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This web page lists resources for students in American History 204.
Please feel free to ask for help with your research!:
>You can email Brett Spencer, dbspence@bama.ua.edu, History Reference Librarian, for help.
>You can connect to the Libraries' online live reference service or email service at Ask A Librarian.
>You can come to the Information Desk on the first floor of Gorgas Library.
Please Note:
Use of these databases and their materials must comply with United States Copyright Law and any restrictions set forth in the licenses.
finding Secondary Sources
Finding Secondary Source Books-
You can use the Libraries' Catalog to find books at UA. However, you can also use WorldCat and Google Books to search for books outside of UA.
Libraries Catalog--Use the online catalog to locate book and journal holdings for all of the university libraries. Use “Advanced Search” for the most effective searches.
Google Books--find citations to thousands of online books. Some charge a fee, but others are fully available online for free.
WorldCat --searches the catalogs of thousands of Libraries across the United States. You can use Interlibrary Loan to order the books that you find that are not available at UA.
Questions?
"How can I improve my book searches?" Use the Crimson Navigate tutorial.
"I have the call numbers for the books that I want at Gorgas Library. Now, how do I find them in the Library?" Use the Map to locate the Gorgas Library (or other libraries on campus). Then, use the How To Read Call Numbers tutorial (requires headphones or speakers) to learn how to navigate the Gorgas Library.
Finding Secondary Source Articles-
Academic Search Premier-Start your article search here. This database contains articles from hundreds of scholarly journals and popular magazines.
America: History and Life-the best database for finding articles in American history. Most of the articles are not full-text, but you can click the "Search for Article" links to search for a full-text copy of the articles.
American National Biography Online-this database offers biographical essays on famous American figures. It also gives you great lists of sources on each person at the ends of the essays.
Black Studies Center-offers primary and secondary sources on African-American history.
Google Scholar-University of Alabama's portal for Google Scholar. Google Scholar is a special part of Google that only finds scholarly articles. As a UA student, you can access the texts of many of these articles by clicking the links that say "Full-Text @ UAlabama".
JSTOR-contains thousands of older articles from key journals in history, sociology, women's studies, and African-American studies.
"How can I learn a step-by-step process for finding articles?" Use the Crimson Navigate tutorial.
"I think I understand how to find articles, but can you give me some tips for improving my searches?" Try the Boolean Searching or Truncation tutorials.
"I have the citation for the article that I want, but the full text is not on the computer. How do I find the text?" Use the From a Database to the Catalog tutorial.
Finding Secondary Source Web Sites-
Search Engines:
You can use famous search engines like Google, Yahoo, Altavista, or Ask Jeeves to find web sites. However, remember that finding web sites is easy; finding credible web sites is not. Here are some search tools that focus on quality sites.
Librarians' Index to the Internet
This search tool only finds hand-picked web sites selected by librarians.
Infomine's Social Sciences and Humanities Search
Locates high-caliber sites, eliminating most of the junk sites.
A search tool that specializes in finding information that Google and Yahoo cannot.
Teaching Sites:
These sites offer free help to those teaching history. They can give you ideas on how to design your project!
Provides lesson plans, handouts, timelines, quizzes, and modules.
Includes teaching assignments, syllabi, web directory, and other students's American history web projects.
Teaching with Documents: Lesson Plans
The National Archives site giving lesson plan, supporting documents, and worksheets by time period.
"How do I know if a web site is credible?" Consult the Crimson Navigate tutorial.
FINDING PRIMARY SOURCES
Finding Primary Sources in the Libraries' Catalog
Libraries' Catalog gives the call number and locations of books in the Gorgas Library and Hoole Special Collection. Here are some techniques for locating primary sources using the Catalog:
>Combine your topic with such words as sources, letters, speeches, writings, documents, diaries, papers, etc. For example, searching for “World War II ” and diaries will locate diaries written during World War II.
>Search for contemporary people as authors. For example, let us say that you are researching the Civil Rights Movement. Searching for Martin Luther King, Jr. as an “Author” will locate writings and speeches of King.
>Find secondary sources on your topic. Scan their bibliographies for primary sources.
*Remember to try several of these techniques and consult a librarian to ensure that you are searching as thoroughly as possible.
"How can I improve my book searches?" Use the Crimson Navigate tutorial.
Finding Primary Sources in Databases-
American Periodicals Series Online, 1740-1900-Over 1,100 periodicals that first began publishing between 1740 and 1900, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals. Offers feature articles as well as classifieds and advertisements.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers—includes major papers of the 20th century, including the New York Times (1851-2001) and the Washington Post (1889—1987). Offers feature articles as well as classifieds and advertisements.
Congressional Serial Set--provides laws, bills, agency reports, and other government documents from 1789--1969.
Google News Archive--This special tool from Google allows you to search a variety of news sources from past years. Please limit to the appropriate date. Also, please note that you can limit to free sources using the "Price" feature. Most of Time magazine's archives is searchable through Google News Archive.
MasterFILE Premier-offers popular magazines from the 1980s and 1990s.
Nation Archive--one of America's most popular magazines, covering politics, culture, and the fine arts, 1865-present.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries--largest collection of women's diaries and correspondence ever assembled. Spanning more than 300 years, it brings the personal experiences of 1,500 women to researchers, students, and general readers to life.
Reader's Guide Retrospective--classic index to older issues of popular magazines like Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated. Covers 1890--1982.
Television News Archive--huge archives of video clips from 1968--present. Features news shows from CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC. You will need RealOne media software to view the clips.
Women and Social Movements in the United States: 1600 to 2000-documents from women's groups and conferences. Includes the Women's Christians Temperance Union and General Federation of Women's Clubs.
"I think I understand how to search these resources, but can you give me some tips for improving my searches?" Try the Boolean Searching or Truncation tutorials.
"I have the citation for an article that I want, but the full text is not on the computer. How do I find the text?" Use the From a Database to the Catalog tutorial.
Finding Primary Sources in Web Sites--
You can find many primary sources through Google by searching for your topic and a keyword like primary sources, online archives diaries, memoirs, accounts or documents. Here are some examples:
"World War II" "online archives"
Vietnam diaries
Watergate accounts
The following web sites also offer primary sources:
Library of Congress American Memory Project
Gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. Offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections.
Documenting the American South
A collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century. It is organized into the projects listed above. The Academic Affairs Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sponsors DAS, and the texts come primarily from its Southern holdings.
AMDOCS (Documents for the Study of American History)
From the University of Kansas, this site offers access to historical documents from the 1650s to 1993.
The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
Wealth of American and other national documents, ranging from pre18th century to 21st century. Constitutions, charters, treaties, laws, papers.
HyperTexts: We Do American Studies
University of Virginia's site offering books and novels by famous Americans. Includes works by many social history writers such as Theodore Dreiser, Ernest Hemingway, Walter Lippman, Upton Sinclair, Frederick Jackson Turner, Thorstein Veblen, and WPA writers.
Twentieth Century American Etexts
Rutgers University offers some unique documents from the 20th century, including materials from the FBI, JFK files, American Prohibition Project, Women's Liberation Movement, World War I, and New York City History.
"What should I look for when I read primary sources?" See the Library of Congress Learning Page.
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Last modified:
10/02/08
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