This guide provides a brief overview of the research process for a term paper or bibliography, locating book reviews, and an introduction to history resources available at the Gray Library.

 

History students should also consult other Gray Library guides, including the Undergraduate and Graduate Library Guides.  For specialized topics, reference librarians can identify additional resources not included on this guide.  You may also wish to try searching the World Wide Web to locate research guides created by other libraries and archives.

 

How to Research A Historical Topic

 

Choose a Topic

 

Selecting an appropriate topic requires thought and preliminary research for available resources.  You need to identify a general area of interest that provides enough available information to allow you to explore your topic and meet the requirements of the assignment.

 

Before choosing your topic, review the requirements of the assignment:

 

• How long should the paper be?
• When must the paper be completed?
• How many sources should be consulted?
• To what extent should the sources be primary or secondary sources?
• Can you use sources not held by the Gray Library?

 

Primary vs. Secondary Sources:  What is the difference?

 

Primary sources are accounts recorded by people with immediate access to the information.  Examples of primary sources important in historical research are: newspapers, documents of state, diaries, letters, and accounts by reliable witnesses.

 

Secondary sources provide indirect exposure, such as books or periodical articles not based on first hand observation of the event, person or place.

 

Examine the resources available that cover different time periods and historical events:  books, biographies, scholarly journals, newspapers, microform collections, encyclopedias, handbooks, bibliographies, and periodical indexes. 

 

After your initial exploration, consult with your professor regarding your proposed topic, if necessary.

 

Identify Appropriate Sources

 

Once you have selected your topic you need to write down key words and names for your topic and its different aspects.  Use both broad and specific terms.  Consult a thesaurus, the Library of Congress Subject Headings (ask at the Reference Desk), and encyclopedias covering your topic to come up with more search terms to help narrow or broaden your topic.

 

Use this list of terms to search the resources listed in this guide:

 

• library catalog for books
• newspaper and periodical indexes for articles
• electronic indexes and databases for books and articles

 

Depending on the topic selected, you might wish to consult a librarian concerning government documents resources. 

 

Helpful hints:

 

• Formulate your topic in the form of a question
• Look at the quantity and relevance of your sources to see if the topic needs to be broadened or narrowed by modifying the question posed.
• Write down references for the materials that seem the most promising

 

Obtain the Sources

 

Determine your main sources as early as possible because some of the materials may not be readily available at the Gray Library.  You may need to recall books that are checked out, consult the resources of nearby libraries, or request materials from the Lamar Orange Library or Interlibrary Loan.  Requests from Orange are made through the Gray Library catalog and may take a few days.  Both Interlibrary Loan and the recall process take two to three weeks.  Interlibrary loan forms are available online via the library home page and at the Reference Desk on the first floor.  Gray Library borrows materials from other libraries for Lamar University students, faculty, and staff.

 

You may want to consider visiting the Tyrell Historical Society if you are working on a local history topic.

 

Analyze the Sources

 

Once you have found your sources you must evaluate and select the most relevant information.  Look at the bibliographies of your sources.  These contain key references that you should review to be sure the source is right for your paper.  You may discover that sources you selected are not very useful. 

 

If you are not satisfied with the quantity or quality of your sources, you should consult a reference librarian who can assist you in locating additional print or online resources.

 

Locating Sources

 

Gray Library Catalog

 

Our library catalog provides access to books, titles of periodicals, and media materials owned by Gray Library.  You can locate these materials by using author, title, subject, or keyword searches.  Ask the Reference Librarian or see the Library Catalog-Basic Searching handout for more information.  In our catalog a keyword search retrieves words found in the entire catalog record.  Use the search terms found during your preliminary research to search the library catalog.  Remember if your search fails, try another term, or ask the Reference Librarian for assistance.

 

Paper and Electronic Indexes

 

Indexes allow you to locate published material on specific topics.  Indexes primarily cover periodical articles, however some include books and other material as well.

 

Many indexes are now available in electronic format, for the complete list of indexes available go to the library home page at http://library.lamar.edu/ and under Find Articles and More click on Electronic Resources and enter your patron id number.

 

Indexes with REFERENCE preceding the call number are located on the First Floor in the Reference collection. 

Electronic access is restricted to Lamar students, faculty, and staff.

