Reference works like encyclopedias, dictionaries, and bibliographies can provide useful background information--names, dates, key concepts and themes, recommendations for further reading, etc.--on a topic. The print reference collection is on the main floor of McCabe, but we also have an increasing number of electronic reference books that you can access through Tripod.
The following are suggestions that are appropriate to some of your topics. You can also search in Tripod--try a keyword search for a broad subject (civil rights, labor, cold war) and encyclopedia (or dictionary, or bibliography), or go to the Advanced Search screen and limit your search to SC Reference Collection.
Subject Portal » History » Course Guides »
HIST 5B : The United States from 1877 to the Present (SC)
Encyclopedia of the Reconstruction era
primary sources:
Primary sources are first-hand accounts of events or conditions during a particular time period, often recorded contemporaneously by participants or observers.
Some types of primary sources include:
- Diaries, journals, letters, speeches, manuscripts, notes and other written material describing experienced or observed events.
- Autobiographies and memoirs describing experienced or observed events in hindsight. Although such hindsight can bias the record of events, at times such reminiscences may provide the only available data on certain occurrences. Alternatively, autobiographies and memoirs can provide clues as to how the author and his contemporaries viewed a past event.
- Published items, such as articles in magazines, journals or newspapers, or books, which report on contemporary events.
- Photographs, films, videos, news broadcasts and transcripts, audio recordings, etc. documenting contemporary events.
- Any physical artifact, such as art objects, costumes, buildings, maps, monuments, etc.
- Governmental and organizational information, such as statistics, reports, press releases, propaganda, records, surveys, correspondence, publications, etc.
- Materials which provide a sociological or psychological snapshot of a certain time period, such as public opinion polls or other expressions of popular culture such as television shows, movies, music, best-sellers, advertisements, etc.
Tips on finding primary sources in library catalogs
The keyword searching option can turn up additional published primary sources. Try entering terms like "correspondence," "diary" or "diaries," "records" and "documents." Some other promising terms ("sources," "papers" and "letters") occur in too many records to be of much practical value.
These subject headings, issued by the Library of Congress, describe materials listed in most library catalogs. You should know that Subject Headings assigned to books are not necessarily intuitive or logical. For instance, the Subject Heading for Native Americans is NOT Native Americans but Indians of North America.
Standard cataloging procedures attach a few formulaic subheadings to many records that qualify as primary sources. Watch for these words or phrases when you scan retrieved sets of titles, or enter them under the SUBJECT HEADING search option:
- "--Sources"
- "--Personal Narratives"
- "--Description and Travel"
- "--Facsimiles"
- "--Charters, Grants, Privileges"
- "--early works to 1800"
- "--periodicals"
- "--Interviews"
- "--Correspondence"
- "--Pamphlets"
Guide to Primary Sources
This guide provides an excellent overview of online collections of primary sources available in the Tri-Colleges. Sources include historical newspapers, government publications, images, personal narratives, and more.
Accessible archives
Contains full-text primary resource materials in American history including newspapers, magazines, and genealogical records originally only offered on microfilm. Covers 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
The New York times on the Web
Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1851-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 1851-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1851-present.
Publisher: [New York, N.Y.] : New York Times.
Washington post (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
Holdings:
(Bryn Mawr College) Available from 1877-present.
(Haverford College) Available from 1877-present.
(Swarthmore College) Available from 1877-present.
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : The Washington Post Co.,
Access world news
Provider: NewsBank
Newspaper collections from NewsBank provide full-text articles from the electronic editions of record for more than 700 newspapers around the globe, including the NY Times (2000-present). Database covers 1977-present.
U.S. Congressional serial set
Provider: Readex
The online version of the multi-volumes resource that contains all the reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Provides primary source material on all aspects of American history. A work in progress.
find books:
Tripod is the shared library catalog of Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford Colleges, and it contains information about books, government documents, films, special collections, and much more.
Start with a keyword search to find books on your topic. Keep in mind that you'll want to try synonyms and variations on your search terms.
When you've located a relevant book, there are several strategies you can use to find additional related works. The first is to consult the book's bibliography; the second is to search by the subject headings you find in the Tripod record. These are near the bottom of the record, and if you click on the links, you'll find other books classified with the same subject heading. You can use subject headings to find secondary as well as primary sources.
Books are shelved by the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. When you've found books in Tripod, write down the entire call number--you'll need it to locate the book on the shelf. A-G call numbers are on the lower level of McCabe (below the main floor). H-K call numbers are on Level 2 (one floor up from the main floor) and L-Z call numbers are on Level 3 (two floors up).
