Primary sources are some sort of information produced at the time of the event you are studying, or gathered at a later date from someone who was there at the time.
They can be of many diverse types, including newspapers, film, interviews, artwork, diaries, speeches, photographs, plays, and many more!
In contrast, a secondary source is one that usually interprets or or discusses these primary sources.
Primary Sources have to be cited in your paper or project just like any other source. This may seem daunting since they can be in very different formats than the types of sources you're used to using. The guide linked below from Simon Fraser University is a nice guide for citing many typical types, such as films, posters, interviews, etc. If you need to cite a primary source that doesn't exactly fit with one of these types, please ask any of the librarians or at the Writing and Tutoring Center. We're here to help!
Many institutions have collected a variety of primary sources devoted to a single topic in one location. These are just a few examples. Museums, libraries, and Foundations often are good sources for this type of information, as you can see from the sponsors of these websites below.