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Introduction to U.S. History II

HIST 102; Prof. C. Meyer
Guide for finding sources at the George T. Potter Library
 

February 5, 2007

Susan B. Kurzmann

skurzman@ramapo.edu

 I. Library Homepage: http://library.ramapo.edu

• Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.

II. Catalog:

Use this to find books, periodical titles (NOT articles ), government documents, reserve items, music, and movies owned by the Library. You may limit a search by language, year(s) of publication, type of material, etc. The catalog takes a short while to load.

• Searching the catalog:

• In Basic Search, use the keyword default setting for a basic search to find material, for example:
  • search for reconstruction or reconstruction and "african americans" to locate a broad range of materials the library has on these keywords
• Results will be ranked by relevance; you may then re-sort them by title, author, publish [=publication] date, or publish date descending
• When you find an appropriate title, click on the Related Records tab located at the top of a catalog record to see which Library of Congress subject headings are discussed in that particular book/DVD/periodical

OR

• Use the Subject Browse feature if you know the relevant Library of Congress (LC) subject heading, for example:

   

  • Reconstruction, (U.S. history--1865-1877)

  [name of state]--Politics and government

  African Americans--History 1863-1867

• United States--History

  • --1865-1898
  • --1901-1953
• United States--Social life and customs--1865-1918
• Art and society--United States--History--19th century
• Women--United States--History
• Cold War

[See breakdown]

OR

• Go to Advanced Search
  • The Boolean search terms are built in for your use
    • AND: you are commanding the system to search for material that addresses both terms you've entered
    • OR: you are commanding the system to search for material on either of the search terms you have entered
    • NOT: you are commanding the system to search for material on the first term you have entered and to exclude any material on the second term you have entered
  • The catalog system will provide more focused results  

Tips

1. Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
2. If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Related Records tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
3. Can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.

III. Electronic Resources

• Journal Finder: this provides information about where to find the full text of articles when available in the George T. Potter Library in print, microform, or through a full-text database. This feature also appears in many of our databases. Linked under Quick Links.

• Interlibrary Loan: allows you to borrow a book or article that the George T. Potter library does not own. There is a link from the Journal Finder screen and also under Quick Links.

Some useful Databases for your projects:

Tips

1. Use the Advanced Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results
2. Use Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) and quotation marks when running a search, for example:

"progressive era" and "gilded age"

"progressive era" or "gilded age"

3. Always check your Spelling if the database results are zero
4. Use the Subject Terms or Thesaurus link if available to find the best terms to use in a particular database

• Check the following Subject Resources linked under History:

 

• American Memory (Library of Congress)
• Searches American primary sources
• Provides access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, motion pictures, photos, and sheet music that document the American experience
  
• National Archives and Records Administration
  • An archive of public documents of all varieties and relevant topics that encompass the "American Experience," with links to related sites .
    

• See the following Subject Resources linked under Newspapers & Electronic Media

• Television News Archives: Vanderbilt University

 

• National Public Radio

• For Web searching, consult Evaluating Websites to determine if the site is authoritative enough to use in your paper

• Useful Websites

• The United States in the Progressive Era

Robert Bannister, Swarthmore College

• Gilded Age to World Power

State of Alabama Legislature

• Learn About the Gilded Age

Digital History: College of Education, University of Houston

• Gilded Age and Progressive Era Resources

Department of History, Tennessee Technological University (may also be accessed via H-Net: H-SHGAPE Internet Resources)

• PBS: American Experience

American Experience and many other PBS programs are good sources of information

V. Bibliographies and Annotated Bibliographies

• Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources for "Works Cited" citation style guidance
• Follow the examples given for the Chicago/Turabian citation style

 

• Annotated Bibliographies:

 

• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography - Cornell University Library
• Annotated Bibliographies: More Info - The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

VI. Reference Material

• The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).

• Useful reference materials for your projects:

Dictionary of American Biography	Ref E176 .D56
American Social History Since 1860	Ref Z1361 .C6 B7
Civil Rights in the United States	Ref E184 .A1 C47 2000
Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America	(Online access)
Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century	Ref E169.1 .E626 2001
Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth  Century	Ref E740.7 .E53 1996
Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations	Ref E183.7 .E53 1977
Historical Dictionary of the Gilded Age	Ref E661 .H59 2003
History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-1968	Ref E183 .S28
A Financial History of the United States	Ref HG181 .M297 2002
The Gilded Age: 1877-1896	Ref E 661 .Z99 D4
Nineteenth Century Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature	Ref Indexes (back of reference section; shelved alphabetically)
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture	Ref E169.1 .S764--print edition (Online access)
The State of the Union Messages of the Presidents: 1790-1966	Ref J81 .C66
Timetables of American History	Ref E174.5 .U75 1983
Writings on American History	Ref Z1236 .L331
Primary Sources
American Decades Primary Sources	Ref E169.1 .A471977 2004
Annals of America (volumes 10-)	Ref E173 .A793 2003
Documents of American History	Ref E173.D59 1988
Documents of American Prejudice	Ref E184.A1D64 1999
Atlases
Historical Atlas of the United States	Ref Atlas Tables G 1201 .S1 H5 2003
Mapping America's Past	Ref Atlas Tables G1201 .S1 C3 1996

Need more help? Visit or call the Reference Desk: 201.684.7574

Use QandA NJ: a 24/7 virtual chat with a reference librarian.