This is a fantastic source for historical research with full-text online access to over 1,000,000 books, and citations to over 20,000,000 other sources. This is a project of the Internet Archives and is funded in part by a grant from the California State Library. Click on the following link to access a world of open source materials. Happy Hunting!
Comprehensive catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide. Displays library holdings for libraries in the U.S. and worldwide. Includes a direct link for interlibrary loan via Tipasa. Coverage: Approximately 3400 BCE - present.
Secondary sources are documents based upon or derived from primary sources. There are many examples of secondary sources, including books which summarize previous research, or interpret or analyze primary sources. Books are an ESSENTIAL element in the research process.
An excellent place to begin to look for books is our ONLINE CATALOG. Most books have threads which lead to other sources. These threads are called bibliographies and notes [footnotes, chapter notes, or end notes]. Following these threads is so vital in the research process. Finding the books which an author has cited can be a difficult process, but it does not have to be. Here are some tips to finding those book threads.
Hardly any library has every book which a researcher might want. After an ONLINE CATALOG search fails to find a book, there are other local, state, and national options which can be found with the OTHER LIBRARIES link. You might not even care who owns a book, so in most cases doing an INTERLIBRARY LOAN from another library is a best option. Allow the library staff to decide where to get the book. You have enough issues in developing a research strategy, writing drafts, etc. Let the library staff do some of the book finding for you. The library staff will use such tools as the bibliographic database WORLDCAT to find which library owns what you need.
Books are cool! Use them to your best advantage. Allow the library staff to help!
