Outline of this guide: Reference Works Primary Sources Secondary Sources

Other useful links: Book Review Sources Library of Congress Classification System: An Outline RefWorks RefWorks: A Guide Research Log Research Planner Web Resources: Evaluation

• Office hours: Monday 1-3 pm; Tuesday, 3-5 pm
• Also available by appointment.

• Style Guides
  • Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago, IL: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2003.
    Reference R 808.02 C53 2003
    Note: up to ten people can search the online version at any one time.
    See also the Chicago Citation Quick Guide.
  • A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. Mary Lynn Rampolla. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007.
    Reference Desk R 907.2 R177p
• Biographical Works
  • American National Biography. Ed. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. 24 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999-2002.
    Reference R 920.073 A512
  • Biography Reference Bank. H.W. Wilson, 2003- .
  • Gale Virtual Reference Library
    A collection of over 200 electronic reference books, many of which contain biographical information. Includes:
    • Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 10 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2003.
      Reference R 973 D554 2003
    • Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Ed. Colin Palmer. 6 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference, 2006.
    • International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Ed. Tom Pendergast and Sara Pendergast. 4th ed. 4 vols. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000.
      Reference R 791.43 I611 2000
• General Works on the 19th & 20th Centuries
  • The ABC-CLIO Companion to the 1960s Counterculture in America. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1997.
    Reference R 973.923 H219a
  • Cold War Culture: Media and the Arts, 1945-1990. Richard Schwartz. New York: Facts on File, 1998.
    Reference R 973.92 S399c
  • The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s. David Farber and Beth Bailey. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2001.
    Reference R 973.923 C726
  • Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History. Ed. Mary Kupiec Cayton and Peter Williams. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2001.
    Reference R 973.04 E564
  • Encyclopedia of American Social History. Ed. Mary Kupiec Cayton et al. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1993.
    Reference R 301.097 E56
  • Encyclopedia of American Social Movements. Ed. Immanuel Ness. 3 vols. New York: Sharpe Reference, 2004.
    Reference R 303.484 E56
  • Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century. Ed. Paul Finkelman. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2001.
    Reference R 973.5 E56
  • Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 4 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1996.
    Reference R 973.03 E562
  • Encyclopedia of Women's History in America. Kathryn Cullen-DuPont. 2nd ed. New York: Facts on File, 2000.
    Reference R 305.4 C967e
  • Gale Virtual Reference Library: History Resources
    A collection of over 200 electronic reference books. Includes:
    • Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 10 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2003.
      Reference R 973 D554 2003
    • Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Ed. Colin Palmer. 6 vols. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference, 2006.
    • Historical Dictionary of the 1940s. Ed. James Ryan and Leonard Schlup. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2006.
    • Social Change in America: The Historical Handbook. Ed. Patricia Becker. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2006.
    • ... and many more!
  • The Harvard Guide to African-American History. Ed. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 2001.
    Reference R 973.04 H3391
  • Historical Dictionary from the Great War to the Great Depression. Neil A. Wynn. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2003.
    Reference R 973.91 W988h
  • Historical Dictionary of the 1950s. Ed. James S. Olson. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2000.
    Reference R 973.92 O52h
  • Historical Dictionary of the 1960s. Ed. James S. Olson. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999.
    Reference R 973.923 H673
  • Historical Dictionary of the 1970s. Ed. James S. Olson. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999.
    Reference R 973.923 H6731
  • Jane & Michael Stern's Encyclopedia of Pop Culture: an A to Z Guide of Who's Who and What's What, from Aerobics and Bubble Gum to the Valley of the Dolls and Moon Unit Zappa. Jane Stern. New York: HarperPerennial, 1992.
    Reference R 917.3 S839e
  • The Sixties in America. Ed. Carl Singleton. 3 vols. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 1999.
    Reference R 973.92 S6252
  • War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. Ed. M. Paul Holsinger. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999.
    Reference R 973 W253
• Advertising
  • The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising. Ed. John McDonough. 3 vols. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2003.
    Reference R 659.1 A244
• Cartoons & Comic Books
  • The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons. Ed. Maurice Horn. 2nd ed. 7 vols. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House, 1999.
    Reference R 741.5 W9272
  • The World Encyclopedia of Comics. Ed. Maurice Horn. Rev ed. 7 vols. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House, 1999.
    Reference R 741.5 W927
• Film & Television
  • The Complete Film Dictionary. Ira Konigsberg. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin, 1998.
