Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are sources written after an event has happened. They are written based on research--not first-hand knowledge. Secondary sources can include books, book chapters, scholarly journal articles, as well as retrospectives on an event or issue in magazine and news articles.
Library Catalog
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General Databases
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window Access scholarly journals, popular periodicals, reports, books, and other information resources on a wide variety of subjects. Coverage: varies. Some full text.
- America: History & Life This link opens in a new window Explore the history and culture of North America including the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. This collection includes secondary source articles, as well as books and book reviews. Note: for world history, use Historical Abstracts. Coverage: 1935 to present. Full text.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window Explore historical and recent journals, books and images in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, with some natural science coverage. Coverage: varies - historical up to 1-5 years from current date, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Social Science Database This link opens in a new window Access scholarly journals and dissertations covering social science topics, including anthropology, addiction studies, criminology, urban studies, economics, family studies, social work, international relations, and more. Coverage: 1850 to present. Mostly full text.
Subject Specific Databases
- GenderWatch This link opens in a new window Explore the evolution of the women's movement, men's studies, the transgender community, and the changes in gender roles over the years. This collection includes scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books, and reports from government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Coverage: 1970 to present. Mostly full text.
- Education Source This link opens in a new window Access education-related journals, books, conference papers and citations for articles including book reviews, spanning all levels of education from early childhood to higher education. This collection spans a variety of educational specialties as well, such as multilingual education, health education and testing. A collection of videos covering remote learning and virtual classrooms, best practices in online pedagogy, e-learning software reviews, and more, is also included. Coverage: 20th century to present. Full text; Jumpstart searchable.
- ERIC (Education Resource Information Center) This link opens in a new window Access articles, reports, government documents and other unpublished sources not indexed elsewhere, on topics in education and many related fields (child development, psychology, libraries, etc). See also Education Source. Coverage: late 19th century to present. Some full text.
- Political Science Complete This link opens in a new window Access research covering comparative politics, humanitarian issues, international relations, law and legislation, and political theory. Coverage: 1960s to present. Full text.
Primary Sources
Primary sources are firsthand accounts. They are created during the time period being studied. Oral histories, memoirs, or autobiographies created after the event by people who lived during the time being studied can also be primary sources, since they are firsthand accounts.
Historical Newspapers and Magazines
- African American Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window Explore a cross-searchable collection of historical content from leading African-American Newspapers. Titles included are: Atlanta Daily World (1931-2010), Chicago Defender (1910-1975), New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993), Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2010), and Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988). Coverage: 1893-2010, but varies by title; contains primary sources. Full text. This purchase was made possible in part through a bequest of Eleanor Cogan (Honorary Doctor of Liberal Arts, 2003), library volunteer and longtime friend of the college.
- EBSCO Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window Access the magazine archives of Architectural Digest, The Atlantic, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Ebony, Esquire, Forbes, Fortune, Jet, Life, Maclean's, People, Sports Illustrated, Time, U.S. News & World Report and Vanity Fair. Coverage: 1857-2015 (varies by title), contains primary sources. Full text. The Ebony archive and Jet archive are, in part, gifts of the Mary Moser Memorial Library Fund.
- Ethnic News Watch This link opens in a new window Access news, culture and history from publications of the ethnic, minority, and native press. Coverage: 1950 to present. Mostly full text.
- Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window Access historical articles and images from the American Hebrew & Jewish Messenger; American Israelite; Atlanta Constitution; Atlanta Daily World; Baltimore Afro-American; Boston Globe; Chicago Defender; Chicago Tribune; Chinese Newspapers Collection; Guardian & Observer; Jewish Advocate; Jewish Exponent; Los Angeles Times; New York Amsterdam News; New York Times; Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadelphia Tribune; Pittsburgh Courier; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Wall Street Journal; and Washington Post. Coverage: varies by paper ranging from 1791-2018, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Independent Voices This link opens in a new window Access magazines, journals, and newspapers of alternative press archives. Collections include Black American, Campus Underground, Feminist, GI Press, LGBT, Latino, Little (literary) Magazine, Native American and Right-Wing publications. Coverage: second half of 20th century, contains primary sources. Full text.
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- Readers' Guide Full Text This link opens in a new window Search for articles in the popular press (magazines, news magazines, general interest periodicals), on topics including art, business, computers, dance, drama, education, entertainment, fashion, film & television, food, health & medicine, history, literature, news & current events, photography, popular & classical music, politics, popular culture, religion, science, sports & fitness, transportation, and travel. Coverage: 1890-1982. Some full text.
Digital Archives
- Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century (History Vault) This link opens in a new windowIncludes papers of:
Papers of Bayard Rustin
A. Philip Randolph
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Congress of Racial Equality
Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee
NAACP
- Fannie Lou Hamer: Papers of a Civil Rights Activist, Political Activist & Woman (Archives Unbound) This link opens in a new window Access correspondence, financial records, programs, photographs, news articles, and invitations related to the personal life and organizations of Fannie Lou Hamer, voting rights activist and civil rights leader. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1966-1978, contains primary sources. Full text.
- NAACP Papers (History Vault) This link opens in a new window Access primary sources that document the organization and major campaigns of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This collection covers topics such as education, voting, court cases, lynching, segregation, employment, housing and discrimination complaints, among others. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via History Vault. Coverage: 1910s-1970s, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Race Relations in America This link opens in a new window Access documents relating to three pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights. This collection includes speeches, reports, surveys, and analyses produced by the Race Relations Department's staff and Institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall. Coverage: 1943-1970, contains primary sources. Full text.
- Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives, 1960 to 1974 This link opens in a new window Access diaries, letters, autobiographies and other memoirs, written and oral histories, manifestos, government documents, memorabilia, and scholarly commentary from/about 1960s America. Themes include arts, music, culture; civil rights; counter-culture; law & government; technology; student activism; the Vietnam War, and more. Coverage: 1960-1974, contains primary sources. Full text.