If a book is in Tripod but isn't available at Swarthmore (either because our copy is checked out or because it's held just by Bryn Mawr or Haverford), you can request it by clicking on the orange "request" button in the item record. See the section below about requesting from other libraries for more details.
Start with a keyword search to find books on your topic. Keep in mind that you'll want to try synonyms and variations on your search terms.
When you've located a relevant book, there are several strategies you can use to find additional related works. The first is to consult the book's bibliography; the second is to search by the subject headings you find in the Tripod record. These are near the bottom of the record, and if you click on the links, you'll find other books classified with the same subject heading. You can use subject headings to find secondary as well as primary sources.
Books are shelved by the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. When you've found books in Tripod, write down the entire call number--you'll need it to locate the book on the shelf. A-G call numbers are on the lower level of McCabe (below the main floor). H-K call numbers are on Level 2 (one floor up from the main floor) and L-Z call numbers are on Level 3 (two floors up).
If a book is in Tripod but isn't available at Swarthmore (either because our copy is checked out or because it's held just by Bryn Mawr or Haverford), you can request it by clicking on the orange "request" button in the item record. See the section below about requesting from other libraries for more details.
WorldCat
Provider: OCLC
A catalog of the holdings of books, journals, and other materials held by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) member libraries. Includes manuscripts, maps, films and sound recordings. Covers works published before 1,000 BC-present.
find articles:
Although you can search Tripod to find out if we have particular scholarly journals, the catalog doesn't contain information about individual articles within those journals. To locate articles, use one of our indexes or full-text databases, and click on the Find It! button 
to determine if we have access to the article you need either online or in print, or if you'll have to request it from another library. The resources below are recommended starting points for your research:
to determine if we have access to the article you need either online or in print, or if you'll have to request it from another library. The resources below are recommended starting points for your research:
America, history and life
Provider: EBSCO
Provides abstracts of journals, reviews and dissertations on United States and Canadian history from prehistory to the present.
JSTOR
Provides full-text and page images from many of the top journals in most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago.
ProQuest Research Library
Provider: ProQuest
Provides citations and full-text magazine and journal articles in a wide variety of disciplines, both scholarly and popular in scope.
request from other libraries:
Trico
Request items from Bryn Mawr and Haverford by clicking on the "request" button in Tripod. Use your name and the barcode from the back of your student ID. Your requested materials will generally arrive at Swarthmore in 1-2 days.
EZ-Borrow
You can also request items from our regional partner libraries using EZ-Borrow. Again, you'll need your 14-digit barcode number to make a request. These items usually arrive on campus in 3-5 days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If you can't get what you need from the Trico or EZ-Borrow libraries, our interlibrary loan specialists can help you--fill out an ILL request form, but keep in mind that these materials could take several weeks to arrive on campus.
If you're unsure of which service to use, check out this guide to Tri-College Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan.
Request items from Bryn Mawr and Haverford by clicking on the "request" button in Tripod. Use your name and the barcode from the back of your student ID. Your requested materials will generally arrive at Swarthmore in 1-2 days.
EZ-Borrow
You can also request items from our regional partner libraries using EZ-Borrow. Again, you'll need your 14-digit barcode number to make a request. These items usually arrive on campus in 3-5 days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If you can't get what you need from the Trico or EZ-Borrow libraries, our interlibrary loan specialists can help you--fill out an ILL request form, but keep in mind that these materials could take several weeks to arrive on campus.
If you're unsure of which service to use, check out this guide to Tri-College Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan.
research help:
Melanie Maksin, mmaksin1, 690-5786
If you need research assistance, I'm at the reference desk on Tuesdays, 12:30-3 p.m., and on Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m. You can also make an appointment or stop by to meet with me in my office, which is on Level 1 of McCabe.
Chris Densmore, cdensmo1, x8499
Curator of the Friends Historical Library
FHL is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and on Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Looking for more ways to ask a librarian? Call, email, IM, or come to the McCabe reference desk!
If you need research assistance, I'm at the reference desk on Tuesdays, 12:30-3 p.m., and on Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m. You can also make an appointment or stop by to meet with me in my office, which is on Level 1 of McCabe.
Chris Densmore, cdensmo1, x8499
Curator of the Friends Historical Library
FHL is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and on Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Looking for more ways to ask a librarian? Call, email, IM, or come to the McCabe reference desk!