General Encyclopedias |
Specialized Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Statistics | Dates and Events
| Online Catalog | Bibliographies
Newspaper and Periodical Indexes |
Surveys |
Geographical Sources | Contemporary Articles
& Books
Internet Resources
Academic American Encyclopedia REF AE 5.A23 1996
Collier's Encyclopedia. 1997. REF AE 5 .C683 1997
Encyclopedia Americana.2001 REF AE 5 .E333 1992 2001
New Encyclopaedia Britannica.2001 REF AE 5 .E3633 2001
The African-American Almanac, a Reference Work on the AfroAmerican. 1989. REF (latest ed.) & MAIN (earlier eds.) E 185 .N345
Almanac of American History. 1983. MAIN E 174.5 .A45 1983 Chronological approach
Congressional Quarterly Almanac. 1945 . CONG and MAIN JK 1 .C663 Survey of Congressional legislation on such topics as labor and agriculture; includes voting records for individuals.
Dictionary of American History. 1976. REF E 174 .A43 1976 & E174 .A43 1996 Suppl.Initial set has 8 volumes with separate index volume; supplement consists of 2 volumes. No biographical entries; entries may be longer than the Oxford Companion to American History (below).
Dictionary of American Diplomatic History. 1989. REF E 183.7 .F5 1989 Includes biographical entries; definitions in diplomacy.
Documents of American History. REF and MAIN E 173 .C66 Contains copies of significant laws and court cases in U.S. history, such as the Constitution, the National Labor Relations Act, etc.
Encyclopedia of American Economic History. 1980. REF HC 103 .E52 3 volumes; several chapters cover history of U.S. economy. Others cover law, banking, antitrust, government management of the economy, war, work, family, income, women and work, distribution of wealth, poverty, etc.
Encyclopedia of American History. 1996. REF E 174.5 .M847 1996 Similar to Oxford Companion to American History (below).
Encyclopedia of American Political History. 1984. REF E 183 .E5 1984 3 volumes; lengthy chapters cover such topics as agricultural policy, censorship, civil rights, constitution, federalism,immigration policy, the New Deal, the New Freedom, land policies, tariff policies, socialism, etc.
Encyclopedia of American Political History. 2001. REF E 183 .E48 2001 1 volume. Shorter entries than the above title.
Encyclopedia of Black America. 1981. REFand OVERSIZE E 185.E55 80 page history of AfroAmerica; bibliographies, biographical entries, articles on topics such as desegregation, slavery, motion pictures.
Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. 1980. REF & MAIN E 184 .A1 H35 Lengthy articles on minorities, immigration policies, religious practices, socioeconomic status, etc. of ethnic groups in America
History of U.S. Political Parties. 1973. CONREF JK 2261 .S35 Includes party platforms and speeches by famous candidates; letters, newspaper editorials, as well as the history of specific parties.
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 1968. REF H 41 .I5 The major multivolume encyclopedia for the social sciences; separate biographical and index volumes
Oxford Companion to American History. 1966. REF & MAIN E 174 .J6 Paragraph length (or slightly longer) entries on people, places, and events.
Statistical Abstract of the United States. GDQR (latest ed.) & CENSUS (earlier eds.) C3.134 & CLREF (latest ed.) & MAIN (earlier eds.) HA202 Annual compilation of statistics on all aspects of life in the U.S., such as labor, housing, employment, gross national product, cost of living, population; older volumes (back to 1883) are in Main Library, 3rd floor East. Both current and older volumes are also in Government Documents, ground floor.
Historical Statistics of the United States to 1970. 1976. REF C3.134/2: C83/2/ Used to locate statistics on the past in America, such as the number of post offices in 1900, etc.
Historical Statistics of the United States. : earliest times to the present CLREF HA202 .H57 2006 & online edition -- "When the Census Bureau decided in the early 1990's that it would not publish a new edition of Historical Statistics, a team of renowned social scientists came together with Cambridge University Press to create a new edition. More than 200 of the nation's leading economists, historians, political scientists, sociologists, and other scholars contributed to the Millennial Edition of Historical Statistics. This new edition adds thirty years of data and contains coverage of topics that received little or no coverage in the 1975 edition: American Indians, slavery, poverty, race, and ethnicity. The most recent scholarship has been brought to bear in every table."
