Primary sources are basic materials with little or no annotation or editorial alteration, such as manuscripts, diaries, letters, interviews, first-hand accounts, statistical data and laboratory reports. Secondary sources derive from primary materials and include analysis, interpretation, and commentary on primary materials. With this said, you should understand that there is no clear distinction between primary and secondary sources, but rather the materials you use for your research paper will lie on a continuum, some being more primary than others. And depending on your project, the same material might be considered a secondary source for one paper and a primary one for another.
Microfilm Sets in Alden Library's Microforms Department (1st Floor)
CIA Research Reports, 1946-1976. One of the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency's mandates has been to produce foreign intelligence reports to meet the needs of the President, National Security Council, etc. The result has been a diverse body of documentation. The material consists of reports, intelligence memos and biographical reports. Much of this Latin America material reports on "domestic" politics (e.g. coups), foreign relations matters, and economic issues. Emphasis is on areas of American concern during that era, Cuba, Dominican Republic, etc. The set covers Latin America as a region and also specifically Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, British Guiana, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The printed guide lists reports by subject, geographically and chronologically. (5 reels Microfilm & reel/subject Printed guide, Micro F1414 L38 1982x)
Crises In Panama And The Dominican Republic: National Security Files (1963 - 1968) This collection is from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and covers the Johnson Administration's response to the outbreaks of violence in the mid-1960s in Panama and the Dominican Republic. (8 reels microfilm & printed guide, Micro F1566.4 .U6 C75 1982x)
Cuba: Confidential U. S. State Department Central Files. The "Central Files", record group 59, are from the Internal and Foreign Affairs subject classifications of the Central Files how housed in the National Archives. They contain instructions and correspondence received from and sent to diplomatic posts abroad and include a wide range of materials reporting on political, military, social and economic developments, minutes, interviews, texts of letters and instructions, and translations of foreign documents. This series illuminate the corruption of the Batista regime, rise of the Communist party, the revolution and victory of Fidel Castro.
Current National Statistical Compendiums Reproduced on microfiche, this set includes the major statistical reports issued by each country, i.e., comparable to the Statistical Abstract of the U.S. Micro HA 155 C22x fiche
The Declassified Documents Reference System
Executive Order 11652 revised the regulations governing the handling of Classified
U.S. security information. As a result, thousands of post-World War II government
documents which formerly had the status of "top secret", "secret", or "confidential"
have since been declassified. The 1974 Freedom of Information Act has resulted
in additional documents being declassified on a regular basis.
Most of the material in this collection has come by way of the Presidential Libraries, originating from the Central Intelligence Agency, the State Department, the Department of Defense, White House documents, and other U.S. government agencies and organizations. These documents provide an inside look into American foreign policy and decision-making and contain numerous reports about other countries and evaluations of events. They include telegrams, correspondence and field reports as well as lengthy background studies and detailed minutes of cabinet-level meetings. Bear in mind that the size, scope, length, and quality of the documents vary.
Though specifics have changed over the years the Collection has had the following basic components --(1) Printed Indexes, (2) a cumulative CD-ROM Index with abstracts, and (3) the microfiche containing the documents themselves. MICRO Z 1223 A7..., and (4) the on-line version available to Ohio University users directly as part of the World Government Documents Archive (http://www.ddrs.psmedia.com/protect/sub_form.htm)(via Library or Dialnet only).
NOTE: By far the easiest and most thorough means of access to this collection is through the on-line method. Only the on-line version indexes each word of each document. The 'advanced' searching mode is quite useful in that one can combine text searches with a number of categories, such as issue date, date declassified, document classification, originating office or source, number of pages, etc. Also note that relevant pages are shown, but one can view all pages if desired --in either text mode or actual facsimile. For the most part the on-line version should be sufficient, but the microfiche might be useful in lieu of downloading/printing larger files. Please consult with microform staff on how to decipher the document number and locate appropriate microfiche (the first four digits 'year' and last 5 digits 'document number' are key). At this point the Retrospective Portion of the Collection (materials de-classed prior to 1975) is not on-line, and some of the most recent releases are first available on microfiche edition only. The Retrospective Portion is indexed by the CD-ROM.
