A primary source gives the words of the witnesses or the first recorders of an event.
Secondary sources are 'descriptions of the event derived from and based on primary sources'.
The line between primary and secondary sources is often indistinct, for example, a single document may be a primary source on some matter and a secondary source on others. These materials can be found in the Special Collections and Archives Department and in the general collection of the UTSA Library. This allows one search to retrieve singular or plural forms, different spellings of a word or name, or different forms of a word. However, this may widen your search too much so use it carefully. Finding Primary Sources in other libraries and archives Various databases and directories will help you to find both collections and repositories.