"Part of the City of Tombs at Cairo" (1832) from the NYPL Digital Gallery
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HIST 18 : Cities of the Middle East (SC)
background information:
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.
To find print and online reference materials, try an advanced search in Tripod using keywords and limiting to SC Reference Collections as the location.
To find print and online reference materials, try an advanced search in Tripod using keywords and limiting to SC Reference Collections as the location.
Encyclopedia of the modern Middle East & North Africa
Publisher: Detroit : Macmillan Reference USA, c2004.
Current and historical maps of the Middle East (Perry-Castaneda Library, UT-Austin)
primary sources:
A keyword search option can turn up published primary sources. Try entering terms like "travel," "correspondence," "diary" or "diaries," "records" and "documents," in addition to keywords for your topic.
There are also some words to look out for in LC subject headings that will alert you to possible primary sources. These subheadings include:
- "--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.
Empire on-line.
Offers images of original documents (1492-1969) taken from libraries and archives around the world including correspondence, diaries, literature and illustrations, as well as essays by leading scholars in the field of Empire Studies. Select "View Places" under the search box to find documents related to your city.
Eighteenth Century collections online.
Offers full-text access to English-language titles and editions published between 1701 and 1800 including books, pamphlets, almanacs, Bibles and treatises. Subjects covered include history, geography, fine arts, medicine, science, literature, language, religion, philosophy and law.
19th century masterfile
Provider: Paratext
Offers millions of citations to periodicals, newspapers, books, patents and government documents published prior to 1925.
art, literature, and film:
ART RESOURCES
Art and Art History subject guide
ArchNet Digital Library (Islamic world)
Large collection of images of art and architecture throughout the Islamic world from all periods.
ARTstor
A digital library that provides access to thousands of digital images derived from a variety of museum, library and archival collections. Images support a variety of disciplines including architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design.
WorldImages
"The internationally recognized WorldImages database provides access to the California State University IMAGE Project. It contains almost 75,000 images, is global in coverage and includes all areas of visual imagery. WorldImages is accessible anywhere and its images may be freely used for non-profit educational purposes."
LITERATURE RESOURCES
Languages and Literature subject guide
Literature resource center
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors from every age and literary discipline. Covers more than 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and other writers, with in-depth coverage of 2,500 of the most-studied authors.
Arab women writers
Traces the development of Arab women's literature from the nineteenth-century through the end of the twentieth century. Also includes a comprehensive bibliography of writing by Arab women.
FILM RESOURCES
Film and Media Studies subject guide
To find films in Tripod, try limiting your search to Videos/DVDs. You can then search by title (if you have a film in mind), by keyword, by region/country, or by selected genre (comedy films, documentary films, etc.).
secondary sources: books:
Start with a keyword search to find books on your topic. 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. Subject headings can be broad (such as Cairo (Egypt)) or narrower in focus (such as Turkey -- History -- Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918 -- Pictorial Works).
WorldCat
Provider: OCLC
A catalog of the holdings of books, journals, and other materials held by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) member libraries across the country and around the world. Use WorldCat to identify materials to request via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
secondary sources: 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:
Historical abstracts
Provider: EBSCO
Provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book reviews and dissertations that cover world history from 1450 to the present (excluding the U.S. and Canada which are covered in "America: History and Life"). Includes publications from 1953-present.
Index Islamicus
Provider: CSA
Offers citations to literature on Islam, the Middle East and Muslim areas of Asia and Africa, and Muslim minorities elsewhere. Includes citations to journal articles, conference proceedings, books, and book reviews from 1906 to present.
Sociological abstracts
Holdings:
1963-
Publisher: Bethesda, Md. : Cambridge Scientific Abstracts,
Provider: CSA
Provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations and conference papers in the fields of sociology, social work and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Records added after 1972 contain in-depth abstracts of journal articles. Covers 1963-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.
requesting 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. Keep in mind that items in special collections are usually for in-house use only, which means that you'll have to go to Bryn Mawr or Haverford to use them.
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.
Journal Articles
You can request journal articles from other libraries, too. Fill out the article request form, even for journals that are at Bryn Mawr or Haverford.
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. Keep in mind that items in special collections are usually for in-house use only, which means that you'll have to go to Bryn Mawr or Haverford to use them.
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.
Journal Articles
You can request journal articles from other libraries, too. Fill out the article request form, even for journals that are at Bryn Mawr or Haverford.
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 Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., and on Thursdays, 3-5 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, near the R call number range in the reference collection.
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 Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., and on Thursdays, 3-5 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, near the R call number range in the reference collection.
Looking for more ways to ask a librarian? Call, email, IM, or come to the McCabe reference desk!