 

Academic Search Premier (EbscoHost) [Electronic (1975 - present)]

     Multidisciplinary database indexing over 4,000 scholarly publications; including full text of over 3,100 peer reviewed journals. Some full text.

 

America:  History and Life [Electronic (1964 - present)]

America:  History and Life [Paper REFERENCE Z 1236 .A48 (1954-1988)]

     Indexes articles on the history and culture of the United States and Canada, prehistory to the present. Provides secondary sources including: scholarly articles, dissertations, book reviews. Some full text via JSTOR.

 

Arts and Humanities Citation Index [Paper REFERENCE AI 3 .A63 (1976-1991)]

     The international interdisciplinary index to subjects related to the arts and humanities.  Not recommended as beginning sources--complex and difficult to use.  However, they provide a valuable and unique approach for obtaining information on a topic. 

 

Arts and Humanities Search (First Search) [Electronic (1980- present)]

     Indexes over 1,300 sources, including scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences.  Not full text.

 

Biography and Genealogy Master Index [Paper REFERENCE Z 5305 .U5 B56 1980-1999]

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (Gale Group) [Electronic (1980-present)]

Indexes major biographical reference sources.

 

Book Review Digest [Paper REFERENCE Z 1219 .C95 (1905-present )]

     Indexes book reviews of English language fiction and non-fiction (excludes textbooks, government documents and technical books in law and the sciences).  Includes citations and excerpts of reviews written within the first 18 months of a book's publication.

 

Dissertation Abstracts Online (FirstSearch) [Electronic (1861- present)]

     Selective index of dissertations and theses from academic institutions in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Europe.  Some dissertation abstracts (1980- present) and thesis abstracts (1988- present) available.  Not full text.

 

GPO Monthly Catalog (First Search) [Electronic (1976 - present)]

     Includes records for United States government agency publications.  Links to electronic publications and indicates items held by Lamar University.

 

Historical Abstracts [Paper REFERENCE D 299 .H5 (1955-2000)]

     Indexes articles on world history (excluding U.S. and Canada) between 1450 and the present.  Provides secondary, scholarly articles, dissertations, book reviews

 

Humanities Index [Paper REFERENCE AI 3 .R491 (1974-1999)]

     Provides author and subject index to leading scholarly journals in the humanities, including the most widely read scholarly journals in history.  Includes book reviews.

 

JSTOR Scholarly Journal Archive [Electronic (varies)]

     Provides full text access to scholarly journals including American Historical Review, Journal of American History, and the William and Mary Quarterly. The archive offers keyword searching in the full-text of articles and author and title searches. Coverage varies by journal title.

 

Military and Government Collection (EbscoHost) [Electronic (1984 - present)]

     Current news about military and government.  Indexes over 400 journals and periodicals and full text for over 300 titles. Some full text.

 

PAIS International (First Search) [Electronic (1972 - present)]

PAIS International [Paper REFERENCE Z 7163 .P92 (1985-1999)]

     Bibliographic index to literature related to public policy, social policy, and the social sciences.  Includes journal articles, books, government documents, statistical compilations, committee reports, directories, serials, reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world.  Electronic is not full text.

 

Research Library (Proquest) [Electronic (1971 - present)]

     Contains articles from over 3,000 periodicals, including journals, covering variety of subjects including humanities and social sciences.  Includes some full text and abstracts.

 

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature [Paper REFERENCE AI 3 .P7 (1802-1906)]

     Provides subject index only.  A good source for articles written during the Nineteenth Century about American history.

 

Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature [Paper REFERENCE AI 3 .R 48 (1900-present)]

     Provides author and subject indexes to popular general interest magazines.  Of particular interest to historians are news magazines that report historical events shortly after they occur and often contain excellent photographs.

 

Social Sciences and Humanities Index [Paper REFERENCE AI 3 .R49 (1965-1974)]

     International interdisciplinary index to the social sciences and humanities, provides subject and author access to article citations.

 

Social Sciences Citation Index [Paper REFERENCE Z 7161 .S65 (1969-1999)]

     International interdisciplinary index of literature related to the social sciences.  Not recommended as a beginning source -- complex and difficult to use.  Not available online. 

 

Social Sciences Index [Paper REFERENCE AI 3 .R492 (1974-1998)]

     Provides author and subject index to leading scholarly journals in social sciences fields often of interest to historians, including political science, public administration, law, sociology, and anthropology.  Includes book reviews.

