About this guide
Use the tabs on the left to explore and learn more about a wide variety of search tools to locate primary and secondary sources. Remember that this is a curated list of available resources, so don't hesitate to reach out if you aren't finding what you expect or need.
If you have a question, use the buttons below my picture to get in touch or ask the library.
Quick start resources
- IUCAT This link opens in a new windowIUCAT, the online catalog for all titles available through IU Libraries, is the often the best place to start a search for books and ebooks, and also includes government documents, videos, and sound recordings.
- Use broad search terms to give IUCAT the best chance of finding relevant titles.
- Use the red Request This button to have print materials delivered to the most convenient library for pick-up.
- Materials held at the ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility) or other IU campuses can only be accessed via the Request This button.
- Use the filters like Subject and Publication Year on the left side of the page to narrow your search results.
- When you find one title that looks promising, use the hyperlinked Subject headings to locate additional titles.
- Watch this brief video tutorial on searching and accessing books and ebooks in IUCAT.
Most databases allow you click a box with a name like "scholarly articles," which does a reasonably good job of limiting your results to high-quality, academic articles.
- Historical AbstractsLimited to publications focused on history, Historical Abstracts contains and links out to full-text articles on a broad range of historical topics.
- JSTOROne of the most prominent databases for research in the humanities, JSTOR provides access to a wide range of journals, book chapters, and more.
- Project MuseThis database provides full-text access to both scholarly journals and ebooks. Use the robust set of filters on the left to narrow your search results.
- ProQuest One AcademicLimit your results to Scholarly Journals to access a wide variety of titles. Use the Document Type filter on the left to limit your results to features and articles.
- AM SearchSearch all AM digital collections, including 1980s Culture & Society, Defining Gender, Empire Online, Frontier Life, Indigenous Histories and Cultures, Life at Sea, Medieval Travel Writing, and more.
- ProQuest Historical NewspapersDigital archive of historical newspapers, including Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and many more. Each issue of each title includes the complete paper, cover-to-cover, with full-page and article images.
- ProQuest History VaultSearch across a variety of archival collections, largely focused on the United States, organized by themes like Civil Rights and the Black Freedom Struggle, American Indians & the American West, and Latinx History.
- IUCAT This link opens in a new windowIUCAT, the online catalog for all titles available through IU Libraries, is the often the best place to start a search for books and ebooks, and also includes government documents, videos, and sound recordings.
- IU Libraries: Start Your SearchWhen you want to locate a source that you find in a citation or mentioned in another source, use the Start Your Search box on the IU Libraries website to get started. This tool will search IUCAT, OneSearch, and more to try to locate the title. If it can't find the citation, it will provide options to search for the source in WorldCat and Google Scholar. If you still can't find access to what you need, send me an email with the citation information.
- Citation management softwareLearn more about and start using no-cost citation management software to help organize and format your citations. Recommended platforms include EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero.
- Request Article or Chapter DeliveryRequest PDFs of individual book chapters or articles owned by IUB Libraries
- Request through Interlibrary Loan (ILL)Request any book, article, media item, and more from Interlibrary Loan for pick-up from Wells Library
- Request Material PurchaseSubmit this form to request a purchase of an individual title that we do not own in Bloomington (or you can just send me an email)