    Reference R 791.43 K82c2
  • Encyclopedia of Television. Ed. Horace Newcomb. 2nd ed. 4 vols. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004.
    Reference R 791.45 E56
  • Feature Films, 1940-1949: A United States Filmography. Alan G. Fetrow. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994.
    Reference R 016.791 F288 1940-1949
  • Feature Films, 1950-1959: A United States Filmography. Alan G. Fetrow. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999.
    Reference R 016.791 F288 1950-1959
  • Feature Films, 1960-1969: A Filmography of English-Language and Major Foreign-Language United States Releases. Harris M. Lentz. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001.
    Reference R 016.791 F288 1960-1969
  • Film and the American Left: A Research Guide. M. Keith Booker. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999.
    Reference R 791.43 B724f
  • The Film Studies Dictionary. Steve Blandford et al. London: Oxford Univ. Press, 2001.
    Reference R 791.43 B642f
  • The Films of the Seventies: A Filmography of American, British, and Canadian Films. Marc Sigoloff. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1984.
    Reference R 791.43 S578f
  • The Films of the Eighties: A Complete, Qualitative Filmography. Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1991.
    Reference R 016.791 F288 1980-1999
  • The Films of the Nineties. Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn L. Nowlan. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001.
    Reference R 016.791 F288 1990-1999
  • Guide to American Cinema, 1965-1995. Daniel Curran. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998.
    Reference R 791.43 C976g
  • Handbook of American Film Genres. Ed. Wes D. Gehring. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1988.
    Reference R 791.43 H236
  • Historical Dictionary of African-American Television. Kathleen Fearn-Banks. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2006.
    Reference R 791.45 F288h
  • International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Ed. Tom Pendergast and Sara Pendergast. 4th ed. 4 vols. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000.
    Reference R 791.43 I611 2000
  • International Film Guide. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1966-1989.
    Library has 1966 to 1989
    Reference R 791.43 I61
  • The Language of Cinema. Kevin Jackson. New York: Routledge, 1998.
    Reference R 791.43 J13L
  • The Motion Picture Guide. Chicago, IL: Cinebooks, 1985-1999.
    Library has: 1988-1999.
    Reference R 791.43 N251m
  • Movies made for Television, 1964-2004. Alvin H. Marill. 5 vols. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2005.
    Reference R 791.45 M336m
  • Multicultural Films: A Reference Guide. Janice R. Welsch and J.Q. Adams. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2005.
    Reference R 791.43 W458m
  • New York Times Encyclopedia of Film. Ed. Gene Brown. 13 vols. New York: Times Books, 1984.
    Reference R 791.43 N532
  • The Oxford Companion to Film. Ed. Liz-Anne Bawden. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1976.
    Reference R 791.43 O98
  • Television Program Master Index. Charles V. Dintrone. 2nd ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2003.
    Reference R 016.7914 D587t
  • Theatre: Stage to Screen to Television. William Torbert Leonard. 2 vols. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1981.
    Reference R 792.5 L581t
  • Variety International Film Guide. London: Andre Deutsch, 1990-1996.
    Reference R 791.43 V299
• Music
  • Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Ed. Nicolas Slonimsky. 6 vols. New York: Schirmer, 2001.
    Reference R 927.8 B16b8 2001
    Music Library Reference 927.8 B16b8 2001
  • A Chronicle of American Music, 1700-1995. Charles J. Hall. New York: Schirmer, 1996.
    Reference R 780.973 H174c
  • The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock, and Soul. Irwin Stambler. Rev. ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990.
    Reference R 927.82 S783e
  • Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Ed. Colin Larkin. 3rd ed. 8 vols. New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 1998.
    Music Library Reference R 781.64 G964 1998
  • Encyclopedia of Rock. Phil Hardy and Dave Laing. New York: Schirmer, 1988.
    Reference R 784 H271e
  • The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Ed. Bruno Nettle and Ruth M. Stone. 10 vols. New York: Garland, 1998-2000.
    Music Library Reference 780.9 G233
  • The Literature of Rock. Frank Hoffman. 3 vols. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1981-1995.
    Reference R 016.78 H669L
    Note: the Library has volumes 1 and 3 only.
  • The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie. 2nd ed. 29 vols. New York: Grove, 2001.
    Music Library Reference 780.3 N532 2001
  • The Oxford Companion to Popular Music. Peter Gammond. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1991.
