Guest post by Natalie Hernandez
Before His450 I conducted primary research on one other occasion for
another class. We were encouraged to go to the UWM archives or use a primary
source form the digital collections. I decided to pick a digital primary source to work with
because I was nervous to physically go to the archives. When Professor Seligman
told the class that we would work with primary sources I was nervous but
excited to get to learn more about approaching primary source research.
When the class was assigned to find a primary source,
we wanted to analyze and present at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), I made
an appointment at the UWM archives. You don’t need to make an appointment, but
it is recommended. The day we were assigned the assignment we went to the UWM
library so that a library staff member could teach us a method to approach
primary source research which made the assignment more approachable. We went
over a research analysis method called “Six Thinking Hats” which taught the
class tips on how to analyze primary sources.[1] We also learned how to use
a UWM finding aid to help us decide which boxes we should look through to find
a primary source regarding our topic. This lesson made me feel more equipped to
go to the archives by myself and look for a primary source.
Before heading to the archives, I used the finding aid
to look for primary sources related to the Mitchells and found a collection
called the “Mitchell Family Papers.” I looked at the boxes and their
description and noted three that I wanted to look through. Once I was at the archives,
I approached a staff member and explained that I was there for a class
assignment and needed assistance getting a box. The staff brought me the box
containing the “Mitchell Family Papers” along with folder dividers to use as
place holders when I’m looking through the documents. The staff advised me to
handle the documents gently and to keep the documents organized and in their
respective folders. As I looked through the primary sources, I came across
hundreds of postcards and letters with cursive handwriting I had trouble
reading. After half an hour of mostly admiring the postcards, I decided to use
an invitation from the president to John L. Mitchell to attend a boat christening
ceremony for the U.S. Wisconsin. Along with the invitation there was a
newspaper clipping that covered the event. I thought it would be a good set of
primary sources to analyze and explain at MPM. After I decided on the sources,
I asked the staff member if they could scan them and email the scans to me. I
left once the documents were scanned and emailed to me. I left the library
feeling good about my experience at the archives.
[1]
“Six Thinking Hats,” Wikipedia, retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_Hats.
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