HIST 242: British Society and Empire 1763-1901 (Conley): Secondary Sources

Locating Books in the Library

Books at Dinand Library are arranged by Library of Congress Call Number.

• Reference books are in the Main Reading Room.
• Call numbers A through G are on the upper (Mezzanine) level.
• Call numbers H through Z are on the lower (Ground) level (with a few exceptions).
• N and TR call numbers are located on the main level in the Visual Arts Wing.
• Oversize books (with a "+" in the call number) are shelved at the end of the normal section for that letter. 

The Stacks Guide handout attached here has more information about how the stacks are organized, and the best places for you to look. 

You can also watch our Call Numbers video tutorial 📺 to learn more about how call numbers work. Or, check out the Library of Congress Classification Outline for a detailed breakdown of our call number system. 

And of course, you might also find books you'd like to read at other libraries -- read more about Interlibrary Loan on the Access Your Sources page. 

Searching for E-Books at Holy Cross

To search for e-books located at Holy Cross, use CrossSearch.

Then, use the Resource Type limiter in the side navigation to focus your search on e-books. 

You may also want to search in our specific e-book collections: 

When searching within a specific ebook collection, you will be able to search the full text of each book allowing more detailed searching. For example, you may search the library catalog and not find any titles on your topic, but a search in ebrary might find a book with one chapter focused on your topic.

Accessing E-Books: 

In most cases, your best option is to use the "Read Online" feature for our e-books. Most academic e-books do not work with devices that you might use to read personal e-books, such as a Kindle or Nook (believe me -- this frustrates librarians too!). There is software that you can download onto a PC or iPad, but this can be difficult to use, so if you have a stable internet connection, I recommend reading online. 

However, if you would like to download the software, or if you are having trouble accessing any particular e-book, please feel free to contact us (libref@holycross.edu) or see our e-books guide linked below: 

NOTE that most e-books do have limits on printing. Each publisher has different functionality and rules for downloading and printing ebooks. 

Other E-Books: 

In addition to our collections, you can use a BPL eCard, available to all Massachusetts residents and resident students, to access e-books via the Boston Public Library: 

E-Journals: 

In addition to the research databases, you can use the Libraries' E-Journals Search to look for articles in specific journals. 

This can be a useful strategy when: 

• Your professor has recommended specific journals that address your topic; 
• You notice that the same journals come up frequently while doing your research;
• You have a citation for a specific article that you would like to read (see the Find Full Text tab for more).  

Just make sure not to rely too much on one or two specific journals. To get the broadest perspective possible on your topic, it's best practice to use multiple sources. 

Choosing the Right Search Tool

There are three main categories of databases that you may encounter while doing historical research:

General (Article) Databases 

• May contain many types of sources (scholarly, non-scholarly, multimedia,etc., all typically secondary)
• Cover a variety of subject areas; 
• Good places to begin research OR to do research on an interdisciplinary topic. May not be specific enough for advanced research. 

• May contain a variety of source types (newspapers, ephemera, manuscripts, etc.) or be limited to one, but all are of the primary source genre. 
• Typically focused on the basis of one or more of the following: date; geography; type of source; and/or topic. 
• Usually includes tools specifically designed for searching primary sources (e.g., chronological browse; ability to narrow by geography; pointers linked from introductory essays; etc.) 

In order to choose an appropriate database, you should consider your research needs. What do you need at this point in time? Are you still becoming familiar with your topic, or are you trying to fill specific gaps? 

Always consider the limitations of your topic. For example, if you are researching European history, you won't get far searching for secondary literature in America: History & Life!  This is even more important when searching for primary sources. When selecting a primary source database from our collections, you should try to identify one that matches your topic based on...

For example, if you are hoping to find news reports on the London Blitz, not just any primary database will do! You need a resource that: 

1. Provides access to newspapers; 
2. Includes resources published in the UK; 
3. Cover the period 1940-1941. 

Need help selecting a database?

Consult your professor, or a librarian! 

General Keyword Tips

In general:

• Use keywords or brief (2-word) phrases instead of sentences -- one or two for each part of your topic.
   
• Use concepts and other nouns as your keywords.  Think of words that are likely to be used in titles (or that you have seen in titles).
   
• When you find a good source, look at its References or Works Cited list. That will often lead you to other useful primary and secondary sources.

If your keywords aren't turning up many results, you may need to:

• Try thinking of synonyms or other ways of phrasing your topic. If you can find one or two relevant articles, check to see what subject keywords are listed (or look for other clues in the text) and try to build keywords from there. 
   
• Try a broader search (broader topic, broader date-range, etc.).
   
• Try a different database.