Harold B. Lee Library

Primary Source Research with Victorian Periodicals

January 31, 2012 by Maggie Kopp

Rare periodicals can be a rich source for research in history, literature, and the visual arts. The Victorian Literature collection contains many English periodicals, and like modern magazines, they were aimed at a wide variety of audiences and interests: politics, current events, art, literature, society gossip, fashion, and religion are all represented in the periodicals of the time.

For a class examining domesticity in Victorian culture and literature, Professor Jamie Horrocks has designed a research and writing assignment using rare journals from the Victorian Collection. Students choose and examine a volume from a journal with domestic-related content and write a scholarly introduction to the journal, its scope, intended audience, and general contents. The students also analyze a particular type of content found in the volume (for example, a cooking column or fashion plates). Then, the students use this information to compose an analytical essay based on what they have observed about the periodical, its authors, content, and audience.

L. Tom Perry Special Collections Launches a New Blog

November 22, 2011 by Cory Nimer

The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is happy to launch this blog devoted to the topic of teaching and research based in primary sources. Our goal is to share ideas on how to incorporate the wealth of our original documents into the curriculum at BYU and research beyond. Posts to the blog will include: (1) ideas on how our special collections relate to courses taught on campus, (2) ideas for potential research projects, and (3) reports and essays based on successful research and efforts to use primary sources in teaching.