History Resource Center: U.S.

History Resource Center Sample Searches

History Resource Center: U.S. provides access to more than 1,000 historical (primary) documents, more than 30,000 reference articles, and more than 65 full-text journals covering themes, events, individuals and periods in U.S. history from pre-Colonial times to the present.

History Resource Center: World draws on themes and trends from the history curriculum for the 20th Century, and integrates reference sources from Gale(TM), Macmillan Reference USA and Charles Scribner's Sons, along with full-text articles from more than 100 academic journals, including maps and images. Full-text and facsimile images for more than 1,400 primary source documents are also included.

Search 1:

An elementary school librarian using History Resource Center: U.S. wanted help formulating a search strategy for a student looking for some biographical information on Cortés (the Conquistador).

Solution:

1. Opened History Resource Center: U.S. and went to the "Advanced Search" page.
2. Entered "Cortes" in the first entry box and selected "Person".
3. Selected "Biography" for "Document Type:".
4. Selected "History Resource Center: World & U.S." for "Search in:".
5. Clicked on the "Search" button and retrieved three biographical essays on Hernán Cortés.

Search 2:

A high school student preparing to write a paper for his history class on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 wanted to retrieve a list of reference articles on the subject. He sought the aid of his local public library that had a subscription to History Resource Center: World.

Solution:

1. Opened History Resource Center: World and went to the "Subject Search" page.
2. Entered "Cuban Missile Crisis", selected "History Resource Center: World & U.S." from the "Search in:" dropdown list and clicked on the "Search" button.
3. Clicked on the the link "Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962" and retrieved more than 20 reference articles along with other useful information related to the subject.

Search 3:

A college student using History Resource Center: World wanted to find some reference/biographical materials on Emperor Hirohito of Japan and his role in World War II.

Solution:

1. Opened History Resource Center: World and went to the "Advanced search" page.
2. Entered "Hirohito" in the first entry box in "Person".
3. Entered "World War II" in the second entry box in "Subject".
4. Clicked on the "Search" button and retrieved a viewpoint essay and two biographical articles.

Search 4:

A patron using History Resource Center: U.S. by remote access through his local public library wanted to find some articles on the PATRIOT Act.

Solution:

1. Opened History Resource Center: U.S. and entered "PATRIOT Act" in the "Basic Search" entry box.
2. Selected "History Resource Center: World & U.S." in "Search in:".
3. Clicked on the "Search" button and retrieved nine periodical articles.

Search 5:

A user of History Resource Center: World wanted to find out some of the major events that took place in 1963, the year she was born.

Solution:

1. Opened History Resource Center: World and selected "History Resource Center: World & U.S." for "Search in:".
2. Clicked on "Chronology", entered "1963" and clicked on the "Search" button.
3. Events were presented in four categories:



• Arts & Ideas
• Politics, Government & Economics
• Science, Technology, & Medicine
• Society


4. Events in 1963 included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the death of British author C.S. Lewis on November 22 and Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tershkova becoming the first woman in space.