Websites
- American FactfinderThe Community Facts feature of this site from the U.S. Census Bureau makes it easy to find population, poverty, education, housing, language, employment and other statistics about a particular state, city, or community.
- NASA Worldview"This application allows you to interactively browse global satellite imagery within hours of it being acquired."
- Social and Demographic Trends“The Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends project studies behaviors and attitudes of Americans in key realms of their lives, including family, community, health, finance, work and leisure”
- The World FactBookThis section of the CIA web site provides quick facts about the countries of the world.
- World Travel GuideOwned and operated by London based Columbus Travel Media, this site provides information for the traveler. The side menu of the country guides include overviews of the country's history, culture, weather, and geography.
- American MemoryThis site from the Library of Congress provides access to historical texts, photos, oral histories, maps, sheet music and recordings. The site can be searched and browsed.
Choosing “list all collections” brings up an A-Z list with the option to show descriptions.
The “more browse options” offers the choice of browsing by topic, time period, or region. - American Social History OnlineThis web site from a history organization and research center at The City University of New York, has an array of materials including panel discussions on topics related to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, student oral histories of farm work during WWII and the effects of the McCarthy era on the student newspaper, and resources for history teachers such as speeches and political cartoons.
- Chronicling America"Chronicling America is a Website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages,
- Civil Rights History ProjectFrom the Library of Congress
"Actions and events discussed in the interviews include the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963), the Albany Movement (1961), the Freedom Rides (1961), the Selma to Montgomery Rights March (1965), the Orangeburg Massacre (1968), sit-ins, voter registration drives in the South, and the murder of fourteen year old Emmett Till in 1955, a horrific event that galvanized many young people into joining the freedom movement." - Civil War Sheet Music Collection"The Civil War Sheet Music Collection at the Library of Congress consists of over 2500 pieces culled from the Library's collections."
"This collection is unique in that it offers a contemporary perspective from both sides of the conflict, unfiltered by generations of historical interpretation."
From the Library of Congress - Discovering American Women's History Online"This database provides access to digital collections of primary sources (photos, letters, diaries, artifacts, etc.) that document the history of women in the United States."
- Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies"...a collection of over 4,400 videotaped interviews with witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust. Part of Yale University's department of Manuscripts and Archives, the archive is located at Sterling Memorial Library"
- Google News Archive (historical)Provides facsimiles of newspapers from around the U.S. and Canada. Some date as far back as the early 1800s to as recent as 2009.
- Historical Society of MichiganThis "Links to Online Research Collections" page includes links to the Black Abolitionist Archive from the University of Detroit-Mercy, the Civil War
- Lincoln/Net"This World Wide Web site presents materials from Lincoln's Illinois years (1830-1861), supplemented by resources from Illinois' early years of statehood (1818-1829)."
- Making of America - Cornell UniversityA collaboration between the University of Michigan and Cornell University, "Making of America (MOA) is a digital library of primary sources in American social history primarily from the antebellum period through reconstruction."
- Making of America - University of MichiganA collaboration between the University of Michigan and Cornell University, "Making of America (MOA) is a digital library of primary sources in American social history primarily from the antebellum period through reconstruction."
- National ArchivesFind Federal documents, military records, photos, letters, and links to other helpful sites.
- Smithsonian"Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world's largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities." The Cultural Centers and Exhibitions sections appear most helpful.
- StoryCorps"StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 50,000 interviews from more than 80,000 participants." Choose "Locations" from the top bar to see interviews organized by state.
- The U.S. Army Heritage & Education CenterChoose "Collections" to be taken to links to military publications, officers’ oral histories, after action and end tour reports, and many photos.
- Veterans History Project"The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war."
- World War II Veterans Oral History ProjectGeorgia Public Broadcasting "presents the story of World War II through the personal accounts of men and women from Georgia whose lives were touched by the war. "
On the Shelves of the Kirtland Library
Databases for History & Geography
The library's History & Geography databases provide access to a range of information including studies within the social sciences, genealogical sources, current events,and resources for the study of the U.S.Civil War and Michigan history.
Library of Congress Web Guides
- Library of Congress Bibliographies, Research Guides, and Finding AidsA variety of digital resources from both within the Library of Congress and selected outsides sources (note their disclaimer) are provided on subjects including among many others, the U.S. Civil War, Slavery, State Memory Projects, and Primary Documents.
Other Helpful Guides
Databases for Geography
**In Britannica School - High, note the web's best sites listed on the left for further information about a topic
- Britannica School - High (Michigan eLibrary) This link opens in a new windowEncyclopedia containing general information articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, and recommended websites
In the Gale Ebook collection, scroll down to nation and world to find Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Choose it and then one of its volumes.
- Gale Ebooks This link opens in a new windowEncyclopedias and specialized reference sources covering a variety of subjects - Unlimited users
- Ebook CentralEbooks available to read on your computer or download to your device. Single sign-on required.
Ebook Central titles include:
- Across This Land : A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada (2003)
- Caribbean Spaces : Escapes from Twilight Zones (2013)
- Clouded Leopard : A Book of Travels (2007)
- Different Place in the Making : The Everyday Life Practices of Chinese Rural Migrants in Urban Villages (2014)
- Geography : A Very Short Introduction (2008)
- How to Read the American West : A Field Guide (2014)
- The Power of Place : Geography, Destiny, and Globalization's Rough Landscape (2009)
- Seeds of Empire : The Environmental Transformation of New Zealand (2014)
- South Asia in a Globalising World : A Reconstructed Regional Geography (2002)
- The Volcano Adventure Guide (2005)
- Wild Man (2003)
- You Are Here : From the Compass to GPS, the History and Future of How We Find Ourselves (2014)