El Salvador: War, Peace, And Human Rights, 1980-1994. (National Security Archive) This set reproduces more than 1300 documents detailing the U. S. policy toward El Salvador during the country's civil war and the subsequent peace accords. Project director, Kate Doyle; series editors, Thomas S. Blanton, Malcolm Byrne. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. 220 microfiche; 11 x 15 cm. + guide and index (756 p. : ill., map; 29 cm.). Micro F1488.3 .E48 1996x.
Iran-contra Affair: The Making of a Scandal, 1983-1988. An impressive collection of research materials and resources obtained and indexed by the National Security Archive to provide scholars and policy makers a basis toward better understanding of what transpired. 664 microfiche & printed guide/index, Micro E576 I72 1990x.
International Population Census Publications
Series I, 1945-1967; Series II, pre-1945; Series III, post-1967. Each series
has a guide, at Micro Desk. Penciled in the margins of the table of contents
of the guide for Series I are the complete holdings of the Library, including
material before 1945 and after 1977. The Library has partial holdings for Central
America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Note list below. Census
publications are abstracts and general discussions of population counts and
demographic trends, e.g. statistics on age, sex, occupation, literacy, immigration,
rural-urban migration, etc. The microfilm is kept as a set under Microfilm 27,
arranged alphabetically by country and date. Also check ALICE, for the Library
also holds censuses in their original form; and, some may be in other sets such
as the British Sessional Papers, collections of government archives of specific
countries, etc. NOTE: Items are in the process of being cataloged on an individual
basis, the cataloged material is being kept with the bulk of the collection,
Microfilm 27. If the desired item seems to be missing, also check ALICE and
look under the call number given on ALICE. A complete list of holdings can be
found on the Microform Collection's Web site. (Printed Guides, MICRO Z 7164
D3 I59 1984; etc.)
NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE Note: The National Security Archive, a non-profit research institute founded in 1985, is the source for several microform collections in Ohio University Library. Its mission is to enrich research and public debate about issues of U. S. national security policy. Individual Latin-American-related collections of interest include: Cuban Missile Crisis... El Salvador: The Making of U.S. Policy... Iran Contra Affair: The Making of a Scandal... Nicaragua: The Making of U.S. Policy... The U.S. Intelligence Community: Organization, Operations... These series are described seperately in this list. They have excellent printed indexes. It is now also possible to search these National Security Archives series collectively as a group via CD-ROM on the First Floor of Alden Library. This CD-ROM contains the electronic versions of the twelve collection indexes and guides included in The making of U.S. policy series. (Micro E183.7 N3 1994x CD-ROM, installed on the Department's workstations, please inquire at Desk.) These sets are published on microform by Chadwyck-Healey which also offers the Digital National Security Archive , an on-line version of the above sets. For time being the Ohio University Library has chosen not to subscribe in that it already has the collections
National Security Files, 1961-1963 (John F. Kennedy files). (Geographically arranged, 10 reels Microfilm & printed guide/index, Micro F1414 J64 1987x) National Security Files, 1963-1969 (Lyndon B. Johnson files). (13 reels Microfilm & printed guide, Micro F1414 L386 1987x)
The materials in the above two series contain the White House's 'country files' for this general region, mostly intelligence reports and analytical studies. Much of the illustrates the U. S. roles in the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis, activities of Cuban exiles, Brazil's General Castelo Branco, the Dominican Republic, and Panama. The guides list each document and have analytical indexes.
Nicaragua. Confidential U. S. Diplomatic Post Records 1930-1945.
Diplomatic post records are those kept at the embassies or legations rather
in the U. S. State Department's Central files. They contain incoming messages
from Washington and much more locally gather information than in Washington.
The period covered in this set includes the end of the occupation by U. S. Marines
and the beginnings of the presidential entrenchment of Anastasio Somoza. The
role of U. S. backing is well documented. These records are from Record Group
84 of the U. S. National Archives and the Federal Records Center. (38 reels
Microfilm & printed guide, Micro F1527 C6 1983x).
