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 button in the upper-right hand corner and login with your UWnetid.
Have questions or need research help? Please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian, via email at mudrock@u.washington.edu
Looking for Background Info? Start here.
Encyclopedias and dictionaries can 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. Many also provide a jumpstart on your research by listing related readings.
Two searchable collections of encyclopedias are
- Encyclopedia of American social history
Undergraduate Reference, Suzzallo Reference -- HN57 .E58 1993- Encyclopedia of the Cold War
Suzzallo Reference -- D840 .E63 2008- Encyclopedia of the United States in the twentieth century
Suzzallo Reference -- E740.7 .E33 1996- HistoryLink (Washington State history encyclopedia)
- Postwar America: an encyclopedia of social, political, cultural, and economic history
Suzzallo Reference -- E169.12 .P654 2007Looking for Books? Start here.
Use the following catalogs 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
Use the catalog to find books in the UW Library system as well as to find out if the library has a subscription to a magazine or journal.- Summit
Use Summit to request books that are not available, or are checked out, from other Northwest academic libraries.- Beta Catalog/WorldCat Local
Beta version of the catalog that simultaneously searches the UW Libraries Catalog, Summit and libraries worldwide plus an article database. Best used for topical searches; facilitates requesting books from other libraries.
Looking for Articles? Start here.
Academic articles, those published in scholarly journals, are the bedrock of most academic disciplines. In the field of historical research, they are considered secondary sources. They provide an indepth analysis of narrow topics. Prior to publishing, articles are vetted through a process called peer-review. Most articles include footnotes which can lead you to other material on a topic.
Use the following databases to identify articles on your topic. To find the actual article (either in print or electronic), 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.
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.
This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects.
JSTOR is a collection of backissues of 100s of academic journals including more than 40 full-text history-related journals. (Can be also used to find articles published early in the 20th century.) For another collection of searchable electronic journals related to history seeLooking for Primary Sources? Start here.
Using Secondary Sources to Find Primary Sources
One of the quickest ways to identify primary sources (as well as additional secondary sources) on a topic is to scan the footnotes and bibliography of a secondary source such as a book or article. You will have the best luck finding published primary sources such as books, government reports, newspapers and magazines within the UW Libraries. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to determine if we have the primary source. Finding Primary Sources -- Books
The UW Libraries has a strong collection of books that can be considered primary sources for history. These include books written during the period for your topic (i.e., during the 1870s to the present), books written by participants, published collections of correspondence and other personal writings, memoirs and reprints of collections of primary source material. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to search for these materials. Most of the material dealing with the Pacific Northwest, both published and unpublished, is kept in Special Collections.
Finding Primary Sources -- Articles
- Limit your search by publication date.
- Search for books written by key participants and organizations.
- Browse the shelves in the appropriate subject area.
- Use special subject terms that designate primary sources:
sources, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, interviews- Example:
- vietnam war and veterans and interviews
- civil rights workers and correspondence
- vietnam war and personal narratives
The UW Libraries has a strong collection of magazines, journals and newspapers from the late 19th and 20th century.
- Newspapers
Newspapers are a primary source providing a first rough draft of events. Newspapers with their advertising, illustrations and editorials are especially useful in getting a feel for life of the time. Since most newspapers are local in scope, there is good coverage of local issues. The UW Libraries has a strong collection of local newspapers.Most of the older newspapers in the UW Libraries are on microfilm with little indexing. Usually you will need to browse through issues of a newspaper to discover it's content.
Newspapers can be found in the Microform and Newspaper Collections (mcnews) on the ground of Suzzallo. The best way to check and see if we have a specific newspaper is to use the card catalog located in mcnews. In addition to microfilmed newspapers, we have digitized versions of some major newspapers going back to the 19th century. For more current newspaper coverage (generally from the 1990s onward) use the databases linked from the News subject page.
Digitized version from 1851 to 2003.
Digitized version from 1881 to 1996.
Digitized version from 1905 to 1975.- Pacific Northwest Regional Newspaper and Periodical Index
Card index available in the Special Collections located in the basement of Allen South. Use this index to find articles published in local newspapers, magazines, and other materialfrom the 1850s to the present. Current years are available online.
Digitized version from 1889 to 1989.
- Magazines
Magazines are similar to newspapers. Popular magazines (news, fashion, sports, etc.) provide a good feel for the period. Unlike newspapers, there is indexing to identify specific articles on topics. Since most magazines are national in scope, there is limited coverage of local topics.Most magazines are kept in Suzzallo Periodicals on the 3rd floor of Suzzallo Library.
- Alternative Press Index - Suzzallo Reference AI3 .A48
Printed index to articles published in alternative publications, dates from 1969 to the present. Also see
The best database for finding 19th century magazine articles. Fulltext. Includes some early 20th century magazines.
Fulltext database to articles from ethnic newspapers and magazines with some coverage back to 1960.
Index to older American and European journals in the humanities and social science fields.
Index to political/economic journals and selected books and government reports from 1915 to the present.
The best database for identifying 20th century American magazines articles. No fulltext.Looking for Government Documents? Start here.
The UW Libraries has an extensive collection of federal, state and local government documents. These documents are usually primary sources and can include census material, annual reports from governmental agencies and congressional hearings.
Most government material is housed in the Government Publications section on the ground floor of Suzzallo Library. Librarians there can help you find material you need.
Some material can be found through the UW Libraries Catalog, for other material use the sources listed below. Also check under the website section for links to presidential libraries with digitized documents. For more information about locating government documents check with the Government Publications section is on the ground floor of Suzzallo.
Full-text debates, bills, reports dating back to approximately 1989 and indexing of congressional reports and hearings dating back to 1789.
Catalog to U.S. government documents published since 1976. For earlier documents see the Monthly Catalog to United States Government Publications (GovPub. 328.73 Un37m) and its predecessors.
Digitized declassified documents regarding critical US foreign policy decisions
Full-text Senate and House reports and documents for the period 1817-1941.Looking for Websites? Start here.
The Web is a growing source for primary sources dealing with U.S. history. The sites listed here have substantial collections of primary sources dealing with American history. See Using Primary Sources on the Web for information on finding and evaluating history websites. See History of the Web for links to other history-related websites.
History Subject Page | Chicago Styleguide | Research 101 tutorial | E. Till example
Images: World War I posters courtesy of the Library of Congress World War I Posters collection and cartoons from British Cartoons Archive.
24 March 2008
Theresa Mudrock
