Library Guides: American Studies: Other Resources

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is an easy way to do interdisciplinary research, and with some settings changes can become even more useful. You need a Google account to use these features.

Set up a Google Scholar Alert to be automatically notified when new articles are added to Google on topics of interest:

Do your search in Google Scholar. Look in the left sidebar for the Create Alert link next to the envelope icon, and click it. New items will be sent to your email account as they are found by Google.

Make Google display links to full text of articles that Berkeley subscribes to:

Open Scholar. Click on the menu icon in the upper left corner and then the gear iconto reach the settings page. On the next screen, choose Library Links from the left-hand menu. In the search box, type the word Berkeley. Choose University of California, Berkeley - Get it at UC, and Open Worldcat Search.

Ever wanted to trace an article’s impact? Google now permits searching within citing articles.

Do a Google Scholar search. Click on the "Cited by" link under a citation and select the "Search within articles citing..." checkbox.

Finding Primary Sources

Primary sources can be found in a variety of library tools:

UC Library Search
Online book and text collections
Primary Source databases provided by the Library
includes databases for finding newspaper articles, such as Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) or magazine articles, such as Reader's Guide
Vetted sites on the web:

For specific search strategies, see the Library's Guide to Finding Historical Primary Sources

Learn more about your topic in advance:

names of relevant individuals and organizations
dates of events
places
what terminology was used at the time by participants and observers? (ex: negro or colored instead of african american)

Use the bibliographies of secondary sources and reference sources to find citations to specific primary sources; search UC Library Search to locate them on campus, or ask for assistance at the Library.

Selected Databases for Primary Sources

American Memory Motion Pictures Collections (Library of Congress)
A gateway to primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. Includes a sampling of early American films, including works by the Edison Company, recordings of vaudeville and other popular entertainments, early animated films; recordings of early 20th Century presidents, and scenes of American work and leisure.
A gateway to primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. Includes a sampling of early American films, including works by the Edison Company, recordings of vaudeville and other popular entertainments, early animated films; recordings of early 20th Century presidents, and scenes of American work and leisure, 1894-1915.
American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digital Library
Primary source and archival materials covering topics such as art and architecture, performing arts, technology and applied sciences.
Millions of digital items from more than 100 historical Library of Congress collections.
Calisphere
Digitized images including photographs, documents, newspaper pages, political cartoons, works of art, diaries, transcribed oral histories, advertising, and other unique cultural artifacts that reveal the diverse history and culture of California and its role in national and world history.
Gateway to digitized images from the libraries and museums of the University of California campuses, cultural heritage organizations in California, and UC-created websites and collections.
Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment
Digitized archive that documents the relationships among early North American peoples and the environment.
Includes prints, drawings, paintings, maps, bibliographies, letters, photographs, and original facsimile pages documenting the relationships among peoples and with the environment in North America. Focuses on personal accounts and providing unique perspectives from all the protagonists, including traders, slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, Native Americans as well as a wide range of Europeans.
Everyday Life and Women in America
Images (alongside transcriptions) of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing 19th and early 20th century political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes. [1800 - 1920]
Providing access to primary source material from the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History, Duke University and The New York Public Library. It comprises thousands of fully searchable images (alongside transcriptions) of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing 19th and early 20th century political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes.
HarpWeek
Digitized archive of Harper's Weekly from its beginning in 1857 to 1912. A good source for 19th and early 20th century advertising, illustrations, culture, history, literature, and notable figures.
Full-image reproductions of Harper's Weekly from its beginning in 1857 to 1912. Provides access to information about 19th and early 20th century advertising, illustrations, culture, history, literature, and notable figures.

Slavery Collection (New York Historical Society)
The New York Historical Society has placed its fourteen most important manuscript collections relating to slavery online.

Readers' Guide Retrospective
Indexes American magazines and journals published between 1890 to 1982.
EBSCOhost (formerly WilsonWeb) (EBSCO)
Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives
Digitized archive of primary documents of key events, trends, and movements in 1960s America. Includes letters, diaries, oral histories, posters, broadsides, pamphlets, advertisements, and rare audio and video materials. [1960 - 1974]
Documents the key events, trends, and movements in 1960s America. Includes 70,000 pages of letters, diaries, and oral histories; more than 30,000 pages of posters, broadsides, pamphlets, advertisements, and rare audio and video materials. Enhanced by dozens of scholarly document projects, featuring annotated primary-source content that is analyzed and contextualized through interpretive essays by historians.
Slavery and Anti-Slavery
Full-text of books, serials, manuscript collections as well as court records and reference materials documents related to the antebellum era.
Includes more than 1.5 million pages, 7000+ books, 80+ serials, 15 manuscript collections as well as court records and reference materials documents related to the antebellum era. Published through partnerships with the Amistad Research Center, Oberlin College, Oxford University, & many other institutions.

Secondary menu

American Studies

Google Scholar

Finding Primary Sources

Selected Databases for Primary Sources