 

Student Resource Center Gold [Electronic (varies)]

     Contains essays from reference books, speeches, primary source materials, images, and articles from journals, magazines and newspapers on a wide variety of topics. A good source for locating background information on a historical topic. Full Text.

 

Worldcat (First Search Plus) [Electronic (1000 BC - present)]

     Contains records from the OCLC database of library holdings world- wide, including the Library of Congress and the British Library.  Includes books, serials, manuscripts, electronic formats, audiovisual, media.  No articles or full-text.  Indicates items held by Lamar.

 

Resources by Type

 

ALMANACS

 

A collection of various facts and statistical information.  Almanacs that are helpful for finding factual information in history include:

 

Statistical Abstract of the United States -- [REFERENCE DESK HA 202 .A1 ; older years in REFERENCE and DOCUMENTS]

Collected statistics from United States federal agencies covering a wide variety of subjects.  Published annually.

 

World Almanac -- [REFERENCE DESK AY 67 .N5 W7; older years in REFERENCE]

Collection of statistics and facts with international coverage.  Published annually.

 

ATLASES AND GAZATEERS

 

Atlases are collections of maps showing characteristics of difference geographical areas related to population, political conditions, history, and economics.  The pronunciation, latitude, longitude, history of a place, and products produced may be given as well.  Atlases that may be useful include:

 

CIA World Factbook -- [DOCUMENTS PREX 3.15 CURRENT ONLY; also available ELECTRONICALLY]

[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/]

Provides statistical information, social, economic, political and geographical information for every country.  Updated annually. 

 

CIA Map Series -- [DOCUMENTS PREX 3.10/4: current editions only]

Collection of maps updated regularly.  Each country has a political map and a geophysical map.  Larger maps available for continents and regions.  Check library catalog for holdings. 

 

Complete Atlas of World History -- [STACKS G 1030 .C66 1997 v.1-3 in OVERSIZE SHELVING]

Atlas in three volumes offers color maps with timelines and descriptions of events in world history.

 

Historical Atlas of the United States -- [REFERENCE G 1201 .S1 N3 1993]

Atlas offering chronology of history from 1400 through the 1990s. Organized in thematic sections, with a wide selection of maps, charts, graphs, statistics and images. Detailed descriptions of events.

 

Times Atlas of World History -- [STACKS G 1030 .T54 1993]

Atlas offering a detailed chronology of events, geographical background to world history, color maps and detailed descriptions of events.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

 

List of resources on a specific topic.  Bibliographies often cover a far greater time span than do indexes and therefore contain more items on a subject.  Often they are selective, choosing materials based on a certain criteria.  To see if the library has a bibliography on a subject go to the library catalog and do a keyword search across everything on your subject for example:  civil war and bibliography.

 

BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

 

A collection of histories of varying length about the lives of individuals.  Biographical works can provide factual information on individuals who played key roles in shaping an event's outcome.  Useful sources include:

 

Dictionary of American Biography -- [REFERENCE E 176 .D563]

Biographical information about prominent deceased Americans who made major contributions to American life.  Entries vary in length. 

 

Dictionary of National Biography -- [REFERENCE DA 28 .D47]

Biographical information about prominent deceased persons from England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland who made major contributions to the country. Entries vary in length. 

 

Student Resource Center Gold -- see indexes section

 

BOOKS

 

Books on historical subjects vary in their treatment of a subject, while offering a comprehensive overview of a topic.  They provide background and context in which a historical event took place.  They are often a good source for related sources, pictures and photos.  Use the library catalog to locate books.  Use the Library of Congress Classification to browse the library stacks to locate sources.  Ask a librarian how to do this. 

 

History (General)  D

History of Europe D

History: America   E

History: America   F

 

CHRONOLOGIES

 

List notable events during different time periods in a particular geographic area, or for a particular topic.  To locate chronologies at Gray Library use the subject searches:

 

     History, ancient -- chronology

     United States --history--chronology

 

Timetables of History – [REFERENCE D 11 .G78 1991]

     Provides a chronological list of events

 

Time Line Search in Student Resource Center Gold under Electronic Resources

Electronic resource that allows the user to search or browse the timeline for events.  Coverage BC to present

 

DICTIONARIES

 

Tells what different words mean and often provides the pronunciation, derivation, current status and proper spelling.  Historical dictionaries can be consulted for detailed definitions of historical events and terms.  Sources you might consult include:

 

Dictionary of American History -- [REFERENCE E 174 .D52 2003]

Encyclopedic entries on people, places, events, themes.  Bibliography.

