Starting points for research using archives
History Research Guides
- Using Archives: A Guide to Effective ResearchSAA recently published a guide for the public to learn more about archives: Using Archives: An Effective Guide to Research by Laura Schmidt. The online publication outlines the functions and procedures of archives, and is designed both for first-time archives users and scholars who have already conducted research in archives.
- History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the WebHelpful gateway to historical research and primary sources
- ALA-RUSA's Using Primary Sources on the WebGood outline for the basic steps of finding and evaluating sources, especially those on the web.
- Stanford History Education Group (SHEG)The SHEG is a collaboration to research History teaching methods. Although the project focuses on Teacher Education, the site provides resources for anyone learning to evaluate and investigate sources, particularly internet-based sources.
Starting Points
- WorldCat DiscoverySearch for books, journals, etc. at the McNeese Library. Also find other libraries in the area that have your item. WorldCat local is especially useful when seeking to order copies of materials through InterLibrary Loan (ILL).
- History Reference CenterThis database provides articles and essays on topics related to American and World History. Coverage relies heavily on a collection of encyclopedias. Users may limit searches to full-text and peer-reviewed/ scholarly articles
- History Hub from the National ArchivesHistory Hub is a crowdsourcing platform sponsored by the National Archives. It is a place to ask questions, share information, work together, and find people based on their experience and interests. Experts from the National Archives as well as other experts, history enthusiasts, and citizen archivists are available to help with your research. History Hub offers tools like discussion boards, blogs, and community pages to bring together experts and researchers interested in American history. Think of it as a one-stop shop for crowdsourcing information related to your research subject.
Large Databases of Primary Sources
- Digital Public Library of AmericaThe DPLA offers a single point of access to millions of items—photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more—from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States. Users can browse and search the DPLA’s collections by timeline, map, format, and topic; save items to customized lists; and share their lists with others. Users can also explore digital exhibitions curated by the DPLA’s content partners and staff.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsThe Library of Congress 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. Collections include American Memory Project, Chronicling America, Folklife Center, Veterans History Project and many more.
- Louisiana Digital LibraryExcellent resource for materials relating to anything about Louisiana.
- Internet ArchiveThe Internet Archive was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format.
Founded in 1996 and located in San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to include more well-rounded collections. Now the Internet Archive includes: texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages in our collections, and provides specialized services for adaptive reading and information access for the blind and other persons with disabilities. - Chronicling AmericaA Library of Congress project to digitize newspapers across the country. Search (full text) America's historic newspapers pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
Law and Politics
- Avalon Project at Yale Law School : Documents in Law, History and DiplomacyA collection of online documents focusing on legal resources.
- The American Presidency ProjectOnline data archive of information about the American Presidency, including election data, texts of speeches, public documents, campaign information, and much more.
- Founders OnlineCorrespondence and Other Writings of Six Major Shapers of the United States: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams (and family), Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. Over 175,000 searchable documents, fully annotated, from the authoritative Founding Fathers Papers projects.
Archives Repositories
- National Archives and Records AdministrationThis site is the gateway to the records of the federal government. Their subject guides are especially helpful: http://www.archives.gov/research/topics/ .
- LSU Libraries: Special Collections Division HomepageLSU's Special Collections Division has lots of resources that pertain to Southwest Louisiana.
- Historic New Orleans CollectionSearch the holdings of the Historic New Orleans Collection.
African American History
- Digital Library on American SlaveryResource for finding primary sources about slavery, both individual names and by subject.
- African American ArchivesOver one million pages of original historical documents pertaining to the African American experience over several centuries.
- Umbra: Search African American HistoryUmbra is a freely available online search tool that brings together digitized materials from U.S. libraries and repositories that document African American history and culture.
- African American Historical Serials CollectionMore than 170 unique periodical titles and 60,000 pages of searchable primary source content related to the history of African American life and culture, with extensive coverage of religious organizations, churches, and institutions. Material published between 1829 and 1922.
- African-American Newspapers, 1827-1998 This link opens in a new windowGood History database to use for primary sources. There are few search options other than keyword searching. Use quotation marks around search terms for better results.
