Ramsey Library at UNC Asheville: Appalachian Studies: Primary Sources

What is a Primary Source?

Essentially, a primary source is a first-hand account created during the time period being studied. These include newspapers, letters, diaries, speeches, interviews, photographs, autobiographies, memoirs, posters, film footage and audio recordings.

By comparison, a secondary source is generally interpretive, analytical or evaluative. These include scholarly books and articles, biographies, and encyclopedia entries.

Primary Sources at UNCA & Available Locally

Biddix List of Primary Sources
Compiled by the History Department, the Biddix List is a listing of the primary source offerings available through our library. This does include offerings in Appalachian culture and history.
Special Collections at Ramsey Library
The purpose of the Special Collections and University Archives Unit of D. Hiden Ramsey Library is to facilitate the educational objectives of the University of North Carolina at Asheville and the broad mission and program objectives of the D. Hiden Ramsey Library.

Primary Source Databases

Primary Sources on the Web

Appalachian Studies Bibliography (West Virginia University)
Compiled by the librarians at West Virginia University, this bibliography lists more than 8000 citations to books, journal articles, and documents, is subject-indexed and contains descriptive annotations.
Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project
Offered through the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the GSMRP is a compendium of resources on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding area.
Appalachian Regional Commission
Information, including statistics, on the entire Appalachian Region.
Documenting the American South
A digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes fourteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.
Library of Congress - Online Collections
The Library of Congress makes an enormous variety of resources available online, including books, newspapers, films, images, audio recordings, and many more. Please check copyright information for individual resources.