 

To locate a dictionary on your topic use the library catalog to do a keyword search across everything.  Example:  civil war AND dictionary

 

DIRECTORIES

 

Lists of persons, organizations, businesses, products, codes, or institutions. 

 

Encyclopedia of Associations -- [REFERENCE DESK HS 17 .E5 current edition]

Lists organizations, including historical associations, providing addresses, officers, membership, purpose and publications. 

 

DISSERTATIONS and THESES

 

Original research done by Masters and Doctoral candidates on a wide variety of subjects.  Good bibliography sources.  Access to these titles varies.  To locate these use:

 

America History and Life -- see Indexes section

WorldCat (FirstSearch)--see Indexes section

Dissertations Abstracts Online (FirstSearch)--see Indexes section

 

For Lamar University graduate thesis and dissertations go to the library catalog and do a keyword search across everything on the student's last name (if known) and thesis. 

 

ENCYCLOPEDIAS (see also DICTIONARIES)

 

Provide an overview of a topic in articles of varying length and detail.  A good place to start to get background information and, in some cases, a bibliography is available.

 

American Eras -- [REFERENCE E 169.1 .A471979 1997]

Provides a chronological look at events in the United States.  Events are divided into broad subject areas with overview essays and some sources for further reading.  Covers the early discover period through 1899. 

 

New Handbook of Texas -- [REFERENCE F 384 .N48 1996]

Provides articles of varying length on people, places, and events in Texas history. Also available electronically through the electronic indexes available via the Find Articles & More section of the library home page.

 

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

 

Publications from government agencies on state, national and international levels on a wide variety of subjects.  Our collection contains primarily Texas and United States publications.

 

To locate government documents in Gray Library use:

 

Library catalog--All documents are located on the 2^nd floor.  If an electronic version is available a link is provided in the record.

 

GPO Monthly Catalog--see Indexes section

 

GPO Access--searchable database covering 1994-current.  Allows user to determine if item is selected by Gray Library; links to electronic versions of publications.  Search engine is difficult to use for the beginner. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/

 

GUIDES AND HANDBOOKS

 

Provides guides to the literature and concise factual information on particular subjects.  Some sources you might consult include:

 

Brundage, Anthony.  Going To The Sources: A Guide To Historical Research and Writing. 2002. [RESERVES D 16 .B893 2002]

 

Frick, Elizabeth.  History: Illustrated Search Strategy and Sources. 1995. [REFERENCE D 16 .F87 1995]

 

Writing, Teaching, and Researching History In the Electronic Age: Historians and Computers. 1998.  [STACKS D 16 .W95 1998]

 

MICROFICHE / MICROFILM

 

Include microfilm and microfiche copies of government publications, newspapers, and journals.  Specialized collections include: Federal Population Census (1850 - 1930), Presidential Papers, and the Congressional Record; see the Government Documents Microfilm Collection guide for more information.

 

NEWSPAPERS

 

Newspapers available in the Gray Library are located on microfilm on the 2^nd Floor.  Current issues of regional and national newspapers are retained in paper until the microfilm is received.  Articles can be located by using:

 

Paper indexes located in Reference--including the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Times (London). 

 

Lexis--access to major national and international newspapers including some full-text.  Database is difficult to use for the beginner.  Ask the Reference Librarian for assistance.

 

National Newspaper Abstracts (Proquest)—Limited number of national newspapers including New York Times; Abstracts and indexing only. [(1984 – present) coverage varies by title]

 

Newspaper Abstracts (First Search) – includes news articles, reviews, editorials, commentaries, editorial cartoons, and other items from 50 national and regional newspapers throughout the United States. (1989 – present)

 

Newspaper Source (EbscoHost)—Indexes over 240 major national and regional newspapers and other news sources; full text access to over 180 titles.  [(1995 – present) coverage varies by title, some full text)

 

 

PERIODICALS

 

Any title with issues published periodically.  Two main types are:

 

Scholarly-lengthy research articles written by academics and professionals in the field and are peer-reviewed prior to publication.

