For help with historical research using primary sources:
There are many books in Speed Library that discuss conducting historical research using primary sources. Below are links to relevant Subject Headings & example books that you may find useful. Additionally, there are links to eBooks & websites about historiography in the middle and right-hand columns.
Use the search box below to search MICAL for library books, journals and media material:
The following Subject Headings can be used to search by subject in the catalog to locate books in the library:
Below are links to relevant books that you can check out from Speed Library:
The Information-Literate Historian: a guide to research for history students by
In the past, historians could rely on their basic understanding of bibliographic tools to do effective research, as resources were primarily available in print, on microform, or at a library. Today, the information explosion resulting from access to the Internet has complicated traditional research methods by heightening expectations and raising new questions about retrieving, using, and presenting information. The Information-Literate Historian is the only book specifically designed to teach today's history student how to most successfully select and use sources--primary, secondary, and electronic--to carry out and present their research. The book discusses: * questions to ask before, during, and after the research process, as well as questions to ask about sources and their authors * search strategies that can be used in both electronic and print indexes * the various types of sources that are appropriate for specific research questions * how to find and use books, journals, and primary sources quickly and efficiently, and how to select the best ones for a particular topic * the ways in which historians practice their craft and the nature of historical discourse and narrative * methods for finding, using, and evaluating such media as images, speeches, and maps * guidelines for presenting historical research in different formats, including papers, oral presentations, and websites Written by a college librarian, The Information-Literate Historian is an indispensable reference for historians, students, and other readers doing history research.
Finding History: research methods and resources for students and scholars by
In today s world of modern research methods, the irony is that even though more materials are readily available now than ever before, this proliferation of sources has actually made the process more difficult for the novice researcher. In addition, today s professors expect high-quality sources to be used in students undergraduate research precisely because so much information is available; however, without instruction, many students are not even aware of the standard history sources that they should be using routinely for history research projects. Finding History is a practical and modern guide to research for history projects, helping to sort through the available resources and technology for students, scholars, and librarians. Finding History includes practical, step-by-step instructions for discovering historical evidence using library catalogs, databases, and websites. It simplifies and clarifies the research process so that students new to the experience may locate appropriate research material with the same skill as seasoned historians. This book addresses the information literacy skills defined by the American Library Association and the American Historical Association, which include .recognizing the need for scholarly historical information; .defining and identifying the need for primary, secondary, and tertiary sources; .knowing what finding tools are available to help locate historical sources; .using history research tools efficiently and effectively; .learning research vocabulary as well as the vocabulary of the historical profession; .making evaluative judgments about the scholarly value of materials once they are located; .physically acquiring research materials; .using research material effectively to support a thesis or argument; and .using research material ethically and responsibly. Including search samples and tables, Finding History is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to ensure their research draws from the best available sources and those needing instruction in locating, obtaining, evaluating, and using scholarly sources efficiently, directly, and ethically."
The Oxford History of Historical Writing by
The Oxford History of Historical Writing is a five-volume series that explores representations of the past from the beginnings of writing to the present day and from all over the world. Volume I offers essays by leading scholars on the development and history of the major traditions of historical writing, including the ancient Near East, Classical Greece and Rome, and East and South Asia from their origins until c. AD 600. It provides both an authoritative survey of the field and an unrivalled opportunity to make cross-cultural comparisons.
Eyewitnessing: the uses of images as historical evidence by
What place do images hold among other kinds of historical evidence? In Eyewitnessing, Peter Burke reviews graphics, photographs, films, and other media from many countries and periods and examines their pragmatic uses. This profusely illustrated book surveys the opportunities and the challenges of using images to understand other times. In a thorough and compelling defense of the importance of the visual to history, Burke argues that images should not be considered mere reflections of their time and place, but rather extensions of the social contexts in which they were produced. The author describes and evaluates the methods by which art historians have traditionally analyzed images, and finds them insufficient to deal with the complexities of visual imagery. In developing a richer mode of visual interpretation, Burke devotes much attention to religious icons and narratives and political propaganda posters, caricatures, and maps. Eyewitnessing also addresses the economics of images--some, such as films, are commodities in themselves, and others are created to advertise other products. Concentrating on the representation of social groups, the author explores stereotypes as well as notions of foreignness and gender. In this wide-ranging, highly accessible volume, Burke helps us to understand the promise and the pitfalls of using visual evidence in the writing of history.
Below are links to sample eBooks in our new Academic eBook Collection. Learn more about how to download an eBook to read on your computer or on your Apple, Android, and Kindle devices here.
Thinking Historically: Educating Students for the Twenty-first Century by
Two simple but profound questions have preoccupied scholars since the establishment of history education over a century ago: what is historical thinking, and how do educators go about teaching it? In Thinking Historically, Stéphane Ltévesque examines these questions, focusing on what it means to think critically about the past. As students engage in a new century already characterized by global instability, uncertainty, and rivalry over claims about the past, present, and future, this study revisits enduring questions and aims to offer new and relevant answers. Drawing on a rich collection of personal, national, and international studies in history education, Ltévesque offers a coherent and innovative way of looking at how historical expertise in the domain intersects with the 'pedagogy of history education.' Thinking Historically provides teacher educators, and all those working in the field of history education, ways of rethinking their practice by presenting some of the benchmarks, in terms of procedural concepts, of what students ought to learn and do to become more critical historical actors and citizens. As questions regarding history education compel educators with greater force than ever, this study explores different ways of approaching and engaging with the discipline in the twenty-first century.
Doing Oral History: A Practical Guide by
Oral history is vital to our understanding of the cultures and experiences of the past. Unlike written history, oral history forever captures people's feelings, expressions, and nuances of language. But what exactly is oral history? How reliable is the information gathered by oral history? And what does it take to become an oral historian? Donald A. Ritchie, a leading expert in the field, answers these questions and in particular, explains the principles and guidelines created by the Oral History Association to ensure the professional standards of oral historians. Doing Oral History has become one of the premier resources in oral history. It explores all aspects of the field, from starting an oral history project, including funding, staffing, and equipment to conducting interviews; publishing; videotaping; preserving materials; teaching oral history; and using oral history in museums and on the radio. In this second edition, the author has incorporated new trends and scholarship, updated and expanded the bibliography and appendices, and added a new focus on digital technology and the Internet. Appendices include sample legal release forms and information on oral history organizations. Doing Oral History is a definitive step-by-step guide that provides advice and explanations on how to create recordings that illuminate human experience for generations to come. Illustrated with examples from a wide range of fascinating projects, this authoritative guide offers clear, practical, and detailed advice for students, teachers, researchers, and amateur genealogists who wish to record the history of their own families and communities.
Historiography: An Introductory Guide by
"What is historiography?" asked the American historian Carl Becker in 1938. Professional historians continue to argue over the meaning of the term. This book challenges the view of historiography as an esoteric subject by presenting an accessible and concise overview of the history of historical writing from the Renaissance to the present. Historiography plays an integral role in aiding undergraduate students to better understand the nature and purpose of historical analysis more generally by examining the many conflicting ways that historians have defined and approached history. By demonstrating how these historians have differed in both their interpretations of specific historical events and their definitions of history itself, this book conveys to students the interpretive character of history as a discipline and the way that the historian's context and subjective perspective influence his or her understanding of the past.