Research Resources

Good research starts by using trusted and credible resources.

Primary materials like memoirs, newspaper clippings, or other first hand accounts and artifacts are the best sources. Articles by scholars contain analysis. Become familiar with the primary sources of your topic before reading articles by others that contain analysis.

Google Scholar

Search for articles from books and journals.

Google Books

Search for books with your topic. Sometimes you'll be able to read whole sections or get reference snippets.

Google Images

Images for your articles or videos. Clicking on one can take you to its source, which might be a valuable written source.

WikiCommons

Images and resources that are free to use (with credit).

JSTOR

Older scholarly articles. Registration allows for a certain number of free downloads.

Library of Congress

Online resources of assets held at the Library of Congress.

Smithsonian Open Access

Images and assets that are available for Creative Common use at the Smithsonian.

Chicago Art Institute

Images from the holdings at the Art Institute. A valuable resource for artwork from around the world.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art online holdings.

British Library

A resource for holdings at the British Library.

British Museum

Art and artifacts at the British Museum.

The Getty Museum

Images from the Getty Museum.

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library public resources.

Chicago Public Library

The Chicago Public Library public resources.

TBD

Please request a resource you want to see here. Institutions only, please. Specific book, article, or website resources are not accepted.

Free Music Archive

Go here to find free music to use for your history documentaries. While there is no cost to using this music, it is recommended that you credit the musicians in your video and wherever you host it.

Project Gutenberg

This website hosts electronic copies of books that are in the public domain. The books here are usually very old, and this resource is helpful because it allows you to search for specific words and phrases.

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive houses electronic copies of books. You can also search for specific words and terms inside the text. This website is also the home for the "Way Back Machine," which takes snapshots of the internet and records websites over time. If the website you're looking for is no longer available, the Way Back Machine might help you find the page as it existed prior to being taken down.