CHAPTER 5

DOING HISTORY:
A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS
GROUP 4
Lesson Objectives
1 To manifest interest in local history and
cultural heritage.

2 To apply historiographical methods in writing

the history of one’s locality or country.

To incorporate technology in the discipline of history.

3 To appreciate the value of doing history to the present
day.
Contents: 1
Doing Historical Research
Online

Doing Historical Research in

2
Libraries and Archives

Doing Life Histories and

3 Biographical Research

Doing Local and

4
Oral History

Interacting with History through

5
Historical Shrines and Museums
Doing Historical
Research Online
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE
INTERNET IN HISTORICAL
RESEARCH?
 Doing Historical
Research Online
Historical research is an essential part of
academic study. In today’s digital age, it has
become easier to access ample information
through the internet.

The Internet is the first tool and has become

primary resource that every student nowadays
would use to do research.
 Doing Historical
Research Online
Cyberspace - a great resource for research, an
electronic system that allows computer users
around the world to communicate with each other
or to access information for any purpose.

Search engine websites such as Yahoo! and

Google could lead you to a lot of sources with the
right search strings.
Platforms and Websites Used in
Doing Historical Research Online
Google Scholar
(www.scholar.google.co
m) is a website provided
by Google for scholarly
research.
Project Gutenberg
(www.gutenberg.org) is the
oldest digital library in the
world, founded in 1971.
Google Books
(www.books.google.com)
provides sources for scanned
books, where you may be able
to read some chapters for free.
Internet Archive
(www.archive.org) is an online
library that originally sought to
archive web history, but grew
later on to provide digital
versions of other works.
Wikipedia is the biggest
open-source encyclopedia in
the whole of cyberspace. It
provides a useful launch pad
to sources that you may use
for research.
Philippine government
websites (www.gov.ph)
enriched with sources that may
be used for historical research,
especially on laws and other
government issuances.
Doing Historical Research in
Libraries and Archives
Research in libraries and archives is necessary in the study of
history as these are repositories of primary and secondary
sources that allow us to create narratives of the past through
accepted methods of historical scholarship.

There are available primary sources on Philippine history

online, however, much remains to be digitized and made
accessible to the public.

Libraries and archives still provide more variety of sources in

different formats such as books, journal articles, newspapers,
magazines, photographs, and even audio and video
recordings.
 Doing Historical Research in
Libraries and Archives

The National Library of the It has a valuable Rizaliana

Philippines in Ermita,
Manila provides a rich
treasure trove pf materials
for the student -researcher
interested in Philippine
History, especially in their
Filipiniana section.
collection, several sets of blair
and Robertson's the
Philippines island, 1493-1898,
rare Filipiniana books,
Philippine presidential papers,
and other materials that are
accessible to the public,
especially to students.
 Doing Historical Research in
Libraries and Archives
The National Archives of the The libraries in the University
Philippines, also in Manila, is of the Philippines in Diliman,
an agency of the government Quezon City have holdings that
mandated to collect, store, could also useful in research.
preserve, and make available The collections particularly in
records of the government the Main Library in Gonzales
and other primary sources Hall are rich in resources
pertaining to the history and especially the Filipiniana
development of the section, serials, theses, and
Philippines. dissertations.
 Doing Historical Research in
Libraries and Archives
The Ateneo de Manila University in Private libraries and institution also
Quezon City holds the American have archives that may be used for
research. The Family History Center
Historical Collection, a rich source
at the Church of Jesus Christ of
for the American period in the
Latter-Day Saints is generous
Philippines.
resource for research on
\
genealogies.
The University of Santo Tomas in
España, Manila also has collections
The Chinben See Memorial Library
from the sixteenth century, owing to
in Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage
the fact that it is the oldest catholic Center offers resources on Chinese
university in the country and is a and Filipino - Chinese in the
historic site in itself. Philippines and in Southeast Asia.
 Doing Life Histories and
Biographical Research
A history of the changes through
which an organism passes in its
development from the primary
stage to its natural death.

Recognizes that the different parts

of person's life is interconnected.
The Purpose of Life history and
Biographical research
Emphasizes the importance of
subjective experience within historical
and social context.

Illuminates processes by which

individuals negotiate both their
identities and their interpretation with
norms.
 Doing Life Histories and
Biographical Research
Life stories
Story we choose to tell about ourselves.

Life History
Embeds the story in a wider social and
historical context.
 Doing Life Histories and
Biographical Research
Biography
Is simply the story of a real person’s life. It could
be about a person who is still alive, someone
who lived centuries ago, someone who is
globally famous, an unsung hero forgotten by
history, or even a unique group of people.

Autobiography
An account of a person's life written by that
person.
 Doing Life Histories and
Biographical Research
Studying history neglects individual life
history, focusing on nations and events.
However, individuals shape societies,
contributing to significant changes over time.
Understanding their lives is crucial to
comprehending broader historical narratives.

Life histories, complex, connect personal

stories to the trajectory of nations and
communities. Understanding an individual's
life requires delving into various facets like
family, education, environment, and societal
context.
 Doing Local and
Oral History
Local History - is the study of the history of a
particular community or a smaller unit of
geography

Local historians study the history of local

institutions like churches. They also study the
local economies, local heroes, and local events.

Local history, thus, is a broad dynamic field of

inquiry that aims to have an in-depth
understanding of a certain locale.
 Why study and do local history?
Studying local history can
provide new and alternative
interpretations on the
Studying local history shall
different aspects of a
provide new provisions and
nation’s history .
perspectives on the already
established national history.
Local History also facilitates
a historical narrative
emanating from the people.
Historians call this the
history from below.
 Oral History
One important historical methodology to local
history is oral history.

Oral History is a method that uses oral

accounts of historical subjects, witnesses,
members of the communities, and the like.

It primarily relies on memory.

Interacting with History through
Historical Shrines and Museums

Historical shrines and museums

serve as portals to the past. But
one must also take note that
visiting a museum entails
preparation.
Interacting with History through
Historical Shrines and Museums

Historical shrines and museums

serve as portals to the past. But
one must also take note that
visiting a museum entails
preparation.
Interacting with History through
Historical Shrines and Museums
Upon arriving in the historical shrine or
museum, one thing that you can do is to
look for historical markers. These markers
put up by the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines (NHCP, or
formerly National Historical Institute or NHI)
provide the basic details on what makes a
certain site historical.

Shrines and museums are a lot more

interactive now aided by the available
technology