Getting Started
If you are unfamiliar with your subject area, or are searching for a topic, it can be helpful to begin with a source that summarizes the main events or circumstances, describes the historical context, or provides general background information. This strategy can help you verify that at least some research has been done on your topic Examples of sources that provide broad overviews:
- Encyclopedias and especially subject encyclopedias (e.g., the four-volume Black Women in America)
- Published bibliographies
- Authoritative web sites
Words of Fire by Call Number: E185.86 .W927 1995ISBN: 1565842561Publication Date: 1995A major anthology that traces the development, of black feminist thought in the United States from the early 1800s forward. A comprehensive collection of writings in the feminist tradition, by over sixty African American women. From the pioneering work of abolitionist Maria Miller Stewart and anti-lynching crusader Ida Wells-Barnett to the writings of contemporary feminist critics Michele Wallace and bell hooks, black women have been writing about the multiple jeopardies—racism, sexism, and classicm—that have made it imperative for them to forge a brand of feminism uniquely their own.
Black Women in America by Call Number: E185.86 .B542 2005 Reference CollectionPublication Date: 2005
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present by Call Number: E185 .E5453 2009 Reference CollectionPublication Date: 2009-02-02
- Biography Reference BankProvides biographies of people from a wide range of fields and over all periods of history. Material drawn from biographical dictionaries and other reference sources is available full text
- Oxford Reference OnlineOver 1 million entries from Oxford University Press subject dictionaries, encylopedias, and companions. Covers the arts , biological and physical sciences, business and economics, history, politics, philosophy and religion, the classics, mythology, literature and more.
- Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000(1600 – 2000) This database in American women’s history includes more than 70 document projects, each of which poses a topic and provides a collection of documents, images and links to websites to address the topic.
- International Encyclopedia of the Social SciencesThe "International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences," (published in 2008), contains nearly 3,000 articles contributed by international experts in all social science disciplines. The HTML view includes links to related articles and topics. Individual articles can also be viewed and downloaded as pdf files. Readers can use the eTable of Contents to access an interdisciplinary annotated bibliography in Volume nine.
Your WGSS Librarian
Linda Dempf
Contact:
R. Barbara Gitenstein Library
609-771-2721
