A librarian at the Central Library has compiled a list of databases and websites that focus on History. The sites are appropriate for high school and college students, and those interested in the field of History.
Online Resources for History
Compiled by Central Library Reference Librarian
August 2021
ELECTRONIC DATABASES
Electronic Databases can be accessed by going to www.queenslibrary.org – Research – Research Databases
Browse alphabetically or search by category. If used from home, patrons must sign in with their library card and four digit Pin number. Note: The Gale Onefile databases are with Novel General Menu.
Academic Onefile - Provides full text and peer reviewed articles from scholarly journals and magazines that cover a wide array of academic disciplines.
Biblioboard - An excellent source that provides primary sources that include images, letters, audio and visual clips, books, articles and more. It can be accessed by doing a basic search or by category. Coverage is comprehensive and covers many academic fields that include history, fine arts, the humanities, social sciences, philosophy, religion and more.
Britannica Academic - An encyclopedic source that provides full text scholarly articles on a variety of subject areas. It also offers related materials that include primary sources, e-books, and websites.
Gale General Onefile - Full text articles from a wide spectrum of academic fields that include history, the social sciences and more. Information can be access from a variety of formats that include academic journals, magazines, books, images, audio and more.
Gale Onefile Content Biography - Provides global coverage on important personalities in the past and current that include politicians, historic figures, musicians, artists and more.
Gale Onefile Diversity - Excellent source for information on ethnic groups. The content is global and an excellent source for exploring cultural differences. One can search by topic finder, subject basic and advanced searches.
Gale Onefile Opposing Viewpoints - A great database that gives the pros and cons on controversial topics such as the death penalty, abortion, school prayer, gun control and more. Content includes viewpoint articles, audio and video, clips news from newspapers and magazines and statistics on a variety of social issues.
Gale Onefile Popular Magazines - Provides a wide variety of magazines that covers diverse subject areas.
Gale Onefile U.S History - Specializes on all aspects of United States history and can be accessed by doing a basic or advanced search. Content includes scholarly and peer-reviewed full text articles. It includes a wide variety of historical journals that can also be searched under Publication Search.
Gale Onefile Virtual Reference Library - Offers full text electronic books on history, biography, literature, law, multiculturalism and more.
Gale Onefile Wars and Conflicts - Offers coverage on the causes of major wars and conflicts. Coverage is global and articles can be accessed by using the topic finder, subject, advanced and publication searches. Topics can be filtered by publication title and date using the advanced search.
Gale Onefile World History - Comprehensive on the history of the world. An excellent source for ancient and modern history. The subject search provides access to subdivisions and the advanced search allows for using the keywords and filtering by publication, date, content type language and more.
Gale Student Resources Center - A database geared towards high school and college students. Covers a variety of subject areas, one can browse by category, basic or advanced search. It is also an excellent source for country information, biographies on historical figures, summaries, on major classical works, author information and much more.
Proquest Digital Microfilm - Easy access to information from digital microfilms. Include a variety of subject areas.
WorldBook Online - Provides a history of the world for all ages. An excellent source for timelines. Access to notable timelines for countries, explorers, Americans, scientists and more. E-books are also available on history and other subject for a variety of age groups.
HISTORY WEBSITES
Digital History
digitalhistory.uh.edu
A comprehensive and easy to access site on US History. Coverage includes topics such as the gilded age, great depression, slavery and reconstruction, world wars one and two and much more. Content includes documents, events, people, overview, images, films of the era together with trailers, history projects and much more.
Great Courses
libbyapp.com/library/queenslibrary/extras
This is an excellent link which offers great documentaries on variety of subject areas that include history, archaeology philosophy and much more. There is a variety of documentaries on US and World history and they are all conducted by Professors with a PhD in the subject area. Excellent source for information on the Gilded Age, Slavery Emancipation, the Civil War and much more. This source can be accessed with a Queens Library card and 4 digit Pin number. Highly recommended for high school and college students.
History and Culture
nationalgeographic.com/history
An excellent site that provides comprehensive coverage on the various cultures of the world, from the Aztec to the Roman empires. Subscription is however required for full text.
History Channel
history.com/topics
Another great source for history that includes comprehensive articles on historic movements in the US and around the world. Coverage includes eras, movements and wars such Vietnam, both World Wars. Very good information on historic figures the American constitution and more.
National Archives
archives.gov
The National Archives is a great source for accessing some of the United States documents, photos and records. Some which includes the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
INTERESTING TOPICS IN HISTORY
New York City Freedom Day School Boycott of 1964
https://stjohnslis.libguides.com/c.php?g=1200525
A guide to books, articles, videos, and images on the 1964 New York City Freedom Day Protest, one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in US history against school segregation. This guide was created by Ryhaan Shakoor a PhD student at St John's University and Reference Librarian, Central Library of Queens Public Library.
QPL ARCHIVES COLLECTION
Go to www.queenslibrary.org – Research – Local History
The Archives Collection specializes on the history of Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau and Suffolk counties. One can access historic newspapers, books, photographs maps and more. Here is the link to the Digital Archives: queenslibrary.org/research/local-history/digital-archives
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