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Online Databases and Websites
in History and Political Science 

Citation Guides - correct format for proper documentation
Databases - scholarly materials, citation indexes and full text
E Books - use free electronic texts when you can't find the printed book 
Historical Documents - links from our Government portal Web page
Quick Reference - quality, credible, and timely reference resources -mostly all are free Specialized Search Engines - gateway sites, specialized search engines, Web portals
Web Directories - subject guides to selective and carefully chosen sites on the Web  
Web Resources - selected list of free sites; includes some US government sites

Web Search in a Nutshell - getting started in library research
 

Subscription Databases Available Only to the WSC Community:

    Public Affairs International.  Public affairs and worlds issues with coverage from 1972 to the present. An index to over 1/2 million articles, books, government documents, Internet sites and documents from more than 120 countries. Obviously useful for global issues such as affirmative action, AIDS, ethnicity, climate change, political persecution, women's rights, war and conflict, etc.  

     Academic Search Complete.   Indexes both popular and academic periodicals in all subject areas, including many related disciplines in history and politics. Search Tips (PDF)
 

Academic One File    indexes peer-reviewed, full text articles available in HTML or PDF formats from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Also has full text New York Times content back to 1995, hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from radio and television broadcasts. Search Tips (PDF)
 Funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the six Massachusetts Regional Library Systems.

Gale Virtual Reference Library. Available through InfoTrac. Contains full text of several standard reference works:

• Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security 3 volumes (2004)
• Encyclopedia of Modern Asia (2002) 6 volumes
• History Behind the Headlines [world conflicts] (2001) 6 volumes
• Industrial Revolution Reference Library (2003) 4 volumes
• Renaissance: an encyclopedia (2004) 4 volumes
• St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture (2000) 5 volumes
• Encyclopedia of Population (2003) 2 volumes
   

Lexis-Nexis Academic   Full text for over 6,000 individual titles of international, national and local newspapers and wire services; radio and television transcripts; and business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters. There is wide geographic coverage and translations from foreign-language sources, as well as news services.  Funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the six Massachusetts Regional Library Systems.
 

Other Web Resources - selective list of free sites

•   American Memory.- Historical Collections. A "virtual" treasure trove for American history researchers. Includes earliest movies and sound recordings; maps; photos; and papers of 23 Presidents. Also, fragile and rare items such as a circa 1847 daguerreotype of Abraham Lincoln, turn of the century films of New York City street scenes, etc. Over 7 million reproduced, primary sources.  
• Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. As part of the world's largest museum collection, the Smithsonian's online databases of its libraries and archives provides site users with access to an extensive collection of information, exhibitions, articles and research papers that are part of the Smithsonian Institute. A separate site is available for American History.
• For more government resources (including federal, state, local as well as  international), try our Government Resources Page for links to sites such as Thomas (Congressional information) and thousands of other full text government publications available online.
• Census Atlas of the United States - with more than 700 full-color maps, this is the first general population and housing statistical atlas published by the Census Bureau since 1925!

•    Encyclopedia of World History - The 6th edition represents a substantial revision from previous editions, as it reflects the growing body of knowledge about the histories of regions outside of Western Europe and North America. Accompanied by a number of maps. Users can use the search engine or browse the table of contents.
•    History Channel. Any subject, any time period. A full range of text, video and audio resources covering a vast collection of topics explored through the television programs.
• American Presidents Life Portraits- basic biographical information and facts. Wide variety of video and sound clips, texts of speeches, extensive bibliographies, links to other sites.
• American Family Immigration History Center - archival information on over 22 million people who entered the US through Ellis Island between 1892 -1924.
• Amnesty International - and their annual reports
• Animated Atlas - excellent audio and visual resources for teachers and students of European and American history. Commercial site but has a number of free previews as well as a list of American history sites and primary sources on the Web.
• Best of History Web Sites - recommended by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774- present
• Constitution Finder - pull-down index to over 200 countries ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Offers constitutions, charters, amendments, and other related documents;  constitutions are offered in original languages and English.
• Constitutions of the World - 
• CNN All Politics - breaking news, searchable index to past stories, video and audio
• Digital Commonwealth - Portal indexing over 11,000 digital objects, including photographs, documents, and sound files from over 84 separate collections held by 25 separate libraries, museums and historical societies in Massachusetts.
• Digital History - Developed in collaboration with the University of Houston, the Chicago Historical Society, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston the site includes an online American history textbook, an interactive timeline, a multimedia section, and a very rich selection of primary source materials; writing guide area containing essays on how to write for a history class and how to compose a critical book review.
• Europa - provides up-to-date coverage of European Union affairs; all legislation currently in force or under discussion, access the websites of each of the EU institutions
• Gallup Polls Online - up-to-date, easy to use, key trends and indicators
• Governments on the WWW -
• Historical United States Census Data - population and economy of US states and the country from 1790 to 1960
• In the First Person - Index to Letters, Diaries, Oral Histories, and Other Personal Narratives. From Alexander Street Press; links to freely available full text on the Web. People from all walks of life alongside those of well-published and famous.
• National Security Archive - world's largest non-governmental archive of declassified documents
• Project Vote Smart - non-partisan group that provides information about elected officials and political candidates on the state and national level
• Roper Center for Public Opinion Research -
• Rulers - heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders not occupying either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700
• World Factbook - produced by the CIA; background material for 267 countries; reference maps
• World History Today - 20 years of the history magazine online; also current news
• WWW Virtual Library of International Affairs - 2,600 annotated links to quality sources of information, mostly in English. Includes Starter Tips for Internet Research, links to maps, organizations, regions and countries, topics.

Gateway Sites

These are directory sites that link you to other sites. They are guides prepared by individuals and have only filtered, evaluated links.

• H-Net - an international interdisciplinary organization of scholars and teachers dedicated to developing the enormous educational potential of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
• History Meta sites - from Syracuse University Library; connect to sites by era (medieval, etc.) or geographic area (Africa, Asia, etc.), and related disciplines (art history, military...).
• Internet Modern History Sourcebook - maintained at Fordham University; all fields of historical inquiry from 1500 to the present.
• The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies - maintained by Georgetown University; primary resource materials as well as secondary teaching resources; searchable.
• Portals to the World- links to electronic resources from around the world selected by Library of Congress subject specialists. Arranged by country, then sorted by a wide range of categories from culture, statistics, health, and organizations to specialized search engines.
• WWW Virtual Library for History. Connect to sites by topic or era such as early modern history, film history, Medieval studies, Women's studies, etc. Also access by region including Dutch history, Canadian history, Egyptology, German history, Russian history, and so on.
• World History Compass - links to history sites worldwide. 
• Yahoo's History Categories. Newly redesigned with over 27,000 sites listed. Links arranged by region, subject and time period, and related sites such as archaeology, living history, maps, museums, U.S. history, and Web directories.

Web Directories

There are excellent subject directories on the web. that can point you to the best online resources in specific areas of history. These human guides to the Internet are a great way to find the best of the Web, and often find sites that can't be accessed by search engines. The best ones to use for scholarly material are:

• Librarians Internet Index - Provides a well-organized point of access for reliable, trustworthy, librarian-selected Internet resources. Covers a broad range of subjects, has both a topical directory arrangement and search capabilities.
• InfoMine - Virtual library of scholarly Internet resources. Features well organized access; notable for its collection of annotated and indexed links.
• Academic Info - gateway to freely available academic resources on the web, with annotated entries. General links, related topics, in the news sections.

More subject directories on the web

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