Preparing for Archival Research
"How and where do I begin?"
Below are selected tools to help start your research in the Gerth Archives & Special Collections. These resources have been written to assist in understanding primary source research and what you can expect when you enter our physical and online spaces.
General Resources
- Archives 101A brief introduction to the who, what, where, when, and how of archives at CSUDH as well as some important "dos and don'ts."
- Before You Visit the Gerth Archives & Special Collections (1 min. video)Everything you need to know to prepare for your visit to the Gerth Archives & Special Collections.
- What are primary sources?A page from the Primary Source Research and Discovery research guide, here you will find definitions of primary and secondary sources.
- What is a Finding Aid?This page identifies every section of a finding aid. Much like a library book or article record, descriptive information in a finding helps researchers decide if content is relevant to their research topic.
Research Guides
These research guides are arranged by topic and include some of the most prevalent topics in our collections.
Collection Finding Aids
The Gerth Archives publish finding aids to promote discovery of materials in our repositories. We currently publish these in two places.
- Online Archive of CaliforniaSearch for primary source collections in the Gerth Archives and repositories maintained by more than 200 institutions throughout California.