About this Tutorial

Original Poster for Pink Floyd's Concert in the SBU Gym, April 1970. 
From the University Archives Memorabilia Collection, SBU Libraries.

About the Project

"Using Primary Sources in Research" is a tutorial developed by Stony Brook University faculty member and Associate Librarian Kristen J. Nyitray, Director of Special Collections and University Archives, and University Archivist. She developed the tutorial specifically for students, to introduce them to concepts and to provide them with strategies for the effective and ethical use of primary sources in research and creative assignments. 

In seven lessons, students engage with primary sources. Each lesson includes a quiz, so students can check their understanding of and application of concepts. The lessons can be completed as one assignment or be broken into smaller assignments, depending on the amount of time available. Based on user self-reporting, the entire tutorial can be completed in approximately 90 minutes.

With a project aim to expand and improve student learning, writing, and critical thinking skills, this tutorial is an OER (open educational resource) that can be applied and used across the curriculum. It is the first formal initiative of its type at Stony Brook University to engage students in primary source literacy. The core competencies and learning objectives in the tutorial are informed by and aligned with "Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy" developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries, Rare Books and Manuscripts Section-Society of American Archivists Joint Task Force on the Development of Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy.

Faculty Biography

Kristen J. Nyitray is Associate Librarian and Director of Special Collections and University Archives, and University Archivist at Stony Brook University Libraries. Her work encompasses all facets of developing and implementing the department's acquisitions, research services, teaching activities, outreach, collection processing, donor relations, and online presence for the department.

Her research publications range from articles on archival science and computer game history (IEEE Annals of the History of Computing) to the books Long Island Beaches (Arcadia Publishing, 2019) and Stony Brook: State University of New York (Arcadia Publishing, 2002). She is a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists and earned a Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certificate from the Society of American Archivists for the appraisal, preservation, and management of born-digital records. She is a recipient of the Chancellor's Award from the State University of New York and the President's Award from Stony Brook University for Excellence in Librarianship.

Project Support and Funding

This project, officially titled "From Text to Texting: Engaging Students in Primary Source Literacy," was awarded funding from a TALENT Grant sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at Stony Brook University. The TALENT Project (Teaching and Learning Enhancements with New Technology) encourages Stony Brook University instructors to invest their time, talent and energy to solve current and future challenges of pedagogy. It is designed to support faculty in their creative instructional efforts over a finite period of time and provide expert advice and assistance on pedagogy and technology from TLT and Faculty Center Staff.

Project References and Sources

• Brooks, Philip Coolidge. 1969.Research in Archives: The Use of Unpublished Primary Sources. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Carini, Peter. 2016. "Information Literacy for Archives and Special Collections: Defining Outcomes." Libraries and the Academy 16 (1): 191-206.
• DocsTeach from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 
• Document Analysis Worksheets from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
• Teaching with Primary Sources from Eastern Illinois University
• Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education from the Association of College & Research Libraries, American Library Association
• Garcia, Patricia, Joseph Lueck, and Elizabeth Yakel. 2019. "The Pedagogical Promise of Primary Sources: Research Trends, Persistent Gaps, and New Directions." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 45 (2): 94–101.
• Getting Started with Primary Source Research for Teachers and Students, National Archives and Records Administration
• A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology. Society of American Archivists by Richard Pearce-Moses, 2005
• Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy from the Society of American Archivists
• Primary Source Sets from the Digital Public Library of America
• Primary Sources at Yale University
• Primary Sources on the Web from the American Library Association, Reference and Users Services Association
• Reading Like a Historian History Lessons from Stanford History Education Group
• Robyns, Marcus C. 2001. "The Archivist as Educator: Integrating Critical Thinking Skills into Historical Research Methods Instruction." The American Archivist 64 (2): 363–384. 
• Standards Framework for Learners from American Association of School Librarians 
• Teaching with Primary Sources Bibliography from the Society of American Archivists, Reference, Access, and Outreach Section
• UCLA History: Historical Thinking Standards
• Using Primary Sources from The Library of Congress