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HOME > Research > Subject Guides > History | |
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Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Citation Styles
Zip Kellogg is the library staff member who is liaison to the History Department for the USM Libraries. He can be reached at: zkellogg@usm.maine.edu or phone 780-4272. He would be pleased to work with any students at any time.
Few topics cover the extraordinary breadth that history does. This guide's purpose is to acquaint you with the variety and range of sources available for the student of history. Those sources may be online, they may be in books, they may be on maps or other formats, they may be primary, secondary, or tertiary accounts, they may be in journals, or they may reside with expert individuals or professional associations. In short, we live in an information rich age and one in which having too much rather than too little information may be a problem. If there is a method and a strategy to your search technique you'll have better odds of finding what you need; furthermore, you'll be more efficient and will waste little time in getting where you want to go. By working your way through the various categories outlined here you will be on your way to laying the foundation for an understanding of virtually any subject. Don't forget that the library reference staff is always pleased to assist you in the use of any of the library's resources and services. So, for starters, go looking for books-- there are essentially three places to search, usually done in the following order: URSUS is the University of Maine System's catalog for finding books. It can be searched by subject, keyword, author, title, etc. and helps you locate books in about a dozen libraries in Maine. When those books are in another library you may request that they be sent to your library. Maine Infonet A statewide catalog which searches many other libraries in Maine beyond URSUS. A single search scans more than 2,500,000 unique titles and nearly 6 million items. Starting with 60 of the largest libraries in Maine, the system will eventually include more than 300 library collections. WorldCat lists many millions of books and other materials. It is similar to, but much larger than URSUS. Most of the items listed in WorldCat will need to be ordered through Interlibrary Loan (4-7 days average time to obtain them). If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).
These are books which you may consult for definitions, synopses, of short overviews of a topic. They provide an excellent way to get introduced to a topic and usually direct you to other reputable sources of information on the same topic. Encyclopedias For a quick overview of an historical topic. This is just a sampler of encyclopedias; there are many others, too. Dictionary of American History The Oxford Companion to American History The Reader's Companion to American History An Encyclopedia of World History Biography Succinct information about a person's life and historical significance. American National Biography Dictionary of American Biography Dictionary of National Biography (British) Biography and Genealogy Master Index Who Was Who in America Who Was Who (British) Maps To help you understand geography and its significance in history. Shepherd's Historical Atlas Atlas of American History The Times Atlas of American History Statistics Numerical data may help you support a point and assist in drawing conclusions. Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 Chronologies and Date Books Who Was When? Chronology of the Modern World Chronology of the United States The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events Chronology of World History: A Calendar of Principal Events from 3000 B.C. to 1976 A.D. Miscellaneous Documents of American History Annals of American History This online index provides access to thousands of source documents in U.S. history.
These databases will direct you to articles and other up to date sources of information to supplement the books you've found. To access any of these from off campus you'll be asked for your name and library bar code number (which begins with 25022...). Historical Abstracts America: History & Life Dissertation Abstracts An index to theses/dissertations written on all subjects. Coverage from 1861 to the present. ProQuest Newspapers An index to approximately the past decade of news articles. Numerous prominent newspapers are indexed, among those, the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times. Academic Search Premier A general purpose index useful for finding current articles on almost any subject. Annals of American History This online index provides access to thousands of source documents in U.S. history.
World Wide Web Sites Net searching can be tricky. It's not terribly useful if a search engine tells you it found 300,000 items, especially if what you really need is 5-10 relevant items. It pays to improve your net searching as the results you get will be better. A few tricks can greatly improve your results...for example, it can be very useful to limit the scope of your search by "domain" to those sites which originate at educational institutions. On another note, there is no "authority control" on the Internet (in other words anyone can put things on the net and you may have a hard time telling truth from fiction). In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria. The following selected resources have been chosen because of authenticity and comprehensiveness of coverage. Here is a sampler of web sites which should provide much information for the student of history. They also provide links to countless other sources of information for the historian. But ponder the following: a) as you look at a web site you should decide whether the information presented is accurate, up-to-date, and authoritative (not all material on the web is) and b) researching on the web, as well as more traditional means of doing research, will take time and c) an effective research strategy generally includes a broad range of sources of information (books, articles, maps, government sources, interviews, web sources, etc.). Yahoo's History Directory links to many sources of information on topics in history. The World Wide Web Virtual Library provides and extensive index of resources for historians. Argus Clearinghouse is a source for guides to internet resources for many topics (e.g. history, biology, art, business, and much more). The Internet Scout directs you to internet sites by topic. History and scores of other related topics are included. Maine Memory an online collection of digitized materials for the student of Maine history. American Memory a massive collection of digitized collections on a broad range of topics. This is a gold mine for the history student.
In using any source it is important that they be used ethically and legally. The sources listed here provide assistance in following correct citation methods. USM has a site license for Endnote, a personal reference database program. The main functions of this program include maintenance of a database of references, downloading references from other databases, using the database to link to references in word-processed document, and generating a bibliography in the correct style for publications. See the Endnote Help for further information. APSA Documentation (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center)Chicago Manual of Style Chicago/Turabian Documentation (University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center) Online! A Reference Guide Using Internet Resources Last Update: 09/05 zk |
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