• Getting Started
• Finding Books
• Finding Articles
• Finding Primary Sources
• Web Sites

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Getting Started: Selected Reference Works

Begin your search with reference works to find background information, locate statistics and facts, and build a bibliography.

General Reference Works

• The Oxford Companion to United States History
  Ref E174 .O94 2001
  A dictionary of people, places, events, and themes in American history; most entries include brief bibliographies.
• Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History
  Ref E169.1 .E624 2001
  Provides an excellent overview of recent scholarship in the study of American thought.
• Encyclopedia of American Social History
  Ref Folio HN .E58 1993
  This encyclopedia's substantial topical essays and accompanying bibliographies provide an excellent starting point for research in American social history.
• Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century
  Ref E169.1 .E626 2001
  A topically organized four volume work on the nineteenth century; most articles conclude with a lengthy bibliography.

Biographical Sketches

• American National Biography
  Ref CT213 .A68 1999
  Biographical sketches of people in the United States "whose life or career directly influenced the course of American history." Articles contain excellent bibliographies and indicate archives that hold personal papers, correspondence, interviews, etc. The ANB includes only those individuals who died prior to 1996.
• Dictionary of American Biography
  Ref E176 .D56
  Another classic source of biographical information. Supplemental volumes extend coverage through 1980.

Ethnic Groups and Native Americans

• Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
  Ref E184 .A1 G14 1995
  Covers the history, acculturation and assimilation, and social characteristics of ethnic groups in the United States, including Native Americans.
• Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes
  Ref E77. G15 1998
  Essays on the history, religion, language, customs, and oral literature of tribes in the United States, Canada, and Middle America.

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Government, Politics & Diplomacy

• Encyclopedia of American Political History
  Ref E183 .E48 2001
  240 pithy articles serve as a starting point for research in American political history; includes a timeline and brief bibliographies.
• Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations
  Ref E183.7 .E53 1997
  Provides brief articles about treaties, events, and people instrumental in U.S. foreign policy and longer articles on the history of U.S. foreign relations with specific countries.

Literature and Folklore

• American Folklore
  Ref GR191 .A54 1996
  Includes articles on American folklore genres, folk groups, folk performers, and folklorists. Topics range from Paul Bunyan and pottery to breakdancing and UFO lore.
• The Oxford Companion to American Literature
  Ref PS21 .H3 1995
  Contains short entries on American authors, literary works, and major literary periods and movements.

Popular Culture

• The Encyclopedia of American Studies
  Ref E169.1 .E625 2001
  A four volume encyclopedia covering the interdisciplinary field of American Studies; articles include bibliographies.
• The Guide to United States Popular Culture
  Ref E169.1 .D399 2001
  Contains brief articles on representative people, places, and items of American popular culture.

Statistics

• Historical Statistics of the States of the United States
  Ref HA214 .D63 1993
  Population, agriculture, and manufacturing census data compiled by state from 1790-1990.
• Historical Statistics of the United States: Earliest Times to the Present
  ReadyRef HA202 .H57 2006 (5 vols.)
  Contains over 37,000 data series, essays on quantitative research in American history, and excellent documentation on data sources for further research. (v. 1. Population, v. 2. Work and welfare, v. 3. Economic structure and performance, v. 4. Economic sectors, v. 5 Government and international relations.)

• International Historical Statistics: The Americas, 1750-1993
  Ref HA175 .M52 1998
  Population, labor force, agriculture, industry, trade, transportation, finance and education statistics for countries in North and South America, including the United States.

Women

• Encyclopedia of Women's History in America
  Ref HQ1410 .C85 2000
  Brief biographical and topical entries provide basic factual information and suggestions for further reading direct initial research.

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Finding Books

Two kinds of books, monographs and essay collections, compose the majority of Gould library's collection. Monographs, extended analyses of a topic by one author, are abundant in the field of history. Essay collections bring together articles, often by different authors, on a given topic.

In BRIDGE, the shared library catalog for the libraries of Carleton and St. Olaf Libraries:

• Begin with a keyword search .
• Enter words that describe your topic (names, places, events, etc.).
• When you find a book on your topic, examine its subject headings for relevance to your topic.
• Click on a hyperlinked subject heading to perform subject heading search and retrieve related books.

• Perform a subject heading search in BRIDGE only if you know a valid Library of Congress subject heading.
  • Search "United States -- History" to browse a list of relevant subject headings, such as:
    • United States -- History -- 1873-1865
    • United States -- History -- 1919-1933 -- Pictorial Works
    • United States -- History -- 20th Century -- Sources
  • Note that many Library of Congress subject headings relevant to American History do not begin with "United States -- History."
    • Fires -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- 19th century
    • Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
    • Anti-communist movements -- Middle West -- History -- 20th century

Browsing the stacks can help you evaluate the library's collection in a given field of study. The following call number ranges contain works relevant to American history:

• E11-E143: History of America
• E151-E889: History of the United States
• F1-F971: United States Local History (regions, states and cities)
• PS1-3576: American Literature

Search WorldCat, an online catalog for libraries throughout the world, to take your search beyond Gould Library.

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Finding Periodical Articles

Periodical literature in the discipline of history presents cutting-edge research, provides reviews of historiographical trends, and creates a forum for intellectual exchange among professional historians.