    Reference R 781.6 G193o
  • Rock Movers & Shakers. Ed. Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1991.
    Reference R 781.6 R682
  • The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Ed. Holly George-Warren and Patricia Romanowski. 3rd ed. New York: Fireside, 2001.
    Music Library Reference 781.66 R754 2001
  • The Rolling Stone Index: Twenty-Five Years of Popular Culture, 1967-1991. Comp. Jeffrey N. Gatten. Ann Arbor, MI: Popular Culture, 1993.
    Reference R 781.66 R754
  • Women and Music in America since 1900: An Encyclopedia. Ed. Kristine H. Burns. 2 vols. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002.
    Music Library Reference 780.82 B967w
  • That Old Time Rock & Roll: A Chronicle of an Era, 1954-1963. Richard Aquila. New York: Schirmer, 1989.
    Reference R 784.5 A656t
• Sports
  • The Cultural History of Baseball. Jonathan Fraser Light. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1997.
    Reference R 796.357 L723c
  • Encyclopedia of North American Sports History. Ralph Hickok. New York: Facts on File, 1992.
    Reference R 796.09 H629e
  • ESPN Information Please Sports Almanac. Boston: Information Please, 1993, 1995-1996, 1998- .
    Reference R 306 E56796 I43
  • Great Athletes. Rev ed. 8 vols. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2002.
    Reference R 796 G786
  • International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. 3 vols. New York: Macmillan Reference, 2001.
    Reference R 796 I61
  • The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports Figures. Ed. Arnold Markoe. 2 vols. New York: Scribner's, 2002.
    Reference R 796 S434

• General Search Tools
  Published primary sources, contemporary books, videos.
  • Library Catalog
    To locate primary sources, do a keyword search and add one or more of the following words:
    • sources
    • correspondence
    • diaries
    • personal narratives
    • pictorial works
    The following terms may also be helpful for some topics:
    • description and travel
    • videorecordings
    You can also limit by publication date to find contemporary books.
    For more details, see below.
  • WorldCat
    To locate primary sources, do a keyword search and add one or more of the following words:
    • sources
    • correspondence
    • diaries
    • personal narratives
    • pictorial works
    The following terms may also be helpful for some topics:
    • description and travel
    • videorecordings
    Note: Rare and archival materials cannot be borrowed on interlibrary loan. You can sometimes locate microfilm or microfiche copies of these documents in WorldCat; try doing an advanced search, enter your keywords or subject terms, and then apply a "subtype limit," choosing "Microform" as the format.
    For more details, see below.
• Advertisements
  • Print Ads
    • Ad*Access, from the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History, Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University
      An online archive of advertisements published between 1911 and 1955.
    • Advertising Educational Foundation Museum
      Provides images and clips from advertising campaigns and commercials, most from the late 1990s to the present.
    • American Magazine
      Library has: vols. 69-161 (1909-1956)
      Location: Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • ARTstor
      A collection of over 900,000 images covering art, architecture, and archaeology from a wide range of cultures and time periods as well as tools to manipulate and analyze those images.
    • Coronet
      Library has: vols. 1-50 (1936-1981)
      Location: Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • Ebony
      Library has: vols. 1-19 (1945-1964)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-13
    • Jet
      Library has: 1968-1985 (microfilm); 1985 to present (paper)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-17; Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • Ladies' Home Journal
      Library has: 1884-1980 (microfilm)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-17
    • Life
      Library has: vols. 1-73 (1936-1972)
      Location: Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • Look
      Library has: vols. 1-35 (1937-1971) (microfilm)
      Microfilm Cabinet C-18
    • Ms.
      Library has: 1972-1989
      Location: Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • New York
      Library has: 1968 to present
      Location: Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • New York Times Magazine
      Library has: 1896 to present (microfilm); 1896-2001 (online)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C20-C26; Historical Newspapers: The New York Times
      To find advertisements:
      Microfilm: the Magazine is filmed as part of the Sunday New York Times and usually appears after the main sequence of the paper.
      Online: on the "advanced search" page, type "section(magazine)" and then limit by date. Finally, click on the "more search options" tab at the bottom of the advanced search screen and from the "Document Type" drop-down menu, choose "Display ad."
    • New Yorker
      Library has: 1925-1940 (microfilm); 1939 to present (paper)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-27; Little Library Bound Periodicals.
