HIST 4004: Research Tools

HIST 4004: America in the Nuclear Age
Research Tools

= especially valuable sources for this course

= available only through VT Library website (you'll need to use the "Off Campus Sign In Link" to access these when not on campus)

I. Manuscripts

Virginia Heritage Database
A union database of finding aids to archival and manuscript collections in 20 Virginia repositories.

National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections
NUCMUC is a cooperative cataloging project that began in 1959 and the single best source for locating archival collections. From 1960 to 1993, NUCMUC was produced as printed volumes (see Newman Reference Z6620.U5 N3). Since that time, many of the records have been incorporated into WorldCat (below).

Digital Library and Archives, University Libraries, Virginia Tech
Digitized images and finding aids for material held in Special Collections, including manuscript collections, rare books, and the University Archives. You can also directly access the webpage of the Special Collections Department at: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/

Presidential Libraries
Each of the modern U.S. presidents has an official library, and their websites often contain official documents relevant to that particular administration. You can locate the URL for each of these libraries by searching under the name of the president and adding the words "presidential library" in Google or another search engine (e.g., Truman Presidential Library).

II. Books

Addison
Newman Library catalog. Only includes books held in this library.

WorldCat
Bibliographic records for books, journal runs, newspapers, sound recording, and videos collected and catlogued by libraries around the world. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link. To obtain a book or other item listed here but not in Newman Library, request an interlibrary loan.

Amazon
World's largest online bookseller. Can be useful for locating relatively recent books on a given subject, especially if you already have citations to one or two to start with. Follow the "Explore Similar Items in Books" link.

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Citations to journal articles, books, book reviews, and dissertations. Coverage back to 1975. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

Foreign Relations of the United States
The Foreign Relations of the United States is the official documentary historical record of U.S. foreign policy decisions and initiatives that have been declassified and edited for publication. The State Department's Office of the Historian produces the series. Volumes up to 1960 are available at this website, which is the University of Wisconsim maintains. The State Department also maintains a website with select volumes from the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Print versions of the Foreign Relations of the United States are available in Newman Library.

III. Newspapers and Periodicals

Online Primary Sources:

Proquest Historical Periodicals
Digitized images of newspapers (including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune and over a 1,000 periodicals (1749-ca.1900). Can search for particular articles or browse individual issues. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922
Digitized reproductions of more than 1,000 newspapers, including examples from all 50 states. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link. This one may disappear soon.

Times Digital Archive
Every page as published from 1785-1985 of The Times (London), widely considered the "world's newspaper of record." Covers all major international historical events from the French Revolution to the Falkland War. Search the full-text of the entire newspaper, including articles, editorials and advertising. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

Making of America: Cornell Site; University of Michigan Site
Digitized images of nineteenth-century books and periodicals (ca. 9,500 books and 100,000 journal articles). Note that there are two different sites that have to be searched separately. These are also accessible through the Library of Congress American Memory Project website (discussed below).

Newspaper Index (Local Newspapers)
Covers Virginia Tech, southwest Virginia, and the New River Valley, from the Roanoke Times and World News (1965-93), the News Messenger (1963-98); the Collegiate Times (1970-98), the Virginia Tech Spectrum (1978-95).

Print Primary Sources (available in the Reference Collection, Newman Library, 2nd floor):
To obtain copies of the articles you find cited in these sources, first check the Ejournals link on the library homepage. If the particularly periodical or issue you need is not listed there or if you are looking for a newspaper article, check under name of the periodical or newspaper in Addison to find library holdings and location.

Reader’s Guide Retrospective
Indexes American popular magazines from 1900-present. This is an especially valuable resource for social and cultural history topics. Links are available to online versions of some articles; others must be retrieved from the library. Also available in print form: Ref AI3 R48. Warning: This one does not search actual articles, but only authors, titles, and subjects, so you will have to be extra careful when searching.

Poole’s Index to Periodical Literature
Indexes Anglo-American popular magazines from 1802-1906. Ref AI3 P7.

