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Encyclopedias | Reference Books | Academic Ebooks | Primary Sources
To access electronic resources off campus, visit the links below. You will be asked to log in with your HW account.
If that does not work, view access information for each resource. (To view that document, log in to Google Drive with your HW account.)
General online Encyclopedias
The most general type of source, with a little bit of information about everything.
General encyclopedia with information and media on almost any topic. Choose a level (elementary, middle, or high) for greater understanding and less head-scratching.
The World Book Encyclopedia is a general encyclopedia that includes articles from major newspapers and magazines, multimedia links, specialized reports, primary sources, and more.
Reference Books
More specific encyclopedias and reference books, full of great articles.
This collection covers a variety of subjects, including American history, military history, pop culture and world history. Click through for a full list of titles, including The Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World and The Reformation Era.
This ebook collection covers a variety of subjects, including, art, history, law, science and more. Click through for a full list of titles, including Countries of the World and Their Leaders, Arts and Humanities Through the Eras, The Crusades Reference Library, and Supreme Court Drama: Cases That Changes America.
The Salem Press eBook collection is a great way to access the print versions you find in the reference room. Click through for a full list of titles, including the Great Lives series, the Great Events series, and more.
Collection of ebooks across academic disciplines, with a particular emphasis on history. Mostly monographs (books on specific subjects, with chapters instead of articles), but some reference books.
A digital collection of over 5,400 titles in the humanities and related social sciences. Mostly monographs (books on specific subjects, with chapters instead of articles), but some reference books.
Academic EBooks
Books on specific topics, with more detailed chapters instead of short explanatory articles.
Collection of ebooks across academic disciplines, with a particular emphasis on history.
A digital collection of over 5,400 titles in the humanities and related social sciences.
Your go-to source for leisure reading also has lots of excellent history titles! Search your topic's keywords to find great books.
Primary Sources
Primary sources are everywhere! Here are some great places to look.
GUIDE TO FINDING PRIMARY SOURCES
Guide to three different approaches to finding primary sources. You can look for:
- 1) sourcebooks (compilations of primary sources);
- 2) full works by primary authors; or
- 3) primary sources that are quoted or referenced in secondary sources.
Slideshow with examples at the bottom of the page.
PRIMARY SOURCES IN AN ONLINE SOURCEBOOK
Fordham's free online collections of primary sources, including:
PRIMARY SOURCES IN REFERENCE EBOOKS
Use the Book Index, or "Search Within Publication" (on the right-hand side of the book's page) for your topic.
An index listing that says "4: 165," for example, means it's on page 165 of volume 4. If volume 4 is dedicated to primary sources, then you've found a primary source!
Search for your topic and then skim the results looking for any of the "Defining Documents" or "Milestone Documents" titles, including:
PRIMARY SOURCES IN ACADEMIC EBOOKS
Use any of the three approaches described in the LibGuide to search these ebook collections.
Collection of ebooks across academic disciplines, with a particular emphasis on history.
A digital collection of over 5,400 titles in the humanities and related social sciences.
Your go-to source for leisure reading also has lots of excellent history titles!