History

Librarians at Schaffner Library on the Chicago campus have compiled the following list of History resources that can be obtained from the Schaffner Library print collection or accessed remotely through one of the computers at Schaffner Library (or from your home). These resources are designed to answer basic questions in History as well as serve as a jumping off point for further research. The journals listed here contain some of the most current research in the field.

Materials from the Main Library in Evanston can also be obtained for your use. You can either come to Schaffner and fill out a Book Request Form or an Article Request Form, or you can use the online forms from Schaffner’s Web site at http://www.library.northwestern.edu/schaffner/book.html (for book requests) and http://www.library.northwestern.edu/schaffner/article.html (for article requests).

GENERAL DATABASES

Academic Search Premier
This multidisciplinary database provides citations and abstracts from nearly 2,900 scholarly journals, as well as full text access to over 1,200 journals. Users can search in a number of ways including, author, title, subject, geographic terms, company entity, journal name, and ISBN. The advanced search feature lets you narrow your search down to type of publication, document type, or by date. Another special feature of this database is its ability to search for images.

Credo Reference
Users can search hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference sources simultaneously on a wide variety of topics.

Expanded Academic ASAP
Covering current affairs, humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences, this database has citations, abstracts, and some full text from over 1,000 periodicals, including some popular magazines such as People, Time, and Newsweek. Searching can be done by subject and subject subdivisions, as well as by keyword and journal title.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
This resource allows users to simultaneously search online encyclopedias of business, education, history, medicine, religion, and social science.

JSTOR
JSTOR offers historical access to back runs of core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, most going back to a journal’s first issue. Users can search by keyword, limiting their search to journals in a particular field, by author or by journal. JSTOR users can also limit their search to articles, reviews, opinion pieces, or other materials.

Oxford Reference Online
This resource contains over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press. All are fully indexed and cross-searchable.

PCI Full Text
PCI provides complete historical coverage of selected journals in the humanities and the social sciences from 1770-1995. Many of the journals PCI provides access to are no longer published. In addition to English, this database also provides access to articles in a number of Western European languages. Users can search by keyword, article title, author, journal title, language, and journal subject.

Web of Science
Despite its name, Web of Science is a database of citations to arts & humanities, social sciences, and sciences articles. Users can search by topic, author, journal title, or cited reference. The database also provides access to the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and the Sciences Citation Index. These indexes allow users to search for references within articles.

Wilson Select Full Text Plus
This database has citations, abstracts, and full text articles from a number of scholarly and non-scholarly periodicals in the humanities, social sciences, general sciences, and business. Users can search by keyword, subject, author, and title. They can also limit searches to articles, reviews, and literature. Wilson Select Full Text Plus also provides access to non-English language publications. Finally, users can limit their search to items that are provided full text or items that are held in the Northwestern University Library collection.

HISTORY DATABASES

19th Century Masterfile
This database allows users to search a number of 19th century periodical indexes including Index to Legal Periodical Literature and Index to Periodicals. There are also ways to search indexes of 19th century monographs and United States and British government documents.

America: History and Life
Coming from over 2,100 journals and 40 languages, this database has citations and abstracts to articles about the history of the United States and Canada. Also included are citations and abstracts of dissertations on United States and Canadian history.

American National Biography
The online version of the reference work contains biographies of men and women who shaped American history.

Early American Newspapers
This database contains the full text to over 150 newspapers from the early part of U.S. history. Users can search by keyword in either the full text or the headline and limit their searches to a particular type of material or to a particular newspaper.

Gerritsen Collection: Women's History Online, 1543-1945
This database is a resource for researching the evolution of feminist consciousness and the women’s movement. The database covers four centuries and 15 languages. Users can search by keyword, author, book or article title, language, or year of publication.

Historical Abstracts
Covering world history, excluding the United States and Canada, this database has citations and abstracts from over 2,100 journals in 50 languages. Also included are citations and abstracts to dissertations and book reviews.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The online version of this reference work contains biographies for more than 50,000 people who have left their mark on British history.

BOOKS

The following are a selection of general print resources available at Schaffner Library. However, Schaffner can obtain books from the Main Library in Evanston. Patrons need to fill out the “Book Request Form” available in the Schaffner Library or on the Schaffner Library Web site.

Concise Dictionary of American History
Call Number: L 973 A214c 1983
Reference Collection
The alphabetical listings in this reference work cover social, political, and cultural history in America.

Encyclopedia of Chicago
Call Number: 977.311 E56
Reference Collection
Put together by the Newberry Library and the Chicago Historical Society, this single volume encyclopedia is made up of short entries about Chicago neighborhoods, important Chicagoans, and how Chicago affected and was affected by national issues. Each signed entry includes a brief bibliography. Also included is a biographical dictionary and Chicago metropolitan population information over several decades.

Encyclopedia of European Social History from 1350-2000
Call Number: 306.09403 E56
Reference Collection
This six-volume set examines the values, ideas, and social and political movements of the people of Europe. Volume six is made up of biographies and an index.

Europe: A History
Call Number: 940 D256e
Circulating Collection
This compact book examines the history of all of Europe from the Ice Age to the late 20th century.

History Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide
Call Number: 909.8 H6736
Reference Collection
This title examines ethnic, religious, political, territorial, and economic conflicts between nations today.

A History of Europe
Call Number: 940 R645h
Circulating Collection
This history, beginning in the Paleolithic period, looks at the development of European identity, with a particular focus on the 20th century.

A History of the Ancient World
Call Number: 930 S796h 1983
Circulating Collection
Examining the ancient world from prehistory to 5th century Greece, the author focuses on both Eastern and Western civilizations.

Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide
Call Number: 016.9 F919r 2004
Reference Collection
This book length bibliography is divided by type of material such as bibliography, newspapers, and government publication. These categories are further broken down by subject area. The materials listed in this title are the major reference works for a particular are of study.

A World History
Call Number: 909 M169w 1979
Circulating Collection
An examination of the effect of communication, culture, and geography on the development of history makes up this general text about world history.

EBOOKS

The Oxford Companion to United States History
This encyclopedia looks at American history in a number of different areas, including political, diplomatic, and military history, as well as social phenomena such as religion, science, and social history. The work covers early American history up to the Clinton presidency.

The Great American History Fact-Finder
Providing brief entries on people and events in American history, arranged alphabetically, this work looks at political and social history.

A-Z of Modern Europe Since 1789
Excluding the British Isles, this reference work aims to provide information about European political history since the French Revolution. Organized alphabetically, users can obtain information about significant events and people of this time period.

Andromeda Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History
With more than 3,500 entries, this reference work covers all historical periods and six continents. The book is made up of entries about people, periods, and events.

Atlas of World History
This atlas allows users to trace the history of a particular region through time or examine a number of different areas at a particular point in history. Essays about the region and each period accompany the maps.

SERIALS

The following serials are merely a selection of journals available online. The Main Library has print copies of numerous other historical journals. Copies of articles can be obtained using the “Article Request Form” in the Schaffner Library or available on the Schaffner Web site.

The American Historical Review
This major historical journal publishes articles primarily about Western Europe and the United States, but does publish articles about Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Current issues are available at the link above, while past issues are available through JSTOR.

The Historical Journal
This journal publishes articles about British, European, and world history since the 15th century. Also included are book reviews. Current issues are available through the above link while older issues are available through JSTOR.