New York Times Index
Indexes from 1851 to present. Largely superseded by Proquest Newspaper Index, but this can still be useful (for example, it lists groups articles on a particular subject together and often includes abstracts). Ref AI21 N4.

Secondary Sources:

JSTOR
Archival collection of scholarly journals in electronic format, mostly 20th century, but some titles date back to the 19th century. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

America: History and Life
Indexes 2100 scholarly journals covering the history of the United States and Canada from prehistoric times to the present. Some citations include links to online versions of the article. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

Historical Abstracts
Indexes 2100 scholarly journals covering world history from 1450 to the present. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

ArticleFirst
Indexes 16,000 scholarly journals from 1990 to present. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

IV. Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Answers.com
Free, advertising-supported site. Draws from over 60 titles from brand-name publishers and its own content. Some of the material may not be peer-reviewed.

Wikipedia: The Free Online Encyclopedia
Contains over 1 million articles on a wide variety of subjects. Must be used with care as anyone can submit material to the site.

Oxford Reference Premium
More than 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press, including Oxford "Companions" subject encyclopedias. Nearly one million entries. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

Encyclopedia Britannica
Full-text, online version of this standard reference source. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
A database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

Oxford English Dictionary
The authority on the development of the English language. Contains over 1/2 million words, and traces meaning, history, and pronunciation. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

VI. Oral History

Oral History Online
Comprehensive index of oral history collections in English, this database provides access to full text, audio, video, or bibliographic citations 7,000+ interviews from all over the world, in thousands of subjects. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

VII. Historical Census Statistics

Historical Statistics of the United States: Millenial Edition Online
Includes statistical data, often long runs of data, on economics, government, demography, education, law, natural resources, religion, and trade. Data can be downloaded to spreadsheets, printed, and graphed. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link.

VIII. Miscellaneous Collections

Library of Congress American Memory Project
American Memory is a gateway to the Library of Congress’s vast resources of digitized American historical materials. Comprising more than 9 million items that document U.S. history and culture, American Memory is organized into more than 100 thematic collections based on their original format, their subject matter, or who first created, assembled, or donated them to the Library. The original formats include manuscripts, prints, photographs, posters, maps, sound recordings, motion pictures, books, pamphlets, and sheet music.
CONELRAD: All Things Atomic | The Golden Age of Homeland Security
CONERLRAD is a marvelous site devoted to Atomic Culture past and present, including songs, movies, television shows, radio programs, public service announcements, and the like. This is an excellent site for gathering data on the culture of the bomb, but it's a bit difficult to navigate through. Relatively few primary sources are available on this site.

ASLOS Library
This digital library provides an annotated bibliography of over 2,000 books, articles, films, CDs, and websites about a broad range of nuclear issues. Useful site, though the search interface isn't as helpful as it might be.

Nevada Test Site Oral History Project
Includes interviews with more than 150 people involved with or directly affected by the the testing of nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site, including national laboratory scientists and engineers; labor trades and support personnel; cabinet-level officials, military personnel & corporate executives; Native American tribal and spiritual leaders; peace activists and protesters; Nevada ranchers, families, and communities downwind of the test site.

NUCLEARFILES.org
Includes a useful timeline and numerous primary sources related to the development and use of nuclear weapons.

atomicarchive.com
An website that explores the science and history of nuclear weapons. Includes a few online documents and a useful timeline, but most of the coverage is not very in depth. Might be useful as a reference source.

Women and Social Movements in the United States: 1600-2000
Books, images, documents, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies addressing the multiplicity of women’s reform activities from Colonial times to the present. The contents are organized as "document projects" collections of primary documents addressing broad topics in US women's history. Available by searching "Find a database by title" window on library homepage. If you are accessing from off campus, use the "Off Campus Sign In" link to use the prozy server.

WWW.history
Listings, reviews, and annotations for more than 800 websites that are useful for teaching and researching American history.

Ad*Access
Presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II.

History Research Resources, University Libraries, Virginia Tech
Site maintained by Bruce Pencek. Gateway to numerous websites, with ratings.