Journal articles provide scholarly information on specific aspects of history.   The following indexes are the best ways for you to identify journal articles related to your research.

Indexes for History

Subject encyclopedias provide overviews of ideas, people, and events  They are a quick way to find out the basic facts and current points of debate.  When using an article in an encyclopedia or handbook, always check the bibliography for further reading at the end of the article. It will provide a selective list of the books, articles, and, sometimes, primary sources.

Indexes for Related Subject Areas

Use the Tripod catalog to look for relevant books owned by Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore.

To find materials on a topic, try doing a keyword search in Tripod to find relevant materials

          (witch* or magic*)  mexic* history [keyword search]

and then use the subject headings assigned to those titles to find more material:

          inquisition mexico history [Subject Heading]

          women latin america history [Subject Heading]

Tripod - For locating books, journals, and other materials held in the Tri-College libraries. Deliveries within the Trico usually arrive in one or two days. Use the "Request" button. You can mark and then email or print records for multiple items.

WorldCat - An important place to look for many materials not owned by the Tri-College Libraries. This combined library catalog contains more than 179 million records describing items owned by libraries around the world. Many of these items are available to you though interlibrary loan.

Interlibrary Loan and E-ZBorrow - Request items that are not available in Tripod on this page. Note that PALCI E-Z Borrow provides books in 3 to 5 days.  For books not in E-Z Borrow, request though Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  Again materials may arrive in as little as 3 days.   For journal articles not in Tripod, request through Article Delivery.  Most are delivered to you digitally.

Asian History

European History

History of the United States

Latin American History

Encyclopedias in Related Subject Areas

Online Source Collections in Tripod

Some online collections are available through Tripod. See the History Primary Source Page for a full listing.

 Notable collections for Great Britain, representing all available book titles published during the early modern era, are:   

Comprehensive source collections for the United States are:

Some online source collections are available for other parts of the world.  Titles at Haverford include:

 Source collections available open access on the Web:

Some source collections are available on the Web without a subscription.  They generally are listed on university research guides and in catalogs of  scholarly resources like Intute.  The sites below are a few examples relevant to current thesis topics.

Sources in Modern Editions

Those that have been edited, reprinted in facsimiles, or transferred to microfilm can be borrowed through E Z Borrow or interlibrary loan if they are not in Tripod.  Many of them will be listed in WorldCat under subject terms which include such words as "sources," "letters," "diaries," or "personal narratives."  For example, the search child* united states history sources   produces results including:

     Twentieth Century China: A History in Documents.  Oxford University Press, 1975 
        "Using a wide variety of primary sources, such as official reports and public statements, eyewitness and participant accounts, newspaper articles, political posters, cartoons, poetry, songs, and advertisements, R. Keith Schoppa paints a picture of a society undergoing dramatic changes, both political and social. Taken together, these documents tell a dramatic and often violent tale, alternately soaring with hope and plunging into deep despair, of a country undergoing a thorough transformation - a transformation that affects the world at large."--BOOK JACKET

Sources in Rare Book Libraries

Documents and books printed prior to the 20th century are usually kept in libraries' rare book collections.  You can go to other collections to work with material you need.  Before visiting, check with James Gulick or Margaret Schaus for descriptions of collections and persons to contact. 

For a more thorough check of manuscript material, see these online catalog:

Special Collections, Haverford College
Especially strong in Quaker history.  Because of Friends' involvement in abolition, women's rights, and many other social issues, the materials shed light on a variety of topics.  Please contact <"a href=mailto:aupton@haverford.edu">Ann Upton for further information.

Special Collections, Bryn Mawr College
Librarians Eric Pomroy and Marianne Hansen have put together guides to collections including this one concerning 18th century Europe:
         Books Relating to 18th Century France 2006
They welcome researchers from Haverford.  E-mail or phone them to tell them your research needs before going over to Special Collections.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania
HSP was founded in 1824 and has rich holdings in manuscripts, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia history, and ethnic studies.

Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Van Pelt Library, University of Pennsylvania
The Rare Book and Manuscript Library houses rich holdings including the Henry Charles Lea collection of Inquisition documents and Early Modern books in philosophy and social thought.

Urban Archives, Temple University
"The Urban Archives was established in 1967 to document the social, economic, and physical development of the Philadelphia area from the mid-19th century to the present."- Website

 Historic Newspapers       

Newspapers shed light on events, public opinion, and social mores.  Some titles are available through Tripod including:
          New York Times on the Web
          America's Historical Newspapers
For a fuller list of titles in Tripod, see the page Historical Newspapers & Periodicals

The London Times often serves as a newspaper of record for historical events:
Times (London)
Palmer's Index to the Times Newspaper, 1790-1905
The newspaper is available on microfilm at Bryn Mawr's library.  There is also an annual index in print, 1790 to the present.  Swarthmore has an online index for the Times (1790-1980) within the database, Historical Newspapers Online.

For newspapers not in Tripod, use WorldCat as your guide.  Search by subject as well as title:   chinese newspapers Limited to Years 1880-1920
Look for the icon Mircofilm.  You will be able to borrow specific years on interlibrary loan.

Visual Sources