 

Popular-news magazines and other publications with brief articles designed for general readers.

 

See the Indexes section for paper and electronic indexes used for locating articles on historical topics.  Browsing periodicals is not recommended as the most efficient way to locate articles since they are located throughout the collection. 

 

Older years of Periodicals are located in the STACKS of Gray Library or in Microforms (film or fiche)

Current issues are located on the 2^nd floor in Periodicals/Reserves

 

PRIMARY SOURCE COLLECTIONS

 

Some sources of primary information include:

 

Special Collections (7^th Floor)--The library has collections on Texana, Babe Zaharias, Lamar University, Congressman Jack Brooks.

 

Tyrell Historical Library--located downtown has a collection of local history and genealogy sources for Beaumont and Southeast Texas.

 

McFaddin-Ward House--has a library and archival collection of materials related to the McFaddin and Ward families.  For more information contact the Museum at 832-2134.

 

Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center --Located in Liberty, TX

Search the library catalog for a specific person to see if the library has their papers.  Ask the Reference Librarian for assistance.

 

STATISTICS

 

Historical Statistics of the United States, 1789-1945 [REFERENCE HA 202 .A385]

Compilation of statistics gathered by federal government agencies organized by subject area.

 

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970.

[REFERENCE HA 202 A385 1976]

Compilation of statistics gathered from government sources organized by subject area.  A good source for locating unusual statistics.

 

Historical Statistics of the States of the United States: Two Centuries of the Census, 1790-1990.

[REFERENCE HA 214 .D63 1993]

Compilation of data from the population, manufacturing and agricultural census organized by state.  Useful for compiling an overview of the changes in a state, some 1990 information is incomplete.

 

United States Historical Census Data Browser, 1790-1960

[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/]

Site offers census data from 1790 to 1960.  User can create personalized reports by selecting variables and states.  Does not include complete content from later census.

 

INTERNET

 

American Memory (Library of Congress)

[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html]

Source of primary materials on United States history and culture.  Includes over 7 million digital images from over 100 collections.

 

Archival Research Catalog (National Archives)

[http://www.archives.gov/research/index.html]

Searchable catalog of National Archives holdings with links to digital images if available.

 

Core Documents of U.S. Democracy (GPO Access)

[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html]

Collection of full-text copies of historical documents and current publications related to the federal government.

 

Avalon Project (Yale University) Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy

[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm]

Collection of digitized documents related to government, politics, diplomacy, law, history and economics from the pre 18^th century to the present.  Includes treaties, agreements, presidential messages and a wide variety of primary sources.

 

Making of America (Univ of Michigan)

[http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moagrp/]

University of Michigan’s contribution to the digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The book collection currently contains approximately 8,500 books with 19th century imprints.

 

Making of America (Cornell Univ.)

[http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/]

Cornell University’s contributions to the digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. This site provides access to 267 monograph volumes and over 100,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints.  Includes War of the Rebellion volumes.

 

Office of Presidential Libraries (National Archives)

[http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/contact/libraries.html]

Provides links to the libraries administered by the National Archives.  Includes Presidents Hoover through Clinton.  The content and information offered by each library varies; older libraries have more digitized material to offer since it is declassified.

 

Texas State Library and Archives Commission

[http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/]

Access to holdings of the state library including images of historic documents and state agencies.

 

Access to Archival Databases (National Archives)

[http://aad.archives.gov/aad/]

Searchable database with online access to a selection of nearly 50 million historic electronic records created by more than 20 federal agencies on a wide range of topics.

 

Government Documents “I am Looking For”

     On the library home page under Featured Departments click on Government Documents and then I am Looking For…

A collection of federal, state and international government websites organized by subject. Includes Texas, United States and military history, presidential libraries, libraries, archives and museums.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Adapted from:

 

Davis Library.  Reference Department.  Suggested Resources for Beginning Historical Research.  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2003.

 

Whitlach, Jo Bell.  Library Research in History.  San Jose State University, 1998.

 

Yergler, Margaret B.  The IUPUI Student's Guide to Historical Research.  IUPUI Department of History, 1996. http://www.uipui.edu/~history/guide.html. [guide no longer available]

 

------------------------------

Created by Theresa L. Storey

Guide to Historical Research05

Updated April 26, 2005