Alaska

Introduction

This guide suggests useful resources for studying the history of Alaska. It focuses primarily on resources available through Archives & Special Collections, a division of Western Libraries which includes the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, University Archives & Records Management, and Special Collections.

To learn more about primary source collections at Western and beyond, check out the "Archives & Special Collections: Primary Sources for Teaching, Learning & Research" and "Finding Historical Primary Sources Beyond Western's Archives & Special Collections" video tutorials.

Please contact Archives & Special Collections if you have questions or need assistance.

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections aims to contextualize its archival and special collections in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the resources we manage. However, for a variety of reasons, users may encounter offensive or harmful content or language in our collections and/or our descriptive and teaching tools. When we discover problematic language created by an archivist, review it for possible revision. Information derived from the original archival material may be retained if it provides additional context about the people who created it.

Staff are currently addressing offensive or harmful content and language as part of routine description work. In addition, we encourage users to provide feedback to help us tackle this issue. We recognize that terminology evolves over time and that efforts to create respectful and inclusive practices must be ongoing.

If you encounter problematic content or descriptions in our collections or descriptive and teaching tools, please contact us to recommend a correction, the replacement of a term, or the inclusion of additional context.

Contact archives.speccoll@wwu.edu or (360) 650-7534.

About Primary Sources

Primary sources are the raw materials of history created during a specific period of study. They contain firsthand accounts of events and were created contemporaneous to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness. Primary sources emphasize the lack of intermediaries between the thing or events being studied, and reports of those things or events based on the belief that firsthand accounts are more accurate. Examples of primary sources include letters and diaries; government, church, and business records; oral histories; photographs, motion pictures and audio-visual recordings; maps and land records; and blueprints.

Analyzing Primary Sources

Skilled researchers will make sure to critically analyze every source they use. Do not always take the information you find at face value – just because something is a primary source, or is old or original, it is not guaranteed to be true or factual. Be prepared to question and challenge your sources, taking into account the author or creator and the intended audience, and also considering what information is present and what is missing.

How can you better understand a source? And how can you better understand the context in which it was created?

Suggested guidance questions:

• What type of resource(s) are you using? 

• Who authored or created it, and why might they have created it? 

• When was it created? What was going on at that time? 

• Who was the intended audience? 

• What evidence does the resource provide and what is missing? 

• Is there information you would expect that isn’t there? Where else might you find that information? 

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the resource(s) as evidence? 

• What conclusions or speculations can you make? 

• How might you continue your research? What are your next steps?