There are times when a database will find the articles you are searching for in both PDF and HTML format. Always choose the PDF. Articles in any data-supported field usually have graphs and charts in them. HTML does not give you these in the format the author wants you to see them in.

Using one of the databases listed under the Databases tab, go to Advanced Search. This is the  best way to search in these or other databases. An advanced search allows you to control your search terms and do a better, more controlled and in-depth search. Search by the author or subject or geographical term you find best. Combining them using the terms offered, AND, OR, and NOT, can narrow or widen your search depending upon the results you get.

Key in a search term or two, or an author’s name and click on the search button. If you get too many hits, try adding a keyword (maybe words from the title of a specific work) that might narrow your subject down. Adding the phrase “United States” in quotation marks will often help narrow down the results of a search.

Historical Abstracts is a database that covers  the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and more. It uses only the most general of subject headings, but offers very detailed abstracts (a description of the article). So, in Historical Abstracts, in the advanced search function, your main focus should be a keyword search. You can limit your searches by adding very general search terms, like location names, as subjects. You can also limit your searches by date range in the boxes marked “Historical Period from”.

If you’re searching a citation database like Historical Abstracts, you’ll need to see if the library subscribes to the journal the article you want is in. Open up another window to our homepage and click on our Journals link (icon to the right). Type in the title of the journal, click on the Search button and then click on the links (if any) listed below.

If we do not subscribe to the journal you’re looking for, use ILLiad to request the article.

For more information on ILLiad, and to set up your account, click here. Once your account is set up, you can automatically populate the article request form from EBSCO databases – just click on the button. From other databases, or from citations you find in printed sources, type in the information.

If you know the title of a book or the author's name (last name, first name), try searching those in our catalog Felix or ConnectNY.

If you're looking to see what we have in a particular subject area, choose either a Keyword or an Advanced Keyword search. Key in one or two search terms that describe what you're looking for. As you look down the resulting list of titles, choose one that looks like it is about the subject you're researching.

As you look at the record that describes the book you picked, scroll down until you come to the subject headings assigned to that book. Every book (except some works of fiction) is assigned one or more subject headings in a controlled vocabulary developed by the Library of Congress. Each of these headings is a link. If you click on the subject heading that best describes your research, you'll get a list of all the subject headings used in our catalog that alphabetically surround the one you clicked on. The one you chose will be in the middle of this list. You can either click on that subject heading, or you can take a look at similar subjects. Whatever you decide to click on, you'll get a list of the titles of the books that have been described by that particular subject heading. Click on the title that you want to get the information that you need (location, call number, status) to find the book in the library.

Note any appropriate subject headings, they can be used for searches in other databases, like WorldCat and Project MUSE.

When you find a book in the catalog that you want to see, make note of its location. Books whose locations include the word Bard are here in the main library, Stevenson. We share our catalog with the Center for Curatorial Studies Library which is open to Bard students, but does not lend its books, and the library at the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture. To use the Bard Graduate Center’s library, which is located in New York City, please contact the Reader Services Librarian at (212) 501-3035 or reference@bgc.bard.edu.

 
If a book is not available in our library, or if the subject you’re researching is not adequately covered by the holdings in our library, the next place to look is in the ConnectNY catalog.

Search ConnectNY as you would our catalog. When you find a book you want: make sure the status is “Available” then click “Request this Item” choose Bard from the drop down box then key in your last name and barcode number.

The book will be delivered in two to six business days and may be picked up from  Reserves Desk on the third floor of Stevenson. You’ll be notified by e-mail. The borrowing period for these books is three weeks with one three week renewal. ConnectNY books should be returned to the Reserves Desk.

 
If a book is not in our catalog or in ConnectNY, you may request it through ILLiad, our InterLibrary Loan service.

The database that serves ILLiad is called WorldCat. WorldCat is a catalog of thousands of library catalogs, including all the major research libraries. Repeat the searches you performed in our catalog and ConnectNY. If you find a book you want to read, use our ILLiad system to request it. For more information on ILLiad, and to set up your account, click here. Once your account is set up, you can automatically populate the book request form from WorldCat – just click on the button.

The Reference Collection of the library contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks pertaining to particular subject areas, sometimes very particular subject areas. This section is organized by call numbers that mirror the call numbers in the general collection, so if you have a book in hand about a particular subject, you can go the section of the Reference Collection with a similar call number and see consult the reference works on that subject.

The Reference Collection starts on the shelves by the Rugby Field on the first floor of Stevenson and continues into Kellogg.

History related reference books are generally shelved by their geographical area and are located on the first floor in Stevenson and Kellogg:

Europe: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World
D209.E97 2004 (6 vols.)

Companion to British History
DA34.A76 2001

Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia
DA933. M43 2005

An Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece
DF16. E52 2006

Brill’s New Pauly: An Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
DE5 .N3515 (15 vols.)

The Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture
F1406.E53 1996

Historical Atlas of Central Europe
G1881.S1 M32 2002

Historical Atlas of Religion in America
G1201.E4 N4 2001

Africana
DT14.A347435 2010

A Companion to Japanese History
DS835.C65 2007

Statistical Abstract of the United States
HA202.A5 (1992-2011)

The Library of Congress call numbers for subjects in History:

• Call numbers for General and European History start with letter D.
• Call numbers for American History start with the letter E or F.
• Call numbers that range from E1 to E 99.O are located in Stevenson on the 2nd floor.
• Call numbers E99.P to F9999 are located on the 2nd floor of Kellogg .

DA1-995	History of Great Britain	2nd floor Stevenson
DAW1001-1051	History of Central Europe	2nd floor Stevenson
DB	History of Austria.Lichtenstein.Hungary.Czechoslovakia	2nd floor Stevenson
DC	History of France	2nd floor Stevenson
DD	History of Germany	2nd floor Stevenson
DE	History of the Greco-Roman World	2nd floor Stevenson
DF	History of Greece	2nd floor Stevenson
DG	History of Italy	2nd floor Stevenson
DH	History of Low Countries. Benelux Countries.	2nd floor Stevenson
DJ	History of the Netherlands (Holland)	2nd floor Stevenson
DJK	History of Eastern Europe (General)	2nd floor Stevenson
DK	History of Russia.Soviet Union.Former Soviet Republics	2nd floor Stevenson
DL	History of Northern Europe. Scandanavia	2nd floor Stevenson
DP	History of Spain	2nd floor Stevenson
DQ	History of Switzerland	2nd floor Stevenson
DR	History of the Balkan Peninsula	2nd floor Stevenson
DS	History of Asia	2nd floor Stevenson
DT	History of Africa	2nd floor Stevenson
DU	History of Oceania	2nd floor Stevenson
DX	History of Gypsies	2nd floor Stevenson
E	American History by period	2nd floor Stevenson
F1-975	American History by region	2nd floor Kellogg

American Memory Project - American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity.

American Studies Web - The largest directory of web-based resources in the field of American Studies.

Census Data (2000) via American FactFinder - The Census Bureau provides the primary source for the U.S. 2000 Census records. Includes the 2000 Census of Population & Housing, the 1997 Economic Census, and the American Community Survey. American FactFinder Guide | Census 2000 Guide

Census Data (1990) -- 1990 Census of Population & Housing. Summary tape files are available online.

Encyclopedia of American Studies - Under the sponsorship of the American Studies Association (ASA), the Encyclopedia of American Studies, brings together a wide range of disciplines related to the history and cultures of the United States, from pre-colonial days to the present.

Open source American newspapers:

Atlanta Historical Newspaper Archive: (1857-1922; 14 papers; dates of coverage vary)

Atlantic County Historic Newspapers - Dates vay by publication, range includes 1860 to 1923. 

Birmingham Iron Age - 1874 to 1884.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online - 1841-1902

California Digital Newspaper Collection - 1849 to 1911

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers - (Library of Congress) Date range 1880-1910

Colorado's Historic Newspaper Collection - Covering 1859 - 1924

Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection - Currently includes 147 newspapers published in Colorado from 1859 to 1923.

Florida Digital Newspaper Library - Dates vary by publication, range includes 1821 to 2006.

Freedom's Journal - (first African-American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States). 1827 to 1829. 

Georgia Historic Newspapers - 1750 to 1925

Historic Missouri Newspaper Project - Search - Dates vary by publication, range includes 1857 to 1879.

Historic Newspapers in Washington State - Dates vary by publication, ranges includes 1852 to 1892

Kingston Daily Freeman via Hudson River Valley Heritage - 1903-1912 and 1895  

Las Vegas Age newspaper digital collection - From April 7, 1905-1915, 1917-1922, 1924.

New South Newspaper - (SC) 1862-1866.

Northern Kentucky Newspaper Index - Dates vary by publication, range includes 1841 to 1884.  Most of the older newspapers are full-text.  Some of the newer editions may only display the citation.

Northern New York Historical Newspapers - Dates vary by publication, range includes 1811 to 2007

Paper of Record - Searchable database of historical newspapers

Pennsylvanial Civil War Newspapers - Dates vary by publication, range includes 1831 to 1877.

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project - Dates vary by publication, range includes 1895 to 1980.

Richmond Daily Dispatch - 1860 to 1865.

Tundra Times - (AK) Native American Alaskan Newspaper 1962 to 1997

Utah Digital Newspapers - Dates vary by publication, range includes 1890 to 1959

Virginia Gazette - 1736 to 1780

Winona Newspaper Project - (MN) Dates vary by publication, range includes 1860 to 1946.

Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles - Dates vary.  The majority of the articles are from 1860 to 1940

NoodleBib is an excellent online utility for both generating a Chicago Style bibliography and footnotes and for organizing your research. Zotero is a similar database that downloadable from Firefox and has the added advantage of pulling the bibliographic data straight from the source into your research folder.

