History

Why not Google? Google is a great database to quickly look up facts, but much of the scholarly information you need is available through subscription only. Skip the paywalls and save yourself some time by researching in the library databases. Remember, though, every database contains slightly different materials. To make certain you comprehensively search, always search in more than one database. 

McDermott Library shelves books by Library of Congress Call Numbers. Meaning all books are shelved by subject and that if you found one good book, it is probably sitting next to another useful text. Check out this guide if you need help navigating the call number system. Keep an eye out for books starting with 

• D: History-General & Eastern Hemispheres
• E-F: History--Americas

Search the catalog to find print books and more available from McDermott Library. 

Looking for books that you can access even when you can't come to McDermott Library? Check out our eBook collection!

McDermott Library is a member of Prospector, providing our users with access to more than 30 million books, DVDS, CDs, and more held by over 50 academic, public, and special libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. Borrowing through Prospector is generally the quickest way to obtain print materials not available at McDermott Library as the Colorado Library Courier typically delivers items in 3 to 5 business days.

Not finding the book you need? Borrow a copy through Interlibrary Loan (ILL)! Use our online request form to let us know what items you need. 

Secondary sources (peer-reviewed books and journal articles) are useful for understanding the different historiographical lenses used to interpret history. Whether using gender, race, sexuality, or another category of analysis, historians write secondary sources in conversation with each other to better understand and interpret history over time. Within historiographical schools there are also arguments over definitions of terms, the importance of people, causes of events, and more. Think of secondary sources less as a survey of facts and more of conversations about understanding or discovering the meaning of facts.

To capture diverse historiographical perspectives for your research pay close attention to

• the introduction: particularly in books, authors will explicit state their argument and, often, who they agree and disagree with
• the literature review: here they are really explaining why they agree or disagree with other interpretations
• footnotes: locating cited sources helps you further tap into the conversation

Tips:

• Run an advanced search in the Article and Ebook or Library Catalog searches with two bibliographic elements (e.g., author and "article title") to find any articles or books located in your research.  
• Locate historiographical essays in the catalog or article search with a keyword search for "Your Topic AND historiography." You could also try "Your Topic AND historiography OR "historical method" OR "philosophy of history" OR "bibliographic essay" OR "review article." 

Books

- based on primary works

- academic research on a subject

- analytical, interpretive

- biographies, dissertations

Journal/Newspaper Articles

- non-witnessed reported events

- scholarly research on topics

- critiques or essays

Research Data

- analysis of data

- interpretation of data