LibGuides UFV: Residential Schools: Primary Sources

About Primary Sources

Primary sources are original sources that first report on research or an idea. In other words, they are documents or records that contain firsthand reports or original data on a topic. Examples of primary sources include:

newspapers
interviews
research reports
scholarly journal articles
conference proceedings
diaries
letters
memoirs
original manuscripts
photographs
drawings
film footage
sheet music

Newspaper Sources

Try searching for the phrase Residential School. This term was used historically.

Proquest British Columbia Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
If you are in BC or the Yukon, you can access these digitized newspapers for free: The Vancouver Sun (1912-2010), The Times Colonist (1884-2010), and The Province (1894-2010).
Permitted Uses for this Database
Globe & Mail: Canada's Heritage from 1844 (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
View the complete page image content from the Globe & Mail newspaper (including advertisements, obituaries, etc.) from 1844 to present, with a 5 year embargo.
Permitted Uses for this Database
Canadian Major Dailies (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Canadian Major Dailies provides access to full text of over 21 Canadian newspapers, including the Vancouver Sun and Globe & Mail. 2-day embargo on selected titles.
Permitted Uses for this Database

Primary Sources

Canadiana Online This link opens in a new window
Canada’s most popular archival collections encompassing roughly 40 million pages of primary-source documents.
Associated with other databases, Heritage and Early Canadiana Online
Permitted Uses for this Database
Canadian Residential Schools and Colonial Institutions Database (CRSCID) This link opens in a new window
Includes a list of residential schools, maps and images.
Permitted Uses for this Database

The Children Remembered
School photographs
The Story of A National Crime
In 1922 Dr. P. H. Bryce published a book about the horrors of Indian Residential Schools.
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (University of Manitoba)
An archive of statements, documents, photographs, footage, school records, maps, plans, TRC reports, and much more.
Speaking My Truth
Download the e-book of residential School Survivors
Letter book series: Shingwauk Indian Residential School fonds
Downloadable letters from residential school children from Shingwauk Indian Residential School, Ontario. From 1876 to 1904.

Photograph

Elizabeth Long Memorial Home, Kitamaat (c. 1911)

Evaluating Sources

Although librarians have carefully compiled these sources, there is no substitute for your own evaluation. Use the following guides to help you.

CARS Evaluation Checklist
CARS = Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, and Support
The CRAAP Test
CRAAP = Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose
Critical Evaluation of Information Sources
Questions to ask, and where to find the answers when evaluating sources