Social Explorer -- "Our goal is to visually display the demographic change that has occurred in the U.S. from 1790 through the present at a variety of geographic levels, including neighborhoods, counties, and states. To accomplish this, we have developed a collection of interactive demographic maps that can be viewed, queried and manipulated on our site. Demographic patterns throughout American history spring to life in the form of reports, maps, and animations."
Album of American History.1969. MAIN E 178 .A24 1969 Valuable for its pictures of life in America to 1968.
Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates. 1997. REF E 174.5 .C3 1997 Arranges by date; gives brief information on political events, disasters, sports, fashions, popular entertainment, and the economy.
Facts on File. 1940 . REF D 410 .F3 A weekly world news digest with annual indexes.
This Fabulous Century. 1969. MAIN E 161 .T55 Valuable for its pictures and photographs of life in this country from 1870-1970.
Time Capsule. MAIN D 410 .T55 Issued by the publisher of Time magazine. For the years 1923-1959, it provides a summary of events, news, art, business, education, entertainment, science, etc. of the year.
A. Subject Searches:
Subject searches on the online catalog should use a heading listed in Library of Congress List of Subject Headings (http://authorities.loc.gov/). Some geographical headings that may be useful in research are:
| America | Northwest boundary of the United States |
| Atlantic Coast North America | Northwest Coast of North America |
| Atlantic Coast (U.S.) | Northwestern States |
| Atlantic Coast Del. [FL., GA., etc.] | Northwest, Old |
| Atlantic States | Northwest, Pacific |
| Great Plains | Pacific States |
| Gulf Region Ala. [FL., LA., MS., TX] | Southwest, Old |
| Gulf States | Southern Atlantic States |
| Lake States | Southern boundary of the United States |
| Middle Atlantic States | Southern States |
| Middle West | Southwestern States |
| New England | Southwest, New |
| North America | Sunbelt States |
| Northeast boundary of the United States | West (U.S.) |
| Northeastern States | Western Hemisphere |
B. Keyword Searches:
Keyword searches can be useful to find items that have no precise Library of Congress subject heading. For example, LC does not use "American studies". It puts works in this field under "United States--Civilization". Keyword searches retrieve large numbers of records, sometimes in the thousands. For this reason, it is important to narrow your search by limiting the type of materials you want to find, or combining terms to search for a more specific topic. Seek help from Library staff when you need it.
American Studies: An Annotated Bibliography:
Articles in American Studies, 1954-1968: A Cumulation of the Annual Bibliographies from AMERICAN QUARTERLY. 1972. MAIN Z 1215 .A7
Footnotes to American History: A Bibliographic Source Book. 1977. MAIN Z 1236 .S48 Provides short descriptions of major events in American history followed by a bibliography on each topic.
A Guide to Manuscripts Relating to America in Great Britain and Ireland. 1978. MAIN Z 1236 .C74 1978
A Guide to the Study of the United States of America: Representative Books Reflecting the Development of American Life and Thought. 1960. REF & MAIN Z 1215 .U5 Updated by 1976 supplement.
Handbook for Research in American History: A Guide to Bibliographies and Other Reference Works. 1994. MAIN E 178 .P78 1994 Introduces "beginning historians to the helps that await them in the reference sections of libraries." The first part deals with categories of material, while the second section covers special subjects.
Harvard Guide to American History. 1974. REF & MAIN Z 1236 .H27 1974 "The basic reference bibliography for American history." One volume lists sources to consult for each period of American history. The second volume provides sources on economic history, social ills and reform, immigration and ethnicity, etc.