Once you have located an article citation in a database, index, or bibliography, perform a title search in BRIDGE using the exact title of the periodical. If Carleton and St. Olaf do not hold the journal, you may request the article through Interlibrary Loan.

Periodical Databases

• America: History and Life (1964-present)
  The premier access point to periodical literature in American history; provides citations for scholarly articles on the history of the U.S. and Canada from ancient times to the present.
• MLA International Bibliography (1963-present)
  Provides citations to articles dealing with literature, folklore, and popular culture.
• PAIS International (1972-present)
  Provides citations to articles dealing with current and historical political and public policy issues, such as U.S. foreign policy and elections.
• Periodical Index Online (1770-1995)
  Indexes American and European scholarly periodicals.
• Sociological Abstracts (1963-present)
  Provides citations to articles dealing with current and historical social issues, such as ethnic identity and demography.
• Web of Science
  Search either the Social Science Citation Index (1969-present) or the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present) to locate journal articles that cite specific works.

Academic Journals to Browse

American Historical Review
In Print and Online

American Studies
In Print and Online

American Quarterly
In Print and Online

Gender and History
In Print and Online

Journal of American History
In Print and Online

Journal of American Studies
In Print

Journal of Family History
In Print

Journal of the Early Republic
In Print (at St. Olaf) and Online

Reviews in American History
In Print and Online

William and Mary Quarterly
In Print, On Microfilm, and Online

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Finding Primary Sources

Newspapers & Magazines:

Full-text

• American Periodical Series (1741-1900)
  Provides digital access and electronic searching of historic American periodicals; also availalble in microfilm on level 3.
• Making of America (Cornell University)
  Making of America (University of Michigan)
  Full text archive of periodicals and books from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The two archives have different contents, so be sure to search both.
• ProQuest Historical Newspapers
  Full text access to the New York Times (1851-1999) and the Wall Street Journal (1889-1985).

Newspaper and Magazine Article Indexes

• Historical Newspapers Online
  Indexes the London Times (1785-1905) and the New York Times (1863-1922). Consult the Index to the Times (1785-present; Ref AI21 .T35) and the New York Times Index (1851-present; Ref AI21 .N44) for years not covered in Historical Newspapers Online.
• Periodical Index Online (1770-1990)
  Indexes American and European scholarly journals.
• Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1906)
  Ref AI3 .P72 1802/81
  Indexes popular American and British magazines.
• Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
  Ref AI3 .R4
  Indexes popular American periodicals from 1890 to the present.

Newspaper and Magazine Bibliographies and Dictionaries

Note: These works do not provide access to newspaper articles. Consult a libraran if you wish to work with newspapers located in one of these sources.

• History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820 (Brigham)
  Ref PN4855 .B86
• American Newspapers, 1821-1936 (Gregory)
  Ref PN4855 .A64 1967
• African-American Newspapers and Periodicals: A National Bibliography
  Ref PN4882.5 .A37 1998
• Hispanic Periodicals in the United States, Origins to 1960: A Brief History and Comprehensive Bibliography
  Ref PN4885 .S75 K36 2000
• Women's Periodicals in the United States: Consumer Magazines
  Ref PN4879 .W6 1995
  Women's Periodicals in the United States: Social and Political Issues
  Ref PN4879 .W614 1996

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Books: Microform Collections and Bibliographies

• Library of American Civilization (Microfiche Set)
  Microfiche, 3rd floor
  To look up works by author, title, or subject, use the guide shelved on top of the microfiche cabinet: Z1236 .L5
• American Culture Series
  Microfiche, 3rd floor
• Sabin's Dictionary
  Ref Z1201 .S2
  A 29 volume bibliography of "books relating to America" from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Primary Source Collections

Provided by the Library

• Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
• Early American Imprints, Series I., Evans
  
• Early American Newspapers
• Early English Books Online

Available Freely on the Web

• American Memory Project
  A digital library created by the Library of Congress; browse the collections for digitized archival materials pertaining to your interests.
• United States Historical Census Browser
  Population and economic data from U.S. states and counties from 1790-1960.
• The American Colonist's Library: A Treasury of Primary Documents
  A metasite providing links to early American primary source material.
• Documenting the American South
  A collection of primary sources covering Southern history and literature from the 17th to 20th centuries.
• The Valley of the Shadow
  A huge collection of primary sources documenting one Northern and one Southern town before, during, and after the Civil War.
• Voices of World War II: Experiences from the Front and at Home
  A digital archive of sound recordings (newscasts, speeches, popular songs, etc.) from 1939-1947.

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Archival & Manuscript Resources

• Minnesota Historical Society Library & Collections Catalog
  Search to find out about books and manuscripts in the MHS collection.
• National Union Catalog of Manuscripts / RLG Union Catalog -- Archival and Mixed Collections File
  To access the search screen, click on "Searching the NUCMC RLG catalog," then choose advanced search. To use materials located in this catalog, you must travel to the holding library.

Web Sites

The Web sites recommended below complement other research resources.

• Guide to History on the Web
  A searchable database of history Web sites created by the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
• H-Net
  H-Net discussion networks allow you to read current debates and discussions on many listservs for historical research.