How to Do Library Research

Primary sources are directly related to an issue or event. Therefore, it is highly desirable that researchers access as many relevant primary sources as possible. However, keep in mind that every text has potential for bias or some hidden agenda. As a consequence, even a "private" diary or allegedly "factual" account can have misrepresentations of events.

Fiction, of course, does not have to adhere to facts, but novels and plays have been used as historical markers. Some even have been known to have definitive descriptions of historical events. For example, An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer has what is considered an extremely accurate depiction of the Battle of Waterloo.