Sources for American Studies. 1983.MAIN E 175 .S58 1983
AfroAmerican Literature and Culture Since World War II: A Guide to Information Sources. 1979. MAIN Z 1229 .N39 P4
American Architecture and Art: A Guide to Information Sources. 1976. ART REF N 6505 .S6
The American Presidency: A Guide to Information Sources. 1983. REF Z 1249 .P7 D38 1983
American Education: A Guide to Information Sources. 1982. CONREF LA 210 .D87 1982
American Religion and Philosophy: A Guide to Information Sources. 1978. MAIN Z 7757 .U5 S25
American Studies: A Guide to Information Sources. 1982. MAIN Z 1236 .M37 1982
American Literature and Language: A Guide to Information Sources. 1982. MAIN Z 1225 .K68 1982
American Popular Culture: A Guide to Information Sources. 1982. MAIN & SPECIAL E 169.1 .L28 1982
History of the United States of America: A Guide to Information Sources. 1977. MAIN Z 1236 .C33
Jewish Writers of North America: A Guide to Information Sources. 1981. MAIN Z 1229 .J4 N32
The Relationship of Painting and Literature: A Guide to Information Sources. 1978. ART REF Z 5069 .H84
Sociology of America: A Guide to Information Sources. 1976. REF Z 7164 .S66 M37
Technology and Values in American Civilization: A Guide to Information Sources. 1980. MAIN Z 5579 .C87
Woman in America: A Guide to Information Sources. 1980. MAIN Z 7964 .U49 T45
American Humor Magazines and Comic Periodicals. 1987. REF PN 4880 .A46 1987
American Indian and Alaska Native Newspapers and Periodicals. 1984. REF PN 4883 .L57 1984
American Literary Magazines: the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. 1986. REF PS 201 .P45 A43 1986
American Literary Magazines: The Twentieth Century. 1992. REF PS 221 .A44 1992
American Mass Market Magazines. 1990. REF PN 4877 .A48 1990
Black Journals of the United States. 1982. REF & MAIN PN 4882.5 .D36
Business Journals of the United States. 1991. BUSINESS HF 5001 .C81 B978 1991
Children's Periodicals of the United States. 1984.REF, MAIN & SPECIAL PN 4878 .K39 1984
Conservative Press In Eighteenth-And Nineteenth-Century America. 1999. REF PN 4888 .C598 C66 1999
Conservative Press In Twentieth-century-Century America. 1999. REF PN 4888 .C598 C664 1999
Corporate Magazines of the United States. 1992. BUSINESS PN 4888 .E6 C67 1992
Index to City and Regional Magazines of the United States. 1989. CONREF & MAIN PN 4877 .R55 1989
Index to Southern Periodicals. 1986. CONREF PN 4893 .R5 1986
International Film, Radio, and Television Journals. 1985. MAIN Z 5784 .M9 I485 1985
International Music Journals. 1990. MUSIC REF ML 128 .P24 I6 1990
Magazines of the American South. 1986. REF PN 4893 .R54 1986
Military Periodicals. 1990. REF U 104 .U5 1990
Mystery, Detective, and Espionage Magazines. 1983. REF PN 3448 .D4 C56 1983
Popular Religious Magazines of the United States. 1995. REF PN 4888 .R4 P67 1995
Regional Interest Magazines of the United States. 1991. REF PN 4878.7 .R4 1991
Religious Periodicals of the United States: Academic and Scholarly Journals. 1986. REF PN 4888 .R4 L5 1986
Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines. 1985. REF PN 3433 .T9 1985
Trade, Industrial, and Professional Periodicals of the United States. 1994. BUSINESS HF 5351 .E49 1994
Women's Periodicals in the United Sates: Consumer Magazines. 1995. REF PN 4879 .W6 1995
Women's Periodicals in the United Sates: Social And Political Issues. 1996. REF PN4879 .W614 1996
U.S. Superintendent of Documents. Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. 1895- . GD I/R GP3.8 This work provides access to many reports and studies from all branches of the U.S. federal government. There is a fifteen volume Cumulative Subject Index and Supplement (GD I/R Z 1223 .A182) covering 19001976.
GO TO THE REFERENCE DESK (1ST FLOOR, EAST WING) FOR ASSISTANCE ON PRE-1895 FEDERAL PUBLICATIONS.
