documents or artifacts in a logical order and writing descriptive guides to aid in the location of specific items.

Artifact:
An object which provides evidence about a specific period or event.

Attributes:
Attributes are the specific qualities of a document or artifact.

Collection:
A group of documents and/or artifacts which share something in common such as origin or subject.

Document:
Documents contain information about event(s). They can be textual or graphic. Manuscripts are documents which are created as a result of individual activity. Records are documents which are created as a result of institutional activity.

Primary Source:
A document or artifact which provides evidence about a historical event. Primary sources reflect firsthand knowledge about a particular event.

Secondary Source:
Information which is derived from other sources. These sources can be either primay or secondary.