Reference Sources
(All reference sources are located on Floor 2.)
1. Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century.
Reference E 169.1 .E626 2001
2. American Eras:
Development of a Nation , 1783-1815. (Volume 3)
The Reform Era and Eastern U.S. Development, 1815-1850. (Volume 4)
Reference E 169.1 .A471979 1997
3. Encyclopedia of the Antebellum South.
Reference F 213 .V65 2000
4. Encyclopedia of American Social History.
Reference HN 57 .E58 1993
5. Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History.
Reference E 169.1 .E624 2001
6. The Louisiana Purchase: A Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia.
Reference E 333 .L69 2002
7. Encyclopedia of the War of 1812.
Reference E 354 .H46 1977
8. The United States and Mexico at War: 19th Century Expansionism and Conflict.
Reference E 404 .U66 1998
9. Dictionary of American History.
Reference E 174 .D52 2003
10. Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History.
Reference E 185 .E53 1996
11. Encyclopedia of North American Indians.
Reference E 76.2 .E53 1996
12. Great American Women of the 19th Century: A Biographical Encyclopedia.
Reference CT 3260 .A4725 2005
Online Catalog
To search for books, click on “find books and other materials” on the Milner Library Website. The Online Catalog search screen will appear. The “Advanced Search” allows you to combine terms to find the specific materials needed. The “Quick Search” (with any word, start of title and browse searching) is also available.
If you are working from a bibliography, using the “Advanced Search”, type in the author’s last name and the title of the book to see if Milner Library has the book you need. The “Quick Search -- Author” may also be useful for finding books written by a specific person.
For searching by subject, use “Advanced Search -- Subject Words” or the “Quick Search -- Subject” If you find very few or no books using the subject searches, try the “Advanced Search – Any Words” or the “Quick Search -- Any Word Anywhere” search.
To locate primary sources, use subheadings such as Sources, Personal narratives, Correspondence, Diaries, etc.
The My Account link in the Online Catalog show items checked out, request information, fines and fees, and offers online renewal of books.
For materials not available in Milner Library, use the I-Share link to search other libraries. Use the Request function to have books sent to Milner from other libraries.
Databases and Article Indexes
To locate journal articles on your topic, first use an online database. Milner Library has several databases that provide access to articles in scholarly journals. To search any of the online databases, click on "find articles on your topic" on the Milner Library Website.
Under "Databases by subject", click on the down arrow to view the list of subject areas.
Scroll down the list until you find History or a related subject; click on the subject to view a list of databases.
Under "Databases by title", click on the down arrow to view the list of databases and indexes. Scroll through the list to find the database you need; click on the title to enter the database and begin searching. The sources listed below are good places to begin your research.
1. America History and Life.
The major index to journal articles on United States and Canadian history.
2. Historical Abstracts
The major index to journal articles on world history.
3. JSTOR.
Full text database of articles from journals in the humanities and social sciences.
Covers earlier years of selected journals, but not the most recent years.
4. Project Muse.
Provides full text access to scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences.
Most current years are covered; some journals include 5-10 years of earlier issues.
5. Social Sciences Abstracts.
Covers journals in political science, sociology, anthropology, geography, economics, etc.
6. Humanities Abstracts.
Covers archaeology, folklore, history, literature, philosophy, religion, etc.
7. Poole's Index to Periodical Literature. (1802-1906).
Reference AI 3 .P7 - Floor 2.
Index to 19th century periodicals.
Depending on your topic, other databases may be useful. Check the list of databases under
"find articles on your topic". To search multiple databases at the same time, use Search It.
Locating Journals
The
Find It link is available in most databases. Click on this link for full text access and to search for a journal in the Online Catalog.
To determine if a journal is available online in full text or in print form in Milner Library, go to the "
find articles on your topic" page. Under
Online journals, magazines and newspapers, click on
Find It. A
“Find e-Journal” page will appear; type in the name of your journal and click on
Go. The “
Find e-Journal” screen also has subject searching, advanced search and citation linker.
Examples of Primary Sources
American Periodical Series Online, 1741-1900
American popular and professional periodicals, over 1,000 titles in all, covering a wide range of subjects. Provides citations and full text.
HarpWeek, 1857-1912
Harper's Weekly, a primary resource for examining 19th Century America
Provides full text.
New American State Papers, 1789-1838. J 33 .N4. . . Floor 4
Slavery Source Materials: books and pamphlets written before the Civil War by and about slavery and anti-slavery. Microfiche E 449 .S63 1970 Floor 4; Guide on Floor 2.
Early American Imprints, 1801-1819. Microfiche Z 1221 .E37 - Floor 4
Collection of several thousand books, pamphlets & periodicals print in the U.S.
Early American Imprint records are available in the Online Catalog.
American Culture Series I and II. Microfilm E 169.1 .A47 1974 - Floor 4
A collection of some 5500 books and pamphlets from the colonial period to 1875.
American Culture Series records are available in the Online Catalog.
Newspapers
Newspapers may be a very useful source for historical material. Milner Library has some historical newspapers on microfilm. The microfilm for most newspapers is located on Floor 2 in the northeast corner. Microfilm of newspapers may also be borrowed from other libraries through InterLibrary Loan. Examples:
1. New York Times. 1851 - present.
To search the New York Times archive online go to: http://www.nyt.com.
Citations for articles & first paragraph of articles are available.
2. Chicago Tribune. 1845 - present.
Chicago Tribune Online. 1985 - present.
Historical Chicago Tribune. 1849 - 1985.
3. Illinois State Journal (Springfield) -- 1836 - 1974.
4. Early American Newspapers. Microprint and Microfilm - Floor 4
List of newspapers by state and city available at: http://www.lib.uconn.edu/print/collections/microform/ean.pdf
5. Google News Archive.
Provides online indexing and some full text for historic American newspapers.
InterLibrary Loan
In addition to the
Request function in the
Online Catalog, Milner Library also offers
InterLibrary Loan services through the
ILLIAD system. A link to
InterLibrary Loan is available on the Milner Library web site. Login in to the
ILLIAD system with your ULID and password. New users will need to establish an account within
ILLIAD.
ILLIAD allows for article and book requesting, as well as reviewing past requests and accessing articles received electronically.
Vanette Schwartz
Milner Library 416
Phone: 438-3486
E-mail: vmschwa@ilstu.edu