Newspaper Indexes
Indexes to Multiple Newspapers | Indexes
to Individual Newspapers | New York Times Indexes
Indexes to Multiple Newspapers
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (BETA) -- "This site allows you to search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present." As of January 2008, newspaper from the following states were available: California, District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Utah, and Virginia."
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe Provides full-text articles from newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and abroad.
Newspaper Abstracts Provides citations and abstracts (not the actual articles) from over 50 U.S. national and regional newspapers.
Newspaper Indexes/Archives/Morgues This gateway, maintained by the Library of Congress, lists print and online newspaper resources.
19th Century U.S. Newspapers |Composed of approximately 500 U.S. newspapers, published between 1800 and 1900. It includes titles from throughout the United States, including many published in what were, at the time, only territories.
Chicago Tribune Print version (1972-present): REF AI21 .C43 Newspaper Abstracts (1989--present)
Christian Science Monitor Print version (1955-present) REF AI21 .C46 Newspaper Abstracts (1989--present)
Detroit Free Press Newspaper Abstracts (1989--present)
Detroit News Print version (1978-present) REF AI21 .D4 Newspaper Abstracts (1989--present)
New Orleans Times-Picayune Print version (1972-1980) CONREF AI21 .T6 Newspaper Abstracts (1989--present)
New York Times -- considered the U.S.' "newspaper of record" since its inception in 1851. The MSU Library has a full run on microfilm from 1851 to the present. We keep the printed version until the microfilm arrives. The film is located in the first section of microfilm shelves in MICRO .
Wall Street Journal (1958-present) CONREF HG4501 .W31 ProQuest Research Library (1990-present); Newspaper Abstracts (1989--present)
Washington Post (1971-present) REF AI21 .W3 Newspaper Abstracts (1989--present)
| TIME SPAN | TITLE | TYPE OF RESOURCE | DESCRIPTION |
| 1770-1995 | Periodicals Index Online | Web-based database | A database of millions of articles published in the arts, humanities and social sciences, across more than 300 years. |
| 1838-1974 | C.R.I.S.: the Combined Retrospective Index Set to Journals in History | Print bibliography: MAIN Z6205 .C7 | Citations to articles in major scholarly historical journals. |
| 1902-1990 | Writings on American History | Print bibliography: MAIN Z1236 .W7 & Z1236 .W722a | Citations to books and articles. |
| Varies | JSTOR | Web-based database | Fulltext articles to key journals in the Arts and Sciences. Also has a powerful search engine |
| 1955-Present: | America, History & Life | Web-based database | Citations to articles, books, and dissertations on U.S. and Canadian History. |
| 1976-autumn 1990 | Recently Published Articles | Print bibliography: MAIN Z 6205 .R43 | Contains citations to articles in all areas of history, both world and U.S. |
Other Pertinent Periodical Indexes:
Abstracts of Popular Culture. (1976-1982). SPECIAL P 90 .A1 A2 Contains abstracts of the articles covered and indexes scholarly periodicals, rather than popular magazines.
Alternative Press Index. Print version (1969-1997) . REF & SPECIAL AI3 .A2 Online version (1991-present) Covers articles from radical, alternative, and left publications.
Art Index Print version (1929/32-1994 ). ART REF Z 5937 .A78 Online version (1929-1984) The major index to articles in the fields of art and architecture.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index. Print version (1977- ) MAIN Z 5937 .A7 Online version (1977-present) Organized in three parts. To find articles on a topic, look up the topic words in the Permuterm Subject Index. Then, look up the last names of the authors in the Source Index volumes. This covers articles from all disciplines in the humanities.
Ethnic NewsWatch -- "an interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) and comprehensive full text database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Designed to provide the "other side of the story," ENW titles offer additional viewpoints from those proffered by the mainstream press. Coverage begins in 1990."
Film Literature Index. Print version (1973- ). REF Z 5784 .M9 F5 Computer version (on CD-ROM Server. 1930-present) This is just resources about the cinema. See also the Film Literature Subject Guide.
Humanities Index. Print version (1974- ): CONREF AI 3 .H8 Online version (1984-present) Covers current articles from scholarly journals in literature, history, philosophy, religions, and the arts.
