ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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Suppose you’re a secret agent sent to gather information on... [Girl sitting on a couch and boy appears at the window]

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…your older sister's new boyfriend.

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Okay, so that’s a weird assignment for the federal government to give you, but…just humor us.

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Sure, you could speak to his classmates, teachers and friends to get an idea of what they have

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to say about him – but if you really wanted to figure out who this guy is, you'd want

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to see for yourself. [Boy walks in sister's boyfriend's room]

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So…you’d want to look at letters he's written, Facebook replies he's typed up,

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text messages he's sent... and even his personal diary. Hopefully there’s nothing in there

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that will make you want to puke.

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These sources would show what the guy is thinking and feeling –

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and they're what we call “Primary Sources.” [Example of primary sources]

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Primary sources are the most powerful tool a biographer has at their disposal.

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Because primary sources often feature the exact words of the person the biographer is [Dino explaining primary sources]

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writing about, there's no better way to learn about who this person is and how they feel.

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And where might one find a primary source? The library’s not a bad place to start. [Man walks inside a library]

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Take a look at this librarian. Bored and sad.

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Now take a look at this librarian. She is a very happy and excited librarian. [Librarian bouncing up and down waving]

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And why is she so happy and excited?

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Because a student just asked her for help find a primary source about Gandhi.

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This is what librarians live for.

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At a library, you can search databases, microfiche, Internet archives, or even old actual printed [Librarian taking girl to a primary source]

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sources like books and periodicals.

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Believe it or not, those things actually still exist.

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But be prepared: primary sources can often be more challenging to read because they require

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more interpretation on the part of the reader.

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It also doesn't help when they were written a hundred years ago and everyone speaks like

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they're in a Shakespearean play. [Girl peering behind library books]

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But again, don't be afraid to ask for help. It will make your librarian's day.

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Biographers take these primary sources and turn them into secondary sources.

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So…it’s all roughly the same info, but from the point of view of a third party. [Coop discussing secondary sources]

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So it’s not quite as reliable.

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Secondary sources can be another great place to look for information, and because the biographer [Boy studies Jessica's diary]

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has done all the difficult interpretation for us, they tend to be a whole lot easier

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to understand.

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So whether you're looking for a primary source or a secondary source, the library is a great

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place to start.

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And, of course, it's also a great place to quickly turn a bored librarian into a very excited one… [Man and woman dancing in a library]

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