History 

1. Always check with your local librarian!  She is your secret weapon for finding information that you may not even know is available to you.  Check all your local libraries - public, school, and academic libraries may have important resources for your students.
2. Check WorldCat.org.  WorldCat.org is a free online catalog that allows you to search 1.4 billion items worldwide.  If you think it might exist but don't know exactly what it is, search in WorldCat.  WorldCat also indicates which libraries in your area own copies of particular items.

Reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.) provide basic background information.  Some include suggestions for further reading.  They may be print or online.  They may be freely available or purchased.  

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) and Oxford Reference Online (ORO) are collections of fulltext reference books.  Check your local library to see if one of these (or something similar) is available.

Also, be sure to look for specialized encyclopedias pertaining to world regions or countries.

Here are a few examples from Musselman Library's collection:

Some primary source material can be found by searching MUSCAT , the library catalog, using a keyword or subject search. These search techniques work in any library catalog, including WorldCat.org.  Additional primary sources may be found in Gettysburg College's Special Collections.

• First try a KEYWORD search which searches all words in the titles, authors, subjects, and notes of MUSCAT records. You can enter words in any order. This is the broadest, safest search. Take note of Subject Headings for promising titles.
• Next try a SUBJECT search with the subject headings from the keyword search. This searches only the subject fields of MUSCAT records, and word order matters. Ask a librarian if you need help identifying the best subject heading(s) for your topic.
• Finally try an AUTHOR search to find original writings of a person or documents published by a government or organization (these are called "corporate authors").
  
  Examine the subject headings carefully. The following subheadings will help you identify books and microfilm that contain primary sources:

Ex: United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives

Finding Specific Types of Sources:

When looking for primary sources, it is helpful to think of them in 4 categories:

1. Published Works includes materials such as books, textbooks, and pamphlets published during the time period being studied.
2. Popular press materials include information found in newspapers, magazines and journals.
3. Public records include a variety of materials such as church records, vital records, laws, bills, census data and court records.
4. Personal accounts include letters, diaries, slave narratives and oral histories. 

Primary sources may be found in the library on paper, in databases to which the library subscribes, and on free Internet sites.

Newspapers can be wonderful primary sources, if you have access to pertinent back issues. Check with your local librarian about resources available to you.

• Access World News - a fulltext subscription database covering hundreds of newspapers, including 700 international titles
• LexisNexis - fulltext newspaper articles from the U.S. and abroad
• Print newspapers - look for print indices to major newspapers that your library may hold - you may have access to the newspaper content on microfilm

• GettDigital - search Gettysburg College's digital collections for images of Asian art, 19th century notables, antique maps, and more.  This collection is freely available.
• CONTENTdm is the digital collection management software used at Gettysburg College.  Many other libraries use it, too, and the "collection of collections" is browseable and searchable.  All collections are freely available. 
• ARTstor is a subscription databse of art collections from 3000 BCE - present.  Subscribers can download and save images to use in presentations. 

Let us know if these resources are helpful. Feel free to suggest additional links, too!