Nicaragua: Confidential U. S. State Department Central Files
The "Central Files", record group 59, are from the Department of State's Internal
and Foreign Affairs subject classifications of the Central Files (Decimal Files)
now housed in the National Archives. These files consist of instructions and
correspondence received from and sent to diplomatic posts abroad and include
a wide range of materials reporting on political, military, social and economic
developments, minutes, interviews, texts of letters and instructions, and translations
of foreign documents.
This material is from Decimal files 711.17; 717; 817; 917; 611.17; 617. This series chronicles the later career of Anastasio Somoza to his assassination in 1956. Somoza's total consolidation of power and Nicaragua's relations to its neighbors, and defense arrangements with the U.S., and the region's concern about these, are covered in great detail.
Nicaragua: Internal & Foreign Affairs, 1945-1949, 12 reels microfilm & printed guide, Micro F1527 C62 1986x.
Nicaragua: Internal & Foreign Affairs, 1950-1954, 11 reels microfilm & printed guide, Micro F1527 C633 1986x.
Nicaragua: Internal & Foreign Affairs, 1955-1959, 9 reels microfilm & printed guide, Micro F1527 C63 1988x.
Nicaragua: The Making Of U. S. Policy, 1978-1990. Compiled and Indexed by the National Security Archive. 579 microfiche, printed guide and 3-volume index, Micro E183.8 N5 N522 1991x.
O.S.S./State Department Intelligence and Research Reports; Latin America: 1941-1961. The Office of Strategic Services and the State Department sometimes assigned leading scholars to write special classified reports on economic, political, military and social matters, and biographies. This set is a collection of 369 such reports previously not available. Latin America and the Caribbean are covered as regions plus the following countries specifically: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, British Guiana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, and Venezuela. 10 reels Microfilm & printed Index/Guide, Micro F1414 .U54 1979x
Records Of The U. S. Department Of State Relating To Political Relations Of Latin America and the Caribbean States, 1930- 1944. Materials from the U. S. National Archives, DOS decimal files 712-739. These files are from holdings in the National Archives, records group 59, and are predominantly instructions to and dispatches from diplomatic and consular officials and are often accompanied by enclosures. Also included are notes between foreign diplomats in the United States and State Department officials, correspondence to other government departments and private businesses and persons. Reel contents, guide, and numerical/subject index for "class 7" documents on each roll. 90 rolls microfilm and printed guide, Micro F1415 R436 1988x
Government Documents (5th floor) Alden LibraryThe Documents Department on the fifth floor of Alden Library has been a depository for publications from the U. S. government for more than 100 years. Information comes from the government in many formats: weekly magazines, hardbound volumes, compact disks , annual reports, posters, microfiche, maps, etc.
In Summer, 1996, the Documents staff began a massive project to add U.S. documents to ALICE --the Library's online catalog. Although this project will continue for some time, you may now search recent U.S. documents on the Library's ALICE system as well as in the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, which is available on the Library's SearchNet system. The Documents Department on the fifth floor also has other indexes for older U.S. documents, and for specialized material such as Congressional publications, and statistical resources. The staff will be glad to help you.
The stacks in the Documents Department are open to the public, and users are welcome to browse and select material. You will see that our U.S. documents are given special call numbers which are quite different from the call numbers used in other parts of the Library. Our material is filed according to the Superintendent of Documents classification system. By using this system, our collection is arranged according to the U.S. government agency that issued the publication.
Some Government Documents items of Interest to Students of International Studies
One quite important resource is the FBIS: Foreign Broadcast Information Service series
Other Items of Special Interest
United States Foreign Trade Info. - - C 3.164:
Foreign Economic Trends and Their Implications for the United States - - C 61.11:
Area Handbooks/Country Studies. (Mini-encyclopedia about each country) - - D 101.22: 550
The World Fact Book (annual) - - PrEx 3.15: (Latest kept at Documents Desk) (brief info. on each country, current issue is on-line)
Foreign Relations of the U.S. S - - 1.1:
Department of State Bulletin. (Official monthly record of U.S. foreign policy. Ceased in 1989) - - S 1.3:
Department of State Dispatch.
American Foreign Policy, Current Documents (annual) - - S 1.71/2:
Background Notes (3-4 pages of current information on most countries of the world) - - S 1.123: Kept at Documents Desk.