International Archives
- Archives nationales d'outre-merANOM is a rich collection of materials concerning the French diaspora. Click on the Instruments de recherche en ligne (IREL) to access materials. The site also features many online exhibits.
- GallicaGallica is the Digital Library of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, containing millions of books, documents, maps, images, etc.
- El Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES)PARES is a portal to access documents and images of the Spanish Archives.
Other Useful Resources
- The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate ArmiesOhio State University's Department of History provides online access to this invaluable record of the Civil War. Includes an index and atlas. From the site: "No serious study of the American Civil War is complete without consulting the Official Records. Affectionately known as the "OR", the 128 volumes of the Official Records provide the most comprehensive, authoritative, and voluminous reference on Civil War operations."
- Documenting the American SouthCollection of primary and secondary sources about the South from the University of North Carolina.
- American Archive of Public BroadcastingThe American Archive of Public Broadcasting is a database of the most significant public television and radio programs of the past 60 years, including more than 7,000 historic public radio and television programs and millions of other documents. The content consists of regional and local programs that document American communities during the last half of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first. This collection includes local news and public affairs programs, local history productions that document the heritage of local communities, and programs dealing with education, environmental issues, music, art, literature, dance, poetry, religion, and film-making on a local level.
- University of Illinois guide to archives termsWant to talk like an archivist? This handy guide gives some basic definitions of archives-related terms.
Printed resources
These resources are available in the General Collection of Frazar Memorial Library
On Doing Local History by Call Number: E 180 .K28 1986ISBN: 0910050813Publication Date: 1986-01-01
Nearby History by Call Number: E 180.5 .N98 2000ISBN: 0742502708Publication Date: 2000-09-20
The Information-Literate Historian by Call Number: D 16.2 .P715 2007ISBN: 9780195176520Publication Date: 2006-09-01
- The Secrets of Lyndon Johnson’s Archives by Robert A. CaroThis New Yorker article offers a good description of the vagaries of doing archival research. Caro reflects on an early mentor's advice to "turn every page" and how that advice helped him to research his award winning biography of LBJ.
Looking for a good research topic? Here are a few ideas:
-Histories of individual cities or parishes: Lake Charles, Cameron, Jennings, DeRidder, DeQuincy, Sulphur, Westlake, etc. Although we have several extensive histories of Lake Charles up to 1930, there are very few published, comprehensive historical works since then.
-Labor violence of the 1970s and the Right to Work movement, including the Jupiter Chemical Co. incident of January 1976. The SWLA Legislative Delegation collections have lots of information about the Young Turks and Right to Work.
-Various industries and agricultural crops, including: Lumber, Rice, Cattle Ranching, Seafood, Paper, etc. Why did a particular industry thrive here? Who started the industry and attracted others to join? Have any industries or crops failed here? What is the importance of the industry? Who were the workers in the industry? What kinds of problems did they have?
-Le Grand Derangement (when the Acadians were ousted from Canada). Why did the Acadians settle here? Was life here easier or harder than in Canada? What traditions or cultural aspects do the Acadians in Louisiana share with Canadians today?
-Desegregation/Integration of McNeese, Lake Charles, and/or SWLA. Who were the first black students? Was the transition smooth? Were black students welcome?
-The African-American Community in SWLA. Who were the cultural leaders? What was slavery like in SWLA?
-Important women of SWLA, such as Rosa Hart, Julie Muller Marx, Caroline LeBleu Sallier, Pearl Watson, Maude Reid, etc.
-Lake Charles Architecture. Lake Charles has its own distinct architectural style. How did it develop? What are its characteristics?
-Petrochemical industry in SWLA. When and why did it begin? What are its effects on the community?
-Rodeo in SWLA.
-Port of LC/Shipping Industry/Deep Water Channel. How did the Deep Water Channel come about? What is the national and international significance of the Port?
-Cultural History of LC: Theatre, Ballet, Symphony, Radio, TV, Film, Visual Arts…. Lake Charles has a very strong history of local art activities and performances. One of the major influences was Rosa Hart and the Lake Charles Little Theatre.
-Student life at McNeese through the years. How has daily life changed for students? Did students have more fun? Were students safer?
-How has the population of SWLA changed throughout history? When were the surges and low points? How did community leaders respond to increases in population?