Style Guides:

The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
LB2369 .G53 2009 (in the Reference Section and in Ready Reference behind the Reference Desk)

Concise Rules of APA Style
BF76.7 .C66 2005

Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker
PE1408.H277 2008

The Chicago Manual of Style
LB2369 .T8 2007 (in the Reference Section and in Ready Reference behind the Reference Desk)

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations : Chicago Style for Students and Researchers by Kate Turabian
LB2369 .T8 2007 (in the Reference Section and in Ready Reference behind the Reference Desk)

Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles -- MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More by Charles Lipson
PN171.F56 L55 2006 (in Ready Reference behind the Reference Desk)

"Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources may include letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, interviews, memoirs, documents produced by government agencies such as Congress or the Office of the President, photographs, audio recordings, moving pictures or video recordings, research data, and objects or artifacts such as works of art or ancient roads, buildings, tools, and weapons. These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research." From the American Library Association’s Reference and User Services Division.

Finding primary sources in our library:

Our collection is a rich repository of primary sources. From the papers of the presidents to Supreme Court decisions to interviews in documentaries to historical journals, make sure you search our catalog and ConnectNY as well as the online sources listed below.

Early to Mid-20th Century Periodicals Titles in our collection
(most are indexed in the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature)

• American Historical Review 1928-
• American Mercury 1929-54, 1957-58
• American Review 1933-35
• Business Week 1950-1981,1984-
• Century Magazine’s Scribner’s Monthly 1882-1930
• Christian Century 1934-
• Commonweal 1927-1985,1987-1988,1992-
• Current History 1941-1996,1981-
• Fortnightly Review 1865-1931
• Fortune 1930-1997,1999-
• Golden Book 1926-1931
• Atlantic 1857- (also called Atlantic Monthly)
• Harper’s 1913- (also called Harper’s Monthly, Harper’s Magazine, etc.)
• Holiday 1949-1956,1957-1966,1967-1970
• International Conciliation 1911-1972
• Monthly Labor Review 1915-
• Musical Quarterly 1915-1922,1924-1984,1985-1992, 1993-
• National Geographic 1912-1920,1921-
• Nature 1922-1932,1957-1960,{1961-1964 microfilm}, 1964-
• New Outlook 1932-1934
• North American Review 1835-1839,1868,1880-1881,1910-1940,{1915-1969 microfilm},1970-1994,1997-
• Poetry 1921-1954,1956-
• Political Science Quarterly 1924-1997,2000-
• Life 1936-1972
• Nation {1865-1965,1978-2005 microfilm} 1965-
• New Republic 1914-1979,1981-2005-
• Review of Reviews 1892-1897,1929-1931
• Saturday Review of Literature 1924-51
• Saturday Review, 1952-72, 1972-81, 1976, 1978-86
• Science 1927-
• Scribner’s {1901-1939 microfilm}
• Theatre Arts Monthly 1934-1947
• Time 1923-
• Virginia Quarterly Review 1941-
• Vital Speeches of the Day 1948-1987
• Wilson Bulletin 1942-1956,1959,1961-1970
• Yale Review 1911-1928,1930-1990 {1982-1995 microfilm}

Finding primary sources on the web:

The websites listed above are collections of documents, oral histories, photographs, etc. An excellent guide to finding and evaluating primary sources on the web can be found at http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/ .

Suggested Sources:

• The Making of America (American books & magazines from the 19th century)
• Hudson Valley River Heritage
• EuroDocs (a portal for connecting to a multitude of sites with documents relating to European history in their original languages and in translation)
• The New York Times (from 1851 to three years ago)
• LexisNexis Academic (for newspaper articles from the 1990s to yesterday)
• The Avalon Project (documents in American history)
• Gallica (documents in the National Library of France)
• The American Memory Project
• In the First Person (an index to personal narratives)
• Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive
• Primary Source Documents in Early American History (be careful, this is a list of links on a constitutionalist website, some of the links are broken)
• Parallel Histories: Spain, the United States and the American Frontier (A bilingual, multi-format English-Spanish digital library site that explores the interactions between Spain and the United States in America from the fifteenth to the early nineteenth centuries.)
• Rochambeau Map Collection  (The Rochambeau Map Collection contains cartographic items used by Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), when he was commander in chief of the French expeditionary army (1780-82) during the American Revolution. The maps were from Rochambeau's personal collection, cover much of eastern North America, and date from 1717 to 1795. The maps show Revolutionary-era military actions, some of which were published in England and France, and early state maps from the 1790s.)
• Virtual Jamestown
• The TransAtlantic Slave Trade Database: Voyages
• Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy: The Cold War

Finding primary sources outside our library:

Archives are collections of unique, original documents organized by donor and subject matter. The contents of many archives are cataloged on ArchiveGrid. Once records of documents in a collection are found, a researcher usually contacts the archive to arrange a time to visit. Each archive has its own rules about how its materials may be handled. Make sure you understand and are prepared to do your research within the constraints of the institution you are visiting.