History & Social Studies

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We have several GREAT history titles available as multi-user e-books in two platforms, take a look!

General encyclopedias can be great for early background research, but are often not considered appropriate final sources for in-depth research. Check with your teacher when using this source.

Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) (Gale)

This collection of e-books includes the American Decades Primary Sources series, an excellent resource for 20th century United States history.

Concise and reliable cultural information on the countries of the world, U.S. states, and Canadian provinces.

Full color, fully searchable reproductions of National Geographic magazine from 1888 to the present.

*This resource requires a Boston Public Library e-card. Register online. All AHS students and staff are eligible.

Source of peer-reviewed, scholarly articles, great for in-depth research. Also includes the New York Times from 1995 to the present.

Scholarly journals from JSTOR can be another source for more detailed research projects. Most journals here do not have coverage for the past three to five years.

Researching a Supreme Court case? Try these tips:

We have really good print materials on these topics! They are mostly in the 340s. Search the online catalog or ask the librarian for help.
Remember that "versus" can be written as "versus," "v," or "vs." For best results, do a simple keyword search. For example, type Loving and Virginia instead of Loving v. Virginia, etc.
Start with our United States history databases, U.S. History in Context and American History Online for strong introductions, and don't forget the Gale Virtual Reference Library for reference e-books.

Favorite websites that can help:

We the Students: Supreme Court Cases For and About Students (e-book)
Multi-user Follett e-book. Get the passwords online.
Oyez, Oyez, Oh Yay (State Bar of Texas)
Explore landmark Supreme Court cases with this fun and informative site designed for students.
Supreme Court of the United States
Go straight to the source.