Treaties in Force - - S 9.14:
U.S. Treaties and Other International Agreements - - S 9.12:
Congressional hearings (publications on varied topics discussed in the U.S. Congress including foreign relations topics, economic and military aid, human rights conditions). Recent hearings are on microfiche. Executive Sessions, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Historical Series, starting 1947) - - Y4. F 76/2: Ex 3/2/vol.
National Trade Data Bank--NTDB. (Most recent trade promotion, "how-to", and international economic data from U.S. government agencies.) - - Available on the Library's SearchNet machines.
U.S. Exports of Merchandise (by commodity and country) On CD-ROM on Documents Department workstation labeled DOCS 3
U.S. Imports of Merchandise (by commodity and country) On CD-ROM on Documents Department workstation labeled DOCS 3.
International Statistics Index (ISI) (Provides citations to international publications containing useful statistics). Paper copy is on Documents Index shelves. Also available on CD-ROM as part of the Statistical Masterfile.
United Nations Documents in the Documents Department (5th Floor)
The United Nations documents collection in the Documents Department has two parts. In the Documents stacks there are paper copies of the Official Records of the main organs of the U.N. to 1992. Since 1992, the Documents Dept. has been receiving a complete microfiche collection of all non-copyrighted publications of the U.N.
For recent publications, the U.N. INDEX on CD-ROM in the Documents Department is the place to begin your search. None of the U.N. material in the Documents Department is included on ALICE. In addition to indexes to the Official Records, the Documents Department houses indexes to earlier U.N. material, such as UNITED NATIONS INDEX, UNDEX, and UNDOC in paper form. The U.N. classification system and the indexes for U.N. documents tend to be confusing and somewhat difficult to use, so remember to ask for assistance.
Publications from some divisions of the United Nations (such as UNESCO, World Health Organization , FAgriculture Organization, etc.) are shelved, not in the Documents Department, but in the main library collection, and the most recent editions of key U.N. publications can be found in the Reference Department. You can also find in the Reference Department historical population statistics, current information from the International Monetary Fund and other organizations that monitor development throughout the world. You can use ALICE to locate these materials.
Using ALICE and OhioLink to Locate Primary Resources
Subject searching on ALICE and OhioLink by a country or region, then limiting the search in the subject field for diaries or interviews, can yield sources that are primary. In addition, try searching by the names of non-governmental organizations or international government agencies as authors to find if there are any reports or documents.
Internet Guides/full-text Collections.
Increasingly some of the collections mentioned above are partially or entirely available on the Internet by way of the Library's home page. Perusing the Latin American Studies Subject page on the Library's Home Page will provide some leads and suggestions. The main resources in locating Internet materials are described below.
Some Web Sources for Locating Primary Resource Information
Latin American Government
Documents Project
Organizes and describes the many Latin American official government documents
now appearing on the Internet. It consists of a series of tables that groups
similar kinds of publications (e.g. statistics), briefly summarizes their contents
and provides links to the site. http://lib1.library.cornell.edu/colldev/
Economic Commission for Latin America
(Comision Economica para America Latina y el Caribe) Gateway to many economic
and financial information sources maintained by this United Nations commission.
In Spanish. http://www.eclac.cl/
United Nations information on the Internet
You will probably be interested in the variety of information on the United
Nations homepage. You can find an overview of the UN organization, photos, information
resources and more. http://www.un.org/
M. Molloy's Internet
Resources for Latin America
A comprehensive listing of information resources of all types located on
the Internet, including web sites, newsgroups, and reference sources. In English.
http://lib.nmsu.edu/subject/bord/laguia/
Latin American Network Information
Center (LANIC)
Access to Latin American databases and information services. Includes information
by country and subject. Maintained by Institute of Latin American Studies at
the University of Texas at Austin. In English or Spanish. http://lanic.utexas.edu/
These materials were compiled (Jan 2000) by and please feel free to consult:
Sharon Huge, Reference Librarian, 4th Floor
Theodore (Ted) Foster, Latin American Bibliographer, 1st Floor
Here is a link to a neat translator service that works on the fly so to speak -- opens a new window, copy URL or text from original and paste. http://translator.go.com/