Index to Black Periodicals. Print version (1950- .): REF AI 3 .O4 Online version [Black Studies on Disc] Covers both popular and scholarly articles about Blacks; none published 1966-1967.
MLA International Bibliography of Books and Articles on the Modern Languages and Literatures. Print version (1921/25-): MAIN Z 1007 .M6 Online version (1963-present) The major index to material in the literature and linguistics fields. Covers 3,000 journals and series as well as relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies, and other formats.
PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service):.
Indexes articles on public policy and public affairs. It is a good index to use to find articles, some books, and key government documents on topics dealing with the intersection of life and the state (immigration policy, land policy, economic conditions, etc.). Has cumulated printed index for the period 1915-1974.
Popular Periodical Index. (1975-.) SPECIAL A13 .P76 Covers articles from popular magazines. A good source for material on popular culture.
ProQuest Research Library Contains millions of citations to article originally published in over 2,000magazines, newspapers, and journals. Roughly half of the articles are available online..
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. (1907- ). CONREF & REF AI 3 .R48 Readers' Guide covers general magazine articles on any topic since 1907. Poole's Index (shelved before the Readers' Guide) goes back into the 19th century. Use these indexes to find articles written about historical topics at the time the event occurred.
Social Sciences Citation Index. Print version (1966-1995) . MAIN Z 7161 .S65 Online version (1977-present) Similar to Arts and Humanities Citation Index (see above); covers articles in political science, sociology, economics, anthropology, some history, psychology, law, etc.
Social Sciences and Humanities Index. (1966-1974). CONREF AI 3 .I57 Covered scholarly journals in the social sciences and humanities for the period 19661974; split into Humanities Index and Social Sciences Index (see below).
Social Sciences Index. 1974- . CONREF AI 3 .S6 Covers material from scholarly journals in economic, social, and political history, as well as topics in political science, anthropology, sociology economics, education, and psychology.
Sociological Abstracts. Print version (1952/53-1996) . CONREF HM 1 .S67 Online version (1963-present) The major index to articles and conference proceedings in the sociology field.
United States Political Science Documents. (1975-1991). MAIN Z 7161 .A1 U5 Covers scholarly articles on topics in political science and American government.
Women Studies Abstracts. Printed version (1972-1999):. REF Z 7962 .W6 Expanded online version (Women's Resources International) Covers scholarly articles in the women's studies field. Cross disciplinary.
Introduction to American Studies. 3rd ed. 1998. MAIN E 169.1 .I68 Series of interdisciplinary essays, each written collaboratively by a historian and a cultural/literary critic, that examine a number of important themes and areas central to American culture.
The United States: A Companion to American Studies. 1987. MAIN E 178 .U5 1987 Essays, penned by specialists in American studies at British universities, that "open up for the newcomer to the subject broad lines of enquiry, and to point in the direction of further study".
