Tips for Research in Using Primary Sources

printable PDF version of this page

 Chicano Studies Research Paper - Tips for Research in Using Primary Sources
What are Primary Sources?

Assistance: For help with this assignment, first contact Sal Guerena in CEMA (3rd floor of the Library Rm. 3593, tel: 893-8563 guerena@library.ucsb.edu). Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm.

Drop-in workshops on how to use Chicano primary sources will be in Special Collections/CEMA at Special Collections Seminar Room (3rd floor Davidson Library). The times will be announced. If the course instructor has requested these, the times will be announced in class.

If your research paper is part of a class-wide assignment you must attend one of these workshops before requesting Special Collections materials.

Research account: to use special collections materials you must register for a Special Collections Research Account at: http://researchspecial.library.ucsb.edu/

For a step-by-step outline on how to submit requests please visit our “How to Use the Special Collections Research Account” webpage.

Department of Special Collections hours:
Monday 9 am - 5 pm; Tuesday - Wednesday, 9 am - 8 pm; Thursay - Friday 9 am - 5 pm; Closed Santurday and Sunday

Photocopying; this must be done for you, and must be left for you to pick up the following day.

Primary Sources can include:

Published memoirs
Published diaries
Published facsimiles of historical documents
Newspaper articles.

Sources in the Coleccion Tloque Nahuaque (in the EGSL on the 2nd floor of Davidson Library) include all of the above, as well as an index to an extensive collection of indexed newspaper articles on many subjects now located in Special Collections. Also see COMEXAZ News Monitoring Service (1972-1980) (E 184 M5 C64). For assisstance with these, consult with staff in the Colección office at 893-2756.

CEMA archives and manuscripts
Use Google and type "cema special collections". The link to “Collections” in the header will display a list of guides to the collections. Click that and go to "Chicano/Latino Collections."

Not all collections listed have finding aids; click your selection and see if there is an active link to a guide; if so, there will be a biography or history, a collection note, and then a container list that will give you a good indication of the types of primary sources you will find in each collection." The collection is broken up into box numbers and each box shows a list of the folders and their descriptions.

To request such materials you must first set up a “Special Collections Research Account." See the instructions above.

Special handling:
Please take special care in handling these fragile materials. Do not mix up the contents of each folder or mix up the folders. Leave everything in the order that you find it. Rules for use of Special Collections materials are listed here: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections/research/rules

CEMA collection suggestions (these are processed and guides are in Special Collections can be found at the Online Archives of California):

UCSB Ethnic Studies Protests at UCSB/Hunger Strikes Collection (CEMA 93)
Latina studies: Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional Archives (CEMA 30)
Arts: Chicano Art Movement Collection (CEMA 37)
Literature: Lucha Corpi Papers (CEMA 26) , Jose Montoya Papers (CEMA 20)
Chicano Movement: Oscar Zeta Acosta Papers (CEMA 1), Ricardo Cruz Papers(CEMA 28)