[MR] What's a primary source?

[Rosine]

This was part of a message that appeared on a List I read. I believe more
than one of us would be interested in it.  - Rosine

   "The History Section of the American Library Association's Reference &
User Services Association has released a brief, illustrated online guide for
students, _Using Primary Sources on the Web_, whose current URL is:
http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/
   The guide's section headings are: "What are Primary Sources"; "Finding
Primary Sources on the Web"; "Evaluating Primary Source Web Sites"; and
"Citing Web Sites".  Internal links to a variety of other sites, including
several major online text collections, augment the pedagogic utility of this
offering.  Although more could be done to improve the guide (e.g., enable
the shoulder-note hotlinks, which were not working just now), this could be
a worthwhile addition to many course pages. . . . One of the online text
collections linked to is _EuroDocs: Primary Historical Documents from
Western Europe_, whose URL is: http://library.byu.edu/~rdh/eurodocs/
   Those who have not looked recently at EuroDocs' section on "Medieval &
Renaissance Europe" may be pleasantly surprised by the nature and breadth of
its offerings.  I certainly was.  The URL for this is:
 http://library.byu.edu/~rdh/eurodocs/medren.html "
- John Dillon