Peoples of the United States

Background Sources | Finding Books | Finding Articles | Finding Websites

This webpage provides resources to help you find more information on the themes and topics of the course.

Most of the databases on this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. These are marked with a lock . To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access link in the upper-right hand corner and login.

Have questions or need research help? Please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian, via email at mudrock@u.washington.edu.

Background Sources Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. More importantly, because encyclopedias often cover the major issues surrounding the subject, they can help you narrow your research from a broad “who, what, where, when” topic to a “how or why” question. In addition many encyclopedia articles include short bibliographies that will lead you to the major works on the topic. For additional fulltext encyclopedias see Gale Virtual Reference and Oxford Reference Online American Decades American immigrant cultures: builders of a nation      Suzzallo Reference -- E184.A1 A63448 1997 Dictionary of American History Encyclopedia of American immigration       Suzzallo Reference, Odegaard Reference -- JV6465 .E53 2000 Encyclopedia of American social history      Suzzallo Reference, Odegaard Reference -- HN57 .E58 1993 Gale encyclopedia of multicultural America Harvard encyclopedia of American ethnic groups       Suzzallo Reference, Odegaard Reference -- E184.A1 H33 HistoryLink (Washington State history encyclopedia) Oxford African American Studies Center Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States Postwar America: an encyclopedia of social, political, cultural, and economic history       Suzzallo Reference -- E169.12 .P654 2007 The timetables of history: a historical linkage of people and events       Suzzallo Reference, Odegaard Reference -- D11 .G78 2005

Finding Books Use the following databases to locate books in the UW Libraries and in other libraries around the region, nation and world. Books unavailable at the UW can be requested through Summit (if available at one of the member libraries) or through Interlibrary Loan. UW Libraries Catalog A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available at the University of Washington Libraries. Summit Joint catalog of more than 25 academic libraries in Oregon and Washington. Books can be requested and shipped to the UW for pick-up. Beta Catalog/WorldCat Local Beta version of the catalog that simultaneously searches the UW Libraries Catalog, Summit and other libraries around the world plus an article database. Best used for topical searches; facilitates requesting books from other libraries.

Finding Articles Use databases to find articles on a topic. Use those which best fit your research topic. For a complete list of databases see Research Databases on the Library homepage. To find a copy of the article, use the Check for UW Holdings button available on most databases to locate a copy in the library. If there is no button, search the UW Libraries Catalog for the title of the journal to locate a copy. Be sure to have the complete citation (author, title, journal name, volume, pages and year) of your article. Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested via Interlibrary loan. America History & Life This is the best database to find articles dealing with all aspects of American and Canadian history. Also includes citations to selected books, dissertations and reviews. Communication & Mass Media Complete This is the best database to find articles dealing with all aspects of communication studies. Includes some fulltext. Historical Abstracts This is the best database to find articles dealing with modern world history (1450 onward) excluding American and Canadian history. Academic Search Complete This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. JSTOR JSTOR is a collection of more than 40 full-text history-related journals. For another collection of searchable electronic journals related to history see Project Muse.

Finding and Using Websites Websites can be very useful sources of information to find quick background information and primary sources (especially for the period prior to 1925). Websites for are also useful for: Current news information Images (though also check UW Libraries' Corbis and AP Images databases) Information from special interest groups, associations and organizations Government information and statistics Websites can be found either by searching (Google) or browsing a subject directory of websites on a particular topic. Some history subject directories that may be useful for this class: History Matters History on the Web Intute: history Evaluation of websites is especially important because unlike journal articles and most books, no one vets the quality of websites. Some general questions to ask yourself before citing a website in your paper are: Who is the author or sponsoring agency of the website? What is the purpose of the website? Is the material current? Is the source of the material documented? For more information on searching for websites and evaluating their content see Primary Sources on the Web.

Photographs courtesy of American Memory.

30 January 2008
Theresa Mudrock