    • Newsweek
      Library has: 1933 to present (microfilm); 1936 to present (paper)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-27; Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • People
      Library has: 2002 to present (microfiche)
      Location: Microfiche cabinet A-2; Little Library Current Periodicals
    • Reader's Digest
      Library has: 1923 to present
      Location: Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • Rolling Stone
      Library has: 1967 to present (microfilm); current year (paper)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-33; Little Library Current Periodicals
    • Saturday Evening Post
      Library has: 1920-1931 (microfilm); 1931 to present (paper)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-33; Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • Southern Living
      Library has: 1966 to present
      Location: Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • Time
      Library has: 1923 to present (microfiche); 1924 to present (paper)
      Location: Microfiche Cabinet A-2; Little Library Bound Periodicals
    • U.S. News & World Report
      Library has: 1948 to present (microfilm); 1950 to present (paper)
      Location: Microfilm cabinet C-40; Little library Bound Periodicals
    • Wisconsin Historical Images
      Contains images of some advertisements from the 1800s through the 1970s; most are from the early twentieth century.
  • Television Commercials
    • Classic Commercials: the Early Years. 2 discs. St. Laurent, Quebec: Madacy Entertainment, 2002. [DVD] Little Circulation Desk VC C6141 DVD
      Contains commercials from the 1950s through the 1970s.
    • Clio Awards: 40th Anniversary Reel. 2 discs. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2004. [DVD] Little Circulation Desk VC C6411 DVD
      Contains commercials from the 1950s through the 1990s.
• Diaries
  See also the search tips under general search tools, above.
  • American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of Published American Diaries and Journals. 2 vols. Laura Arksey et al. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1983-1987.
    Reference R 016.92 A721a
    Vol. 1: Diaries Written from 1492 to 1844
    Vol. 2: Diaries Written from 1845 to 1980
  • American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of American Diaries Written Prior to the Year 1861. Comp. William Matthews. Berkeley, CA: Univ. of California Press, 1945.
    Reference R 016.92 M44a
  • And So to Bed: A Bibliography of Diaries Published in English. Patricia Pate Havlice. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1987.
    Reference R 016.92 H388a
  • North American Women's Letters & Diaries
    This collection provides the full text of letters, diaries, and excerpts of diaries from the colonial era to the mid twentieth century. The texts were written contemporaneously; memoirs are not included.
  • The Published Diaries and Letters of American Women: An Annotated Bibliography. Joyce Goodfriend. Boston, MA: G.K. Hall, 1987.
    Reference R 016.92 G651p
• Films & Videos
  To find DVD or VHS versions of films or television shows,
  • In the Library Catalogue:
    Do a keyword or title keyword search and limit by format "Video Materials (VHS/DVD)."
  • In WorldCat:
    Do a keyword or title search and for "Limit type to," choose "Visual Materials."
• Periodicals & News Sources
  The Little Library has many magazines, newspapers, and journals from this time period.
  1. Popular Magazines
     Including weekly and monthly consumer, news, and opinion magazines.
     • 19th Century Popular Magazines & Journals
       • Guides to and Bibliographies for 19th Century Popular Magazines & Journals
       • Indexes to 19th Magazines and Journals
       • 19th Century Popular Magazines & Journals in Little Library
     • 20th Century Popular Magazines
       • Bibliographies and Guides to 20th Century Popular Magazines
       • Indexes to 20th-Century Popular Magazines
       • 20th Century Popular Magazines in Little Library
  2. Newspapers
     • 19th Century Newspapers
       • Indexes to 19th Century Newspapers
       • 19th Century Newspapers in Little Library
     • 20th Century Newspapers
       • Indexes to 20th-Century Newspapers
       • 20th Century Newspapers in Little Library
     See also:
     • Newspapers held by Other Libraries: How to Find Them
  3. Other Periodicals
     To find articles in other types of periodicals, such as journals, search the following:
     • Humanities & Social Sciences Index
       (1907 to present). For the period 1907-1984, this database indexes journal articles in both the humanities and social sciences; it also includes the International Index to Periodicals (1907-1965). From 1985 to the present, the focus is on the humanities.
       Search Syntax:
       • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
       • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
       • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
     • PAIS International
       (1915 to present) Indexes journal articles, books, government documents, and conference papers in political science, public affairs, and economics.
