In class Blog #8

Today in class we had a speaker come in and talk to us about what special collections is and she explained different examples of a special collection to us. Special collections is found usually within a library, and at UWG the special collections can be found on the first floor of the library. Special collections is the department that stores specific items such as, rare books, archives, manuscripts, etc. These items that are in Special collections are usually fragile, and they need to be taken proper care of. We also talked about what a primary source is and then we went around the room and all gave an example of a primary source that we personally have. Primary sources are an original source. For example, my Grandpa died when I was a baby, so I never got the chance to really know him or learn about him. I have a picture of him from the yearI died and I have kept on to it all these years later because it is all I have left of him. This is an example of a primary source. Other examples could be letters written to you from years ago, or old video, or scrapbooks. Special Collections and Primary sources could be helpful in a research project if you are doing a project on your family or if you are trying to find background information. Some questions could be answered such as, "Where did my family come from?" or "What did my Grandpa look like before he died?"