History: Selected Resources
From Bentley Library Research Help
Contents |
[edit] 1 ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This is a guide to help users begin researching history topics. Not comprehensive, it directs you to pertinent databases, reference books, and circulating books available at Bentley. It also includes selected Internet resources.
If you need more information than is provided below, please click Research Help.
Different types of resources and access levels:
- Print Resources
are located in the Library`s Reference Collection or behind the Reference Desk. These materials are for in library use only.
- Electronic Resources
are subscription databases. These resources are available to members of the Bentley Community on-campus. Off-campus access is available by using your Bentley e-mail address and network password.
- Websites
are Internet resources that are free.
[edit] 2 REFERENCE BOOKS
Only a few general reference titles are listed below. To search for books, DVDs, etc. on your specific history topic, go to the Bentley Library home page and click on the <Books/DVDs> in the grey search box.
[edit] 2.1 General
Reference Sources in History: an Introductory Guide. REF D20 .F72 2004
- The detailed indexes allow one to search effectively for the more obscure topics.
Dictionary of Historic Documents. REF D9 .D525 2003
- Provides an alphabetical index, index by category, a select bibliography, and a timetable of documents.
- When possible, the author also includes the URL's to documents available online.
Chronology of World History. REF D11 .M39 1999. 4 vols.
This contains about 70,000 entries that cover the years 3000 BC to 1999.
Going to the Sources: a Guide to Historical Research and Writing. REF D16 .B893 2002.
- Written by a history methods professor, this is an easy-to-use paperback.
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. REF CB9 .N49 2005. 6 vols.
- This includes many reader's guides, cross-references, and sidebars.
The Timetables of History. REF D11 .G78 2005
- Covers 4500 BC to 2004 CE
- Each period (predominantly yearly) is organized into seven categories, e.g. history; politics, literature, theater; religion, philosophy, learning; visual arts; music; science, technology, growth; and daily life.
[edit] 2.2 United States
Dictionary of American History. REF E174 .D52 2003. 3 vols.
- "In its new edition it reflects recent trends in the ways in which American history is studied, taught, and interpreted." -- BookList, 5/15/03
Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual history. REF E169.1 .E624 2001. 3 vols.
- Volume one includes a helpful chronology.
- The essays always include bibliographies and frequently sidebars or illustrations.
Encyclopedia of American Historical Documents. REF E173 .E54 2004. 3 vols.
- Many documents are excerpted with a citation to the original.
- Introductory essays begin the sections for each era and each document.
Encyclopedia of American History. REF E174 .E53 2003. 11 vols.
- This is a highly regarded publication.
Encyclopedia of American Studies. REF E169.1 .E625 2001. 4 vols.
- Sponsored by the American Studies Association this provides extensive coverage of topics related to the culture of the United States.
The Value of a Dollar: Prices and Incomes in the United States. REF HB 235.U6 V35
- This provides an historical snapshot, from 1600, of each five-year period.
- The snapshot is followed by per-capita consumer expenditures, selected investment returns, selected incomes, food basket, selected prices, standard prices, miscellany, and fascinating appendices, e.g. federal hourly minimum wage, school expenditures, gasoline prices, home prices.
Working Americans Series. REF HD 8066 .D47 7 vols.
- This gives overviews by decade from 1880.
- It includes family profiles with details and statistics about their economic and social situations.
[edit] 3 BENTLEY LIBRARY DATABASES
To see a full listing of Bentley Library databases, go to the Bentley Library home page and click the icon Databases A-Z
[edit] 3.1 History Databases at Bentley Library
This subject list is accessible from the Bentley Library home page Click on the Find Articles by Subject icon and select History.
[edit] 3.2 Additional Databases That May be Useful
Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1975 - present) from Web of Science
- This does not provide the full-text of articles.
- It is a multidisciplinary database that indexes thousands of scholarly journals for topics, authors, sources titles, author address, cited author, cited work, and cited year.
Biblical Archaeology Society Archive
- This provides full-text access to the Biblical Archaeology Society's publications, including Biblical Society Review (BAR).
- There is a one year embargo on BAR issues provided via the archive website.
[edit] 4 INTERNET RESOURCES
[edit] 4.1 General
- An award-winning, well-organized portal that rates and annotates over 1000 links.
- "A Biography of America is a telecourse, video series, and Web site produced by WGBH Boston. . . It is well designed and easily navigated. . . Highly recommended." -- CHOICE, Sup '06
Center for History and the New Media
- Be sure to explore Projects/History Matters (U.S.) and Projects/World History Matters.
- This "provides in-depth indexing of more than 4,000 collections of oral history in English from around the world." -- Web site
- "Every source INFOMINE cites includes an abstract, identifies its intended audience, and makes a recommendation . . . Most sites in the INFOMINE collection are free; all are marked to indicate content quality and accessibility to site visitors." -- CHOICE, sup/05
The Internet Public Library: History
- This site is organized by era, region, topic, and historical documents and sources.
- The links are briefly annotated.
Librarians' Internet Index: History
- Note the history subdivisions on the left side of the page.
- This contains thousands of entries that have been selected and evaluated by librarians.
[edit] 4.2 Historical Calendars
Calendar Zone: Historic Calendars
- Organized by categories, e.g. historic, geographic, holidays, women.
- Includes timeline of interesting facts related to the calendar.
- "This site provides the astronomical basis and the history of the calendar. It covers the different calendars used in various times of history and in different parts of the world . . . Also included are information on the year and the seven-day week. There is also a timeline of interesting facts." -- Librarians' Internet Index
[edit] 4.3 Historical Documents
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History
- A highly regarded resource for locating U.S. history documents online.
American Memory from the Library of Congress
- An essential gateway to primary source materials related to U.S. history and culture.
- Based on the collaboration of scholars from around the globe.
- Includes primary and secondary research materials related to the history all regions and time periods.
- Provides a good search engine.
Internet Public Library/History/Historical Documents and Sources
- The links are briefly annotated.
- "The Internet Public Library is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment founded at the University of Michigan School of Information and hosted by Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology." -- Web site
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) updates this frequently.
- This includes federal, regional, and local historic documents.
- Project Gutenberg takes historical literature and reference texts in the public domain and turns them into electronic texts (etexts).
- This site allows users to search etexts, by title, author, language, subject and even Library of Congress Subject Headings. Project Gutenberg includes both literature and reference materials.
Repositories of Primary Resources
- Provides worldwide coverage.
- This is a "listing of over 5000 websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources for the research scholar." -- Web site
- "Documents about world history from a working-class and non-eurocentric perspective" -- History Dept., Bentley College
[edit] 4.4 Historical Statistics
Statistical Resources on the Web
- From the University of Michigan Documents Center, this is a mega site for statistics.
- Data about the population and economy of the states and counties from 1790 to 1960 can be browsed, sorted, graphed, etc.
- The information is drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau.
[edit] 4.5 Money and History
- "This site provides annotated links to resources to help answer the question, 'How much would a specified amount of money at a certain period of time be worth today?' The links include information on purchasing power, inflation, prices, cost of living, and historical exchange rates." -- Librarians' Internet Index
[edit] 4.6 Professional Associations
- This outstanding project includes a URL stability rank for each site and also provides other special resources such as essays about scholarly societies and communication.
- Use its search engine or browse by subject, country, language or founding dates.