       Search Syntax:
       • Truncation: use an asterisk *
       • Phrase searching: automatic
       • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
     • Periodicals Index Online
       (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
       Search Syntax:
       • Truncation: use an asterisk *
       • Phrase searching: automatic
• Other Examples
  • American Memory, from the Library of Congress
    Contains a wealth of primary source material for American history, including:
    • America at Work, America at Leisure: Motion Pictures from 1894-1915
    • An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and other Printed Ephemera
    • American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920
    • Baseball and Jackie Robinson
    • Baseball Cards, 1887-1914
    • Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Television Advertisements: Highlights from the Motion Picture Archives at the Library of Congress
    • Origins of American Animation, 1900-1921
    • William P. Gottlieb Photographs from the Golden Age of Jazz
    • Spalding Base Ball Guides, 1889-1939
  • The American Radicalism Collection [microfilm]
    Microfilm cabinet D-51
    Contains reproductions of pamphlets, broadsides, newsletters, program notices, clippings, and unpublished writings from the American Radicalism Collection in the Michigan State University Library's Special Collections Division. The microfilm collection is in four parts:
    Part 1: Leftist Politics and Anti-War Movements
    Part 2: The Religious and Radical Right
    Part 3: Race, Gender, and the Struggle for Justice and Equal Rights
    Part 4: Twentieth-Century Social, Economic, and Environmental Movements
    Guides: Reference R 322.4 A512
  • AP Images
    (1826 to present [photographs]; 1920 to present [audio clips]; 1990 to present [charts and maps]; 1997 to present [text]) A collection of over 2 million photographs, 1 million audio clips, 48,000 diagrams, charts, maps, and timelines, and 2.8 million news briefs from the Associated Press (AP). Updated daily.
    Note: Only one person can search this database at any one time; if you are unable to login because this limit has been reached, please wait a few minutes and try again.
    Photographs and graphics from the Archive cannot be sold, syndicated, loaned or used for advertising or for trade without the written consent of AP. In addition, users cannot republish any of the photographs on a Web page.
  • Archive of Americana
    (c. 1639-1980) A collection of digital facsimiles of American books, broadsides, pamphlets, newspapers, and government documents. Includes:
    • American Broadsides & Ephemera
      (c. 1760-1900) Contains more than 30,000 digital facsimiles of broadsides and ephemera, including advertisements, handbills, trade cards, theatre and music programs, stock certificates, menus, and many other works.
  • ARTstor
    A collection of over 900,000 images covering art, architecture, and archaeology from a wide range of cultures and time periods as well as tools to manipulate and analyze those images.
  • Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
    (c. 1935 to present) A collection of U.S. public opinion data. Includes iPOLL, a database of 500,000 questions and answers from surveys conducted by over 150 commercial and media survey organizations, including the Gallup Organization, Harris Interactive, Pew Research Associates, and more.

• Books
  • Library Catalog
    Includes information about books, government documents, and journals, magazines, and newspapers in the Library.
    • To locate works about a person, do a subject search for the person's name (last name first).
    • To locate bibliographies on a person or topic, do a keyword search and add the following: su bibliography.
    • To locate appropriate Library of Congress Subject Headings, start with a keyword search and then browse records.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use a dollar sign $
    • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • ebrary
    A collection of over 38,000 e-books published by over 220 academic, trade, and professional publishers; covers all subject areas. Also includes tools that allow you to create your own virtual bookshelf, bookmark pages, and add and save notes and highlights.
    Note: for full functionality, you need the ebrary Reader. This plugin is on all library and ITS computers, but if you are using your own computer, you can download it from the ebrary home page.
  • WorldCat
    Indexes books, periodicals, and other materials held by libraries around the world. Search WorldCat to identify additional books on your topic and then order the books on interlibrary loan.
    Note: It can be helpful to identify relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Library Catalog first; you can then do a subject search in WorldCat to find additional items with these subject headings.
    Search Syntax:
    • Truncation: use an asterisk *
    • Phrase searching: insert a "w" between the words in a phrase (for example, "cold w war")
    • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
• Articles
  History | Film | Music | Other Databases
  • History
    See also the other sources listed on the History indexes and databases page.
    • America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts
      (Time period covered: 1450 to present [world history]; prehistory to present [U.S. and Canadian history]. Publication coverage: 1954 to present). Indexes journal articles, book chapters, doctoral dissertations, and book reviews. (Each database can also be searched separately.)