From Sea Charts to Satellite Images: Interpreting North American History Through Maps. 1990. MAP E 179 .F84 1990
Historical gazetteer of the United States REF E154 .H45 2005
Historical Geography of the United States: A Guide to Information Sources. 1982. MAP Z 1247 .G74 1982
Maps for America: Cartographic Products of the U.S. Geological Survey and Others. 1988. MAP GA 405 .T46 1988
Scholar's Guide to Geographical Writing on the American and Canadian Past. 1993. MAIN H 31 .C514 no. 235
| TIME SPAN | TITLE | TYPE OF RESOURCE | DESCRIPTION |
| 1600-200 | Women and social movements in the United States, 1600-2000 | Web-based database | Includes documents highly specific questions and social movements. |
| 1639-1800 | Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 | Web-based database | Resource for information about every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America. It consists of more than 37,000 books, pamphlets, and broadsides. |
| 1675-1942 | North American Women's Letters and Diaries | Web-based database | Includes the immediate experiences of 1,325 women and 150,000 pages of diaries and letters. Particular care has been taken to index this material so that it can be searched more thoroughly than ever before. |
| Colonial period to early 20th century | Documenting the American South. | Web-based database | " seven digitization projects: slave narratives, first-person narratives, Southern literature, Confederate imprints, materials related to the church in the black community, and North Caroliniana. |
| "from the earliest times to 1975" | Black Thought and Culture | Web-based database | Full text of monographs, essays, articles, speeches, and interviews written by leaders within the black community |
| 1741 through the 1930s | American
Periodical Series |
|
Articles in 1,028 periodicals |
| 1789-1969 | U. S. Congressional Serial Set |
|
Congressional publications, executive branch publications
and nongovernmental publications |
| 1800-1900 | 19th Century U.S. Newspapers | Web-based database | "composed of approximately 500 U.S. newspapers, published between 1800 and 1900. It includes titles from throughout the United States, including many published in what were, at the time, only territories." |
| 1820-1945 | Agriculture and Rural Life in Michigan: 1820-1945 | Web-based database | References to books, pamphlets, serial publications, and
theses & dissertations related to Michigan agriculture and rural life
and published by state and local entities prior to 1946. |
| 1857-1912 | HarpWeek | Web-based database | Indexing and full text of Harper's Weekly, an important journal documenting American society and culture during the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Gilded Age. |
| 1873-present | Congressional Record | Print GOV DOCS X | Contains debates and speeches in Congress. Each volume has its own index. |
| 1890-1922 | Nineteenth Century Readers' Guide To Periodical Literature, 1890-1899, With Supplementary Indexing, 1900-1922 | Print index: REF AI3 .R47 | Citations to articles in popular magazines |
| 1900-current | Readers' Guide To Periodical Literature. | Print index: REF AI3 .R48 | Citations to articles in popular magazines. |
| 1850-1877 | Making
of America (U. of Michigan portion) Making of America (Cornell U. portion) |
Web-based databases | Full text of 8,000+ books & 150,000 journal articles from 19th century. You must search both databases to be comprehensive. |
| 1851-2001 | New York Times | Web-based database | Full text of complete contents of the newspaper. |
AMDOCS: Documents For The Study Of American History -- arrangement is chronological from 1400 onwards
American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digital Library -- "a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections."
American South.org -- "an on-going project undertaken at Emory University in collaboration with scholars from around the nation for the study of Southern culture. It seeks to improve access to digital resources on Southern histories and cultures by indexing metadata concerning research collections and by providing a discovery mechanism for primary resources relevant to this focused subject domain."
Biography of America -- "a telecourse and video series that presents American history as a living narrative. This series web site lets you delve further into the topics of the 26 video programs."
Center for the Study of the American South -- "The mission of the Center for the Study of the American South is to extend the historic role of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the world's premier institution for research, teaching, and public dialogue on the history, culture, and contemporary experience of the American South. The Center is the University's primary vehicle to promote initiatives in this tradition of regional service and scholarship."
Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920 -- "presents over 9,000 images, with database information, relating to the early history of advertising in the United States. The materials, drawn from the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University, provide a significant and informative perspective on the early evolution of this most ubiquitous feature of modern American business and culture."
Historical Maps Online -- published "the images of maps charting the last 400 years of historical development in Illinois and the Northwest Territory."
Picture History -- "an on-line archive of images and film footage illuminating more than 200 years of American history...Picture History is intended for the personal use of students, educators, scholars, and the general public curious about the past."
Women and Social Movement in the United States, 1600-200 -- "This Worldwide Web site is intended to serve as a resource for students and scholars of U.S. history and U.S. women's history ... The website provides learning modules in the form of mini-monographs, each of which is organized around a specific question about a single social movement. Each module contains fifteen to twenty documents that address the question"--"
|
Electronic Databases ERL - Accessible via this URL: http://www.lib.msu.edu/erl/ CD-ROM Server - Accessible through selected workstations in the Science and Social Science/Humanities Reference areas. |
|
Michigan State University Libraries Subject Guide Series No. 22 American Studies URL: http://www.lib.msu.edu/pubs/subject/su22.htm Last updated: October 5, 1998 Page editor: Michael Unsworth UNSWORTH@PILOT.MSU.EDU |