As defined by the American Library Association, "Primary sources are the evidence of history, original records or objects created by participants or observers at the time historical events occurred or even well after events, as in memoirs and oral histories...These sources serve as the raw materials historians use to interpret and analyze the past." Primary sources may include letters, memos, postcards, posters, interviews, videos, cassette tapes, e-mail, spreadsheets, websites, and even social media accounts.