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • Web of Knowledge
      (Publication coverage: c. 1900 to present) A multidisciplinary resource that provides citations to articles in thousands of journals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotations marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Film
    See also the guide for Film Review Sources.
    • Film & Television Literature Index
      (c. 1937 to present) Indexes articles, film reviews, and book reviews from over 300 film and television periodicals; international in scope..
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • Film Indexes Online
      (1893 to present) Contains both Film Index International (FII) and The American Film Institute Catalog (AFI). Includes full production and cast information for films from over 170 countries as well as plot summaries, production notes, and citations to reviews, criticism, and articles on film and film personalities.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Humanities Abstracts
      (1907 to present). Indexes articles in over 500 English-language journals in the fields of archaeology, art, classics, communication, film, folklore, history, languages and literatures, music, philosophy, religion, and theatre. Also includes citations for book, theatre, and film reviews as well as interviews, obituaries, and some original creative works. Includes the full text of selected articles from 1995 to the present.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • MLA International Bibliography
      (1926 to present). Indexes journal articles, books, and doctoral dissertations in the fields of English, American, European, Asian, African, and Latin American linguistics, modern languages and literatures, film studies, and folklore.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • Web of Knowledge
      (c. 1900 to present) A multidisciplinary resource that provides citations to articles in thousands of journals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotations marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Music
    • Music Index
      (1979 to present) Indexes periodical articles, book reviews, and music reviews about popular and classical music.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use a dollar sign $
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
      • Wildcard: Use a question mark ?
    • Musical America
      Provides current music industry news and a directory containing information about thousands of artists, managers, opera companies, dance companies, art festivals, performing arts series, competitions, music schools, and more.
    • RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
      (1969 to present) Includes citations to journal articles, books, conference proceedings, catalogues, dissertations, and films and videos on all aspects of music, including historical musicology, ethnomusicology, instruments and voice, dance, and music therapy. RILM also covers fields related to music, such as anthropology, art, drama, literature, sociology, philosophy, and physics.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
  • Sports
    Be sure to search America: History & Life too.
    • Physical Education Index
      (1970 to present) Indexes articles in scholarly journals, popular magazines, and trade journals; also includes citations to reports, conference proceedings, and patents. Provides broad coverage of physical education and sports, including sports medicine, sports sociology, sports psychology, training, coaching, and kinesiology. Also covers dance.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
  • Other Databases
    • Contemporary Women's Issues
      (1992 to present) Indexes popular articles, scholarly articles, books, newsletters, and reports on all aspects of women's studies, including gender, sociology, education, political science, and health.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: automatic
      • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Essay & General Literature Index
      (1900 to present) Indexes chapters and essays in edited collections.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • Humanities Abstracts
      (1907 to present). Indexes articles in over 500 English-language journals in the fields of archaeology, art, classics, communication, film, folklore, history, languages and literatures, music, philosophy, religion, and theatre. Also includes citations for book, theatre, and film reviews as well as interviews, obituaries, and some original creative works. Includes the full text of selected articles from 1995 to the present.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • JSTOR
      Includes pdf copies of scholarly articles from a core collection of journals; also includes book reviews. Note:JSTOR does not contain articles from the most recent 3-5 years.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use a plus sign +
      • Phrase searching: automatic
    • PAIS International
      (1915 to present) Indexes journal articles, books, government documents, and conference papers in political science, public affairs, and economics.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • Periodicals Index Online
      (c. 1665-1995) Indexes journal and magazine articles as well as book reviews in a broad array of humanities, social sciences, and science subjects.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: automatic
    • Project Muse
      Contains full-text articles from journals published by university and scholarly presses.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks " "
    • Social Sciences Abstracts
      (1907 to present) Indexes journal articles and some book reviews on all social sciences subjects, including history, political science, international relations, law, economics, area studies, gender studies, anthropology, psychology, and sociology.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: unnecessary when using "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotation marks ""
      • Wildcard: do not use with "All - Smart Search"; otherwise, use a question mark ?
    • Web of Knowledge
      (c. 1900 to present) A multidisciplinary resource that provides citations to articles in thousands of journals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences.
      Search Syntax:
      • Truncation: use an asterisk *
      • Phrase searching: use double quotations marks " "
      • Wildcard: use a question mark ?
    • Women Studies Abstracts
      Reference Index Area R 050 W872
      (1972 to present) Indexes popular articles, scholarly articles, and books on all aspects of women's studies, including history, education, gender, literature, religion, and art.