"Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show," NYPL Digital Gallery
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HIST 1S : The American West (SC)
background information:
Reference works like encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, 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 immigration and migration in the American West
Publisher: Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, c2006.
Current and historical United States maps (Perry-Castaneda Library, UT-Austin)
primary sources:
A keyword search in Tripod 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.
America's historical newspapers
Provider: Readex
Offers images and full-text content access to historic newspapers listed in Clarence Brigham's authoritative bibliography, History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820, and in additional subsequent bibliographies through the Civil War, Reconstruction, Progressive Eras and beyond. Series 1, 1690-1876; Series 2, 1758-1922; Series 3, 1829-1922; Series 4, 1759-1922; Series 5, 1777-1922; Series 6, 1741-1922; Series 7, 1773-1922.
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.
American Memory
Digitized versions of primary-source collections on American history and culture, including photographs, documents, sound recordings, and motion pictures. Browse the sections on "Immigration, American Expansion" and "Native American History" in particular, or try a keyword search--there are many great collections here!
Making of America (Cornell University and the University of Michigan)
University of Oklahoma - Western History Collections
Calisphere - Primary Sources from the University of California
secondary sources: 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. 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. Sample subject headings include:
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. 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. Sample subject headings include:
- West (U.S.) -- History
- Frontier And Pioneer Life -- West (U.S.) -- History
- African Americans -- West (U.S.) -- History
- Indians Of North America -- Relocation
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 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:
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.
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!