SECONDARY SOURCES
Published Books Publications range from very details topics such as the history of Victorian era furniture, to a broad mulit-decade history of western America. Books are good sources to get a solid understanding of your chosen topic and they can be excellent for providing new information, clues, and research direction. There will be experts in every field right along side enthusiast with little historical training. Both levels of expertise are valid if you know how to evaluate the books for their value as secondary sources. Look for detailed bibliographies and footnotes that support an author’s thesis. Books without these references are not useless, just know you will probably only be able to use them as guides for additional research. See How to Identify Reputable Sources for more details. Not all libraries allow you to check out their books for research, so be prepared to do a lot of reading during your visit. If you cannot find a particular book at your local library, ask what their interlibrary loan policies are. Many libraries will ship books for a limited time to a different library, even if it is in another state. There are also many university websites that have digitized books that are now in the public domain. If you are lucky, you might have the option of reading books about your subject online. Check out:
	• Making of America (Cornell) • Making of America (University of Michigan)
Articles Periodicals (magazines and journals) are often similar to newspapers in that many report news, usually at a national level. Many magazines are also trade, hobby, or product specific. These sources can be very helpful when looking at national trends or opinions on a variety of topics. Journals tend to be scholarly in nature and are often associated with specific areas of study. No matter the topic you are researching, someone has probably written an article about it. Search through online journal databases, such as JSTOR–The Scholarly Journal Archive, to locate which publications carry the articles you are interested in. These databases are usually subscription-only so check your public or university library for databases that are available on site. There are also many university websites that have digitized journals that are now in the public domain. If you are lucky, you might have the option of reading an article about your subject online. Check out:
	• Making of America (Cornell) • Making of America (University of Michigan)
Compiled Lists of Primary Sources Compilations and abstracts are excellent at giving you large amounts of information quickly. For example, well-indexed compiled birth records can dramatically cut down time researching for one particular person. Abstracts of wills can make getting to the important data easier by eliminating the legal jargon. As useful as these sources are, they should only be used as guides to find original sources. Compilations and abstracts can also contain errors, so use these publications wisely. Websites Many people automatically conduct an online search before even thinking about setting foot in a library. As with other secondary sources, websites can be incredibly valuable references when first learning about a particular topic. There are websites available for almost any subject you can think of and it is easy to absorb a great deal of information quickly. But do not let the ease of online information fool you. There is excellent information available on websites, and there is information that is outright false. See How to Identify Reputable Sources for more details about how best to approach online material. While there is an amazing amount of good information online, not everything is available at the touch of a button. Just like other secondary sources, websites should be used most often as a research tool, not the main source of information. Finding primary sources online can be a huge benefit when doing long-distance research, but there is still no substitute for viewing and handling documents in person.