Getting it Right: Resources for Authentic Detail
with Nora Blake and Maxine Schmidt
YOUR STRAW DOG LIBRARIANS
General Links
Statewide Resources:
- Licensed databases and journal articles are available to any resident of Massachusetts, really anyone using a computer with an IP address registered in Massachusetts (https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/)
- Some electronic books (encyclopedias and other more scholarly books, not recreational reading items)
- Digital Commonwealth for material from cities and towns across Massachusetts that have been digitized (https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/)
Boston Public Library (Library for the Commonwealth):
- Need to have an eCard with Boston Public Library (easy to get) (http://bpl.org/general/circulation/ecards.htm)
- eCard grants access to a wealth of licensed research databases and journal articles (http://bpl.org/electronic/index.htm)
- Boston Public Library also has collections of information assembled into research guides (http://guides.bpl.org/)
- Boston Public Library has digitized a good deal of material from their archives and made the material available online (http://www.bpl.org/collections/online/)
UMass Amherst Libraries www.library.umass.edu
There are two libraries at UMass Amherst– the W.E.B Du Bois Library (the tower) and the Science and Engineering Library.
- Any resident of Massachusetts can get a State Borrower’s card (picture ID with Mass address) http://www.library.umass.edu/services/borrowing/borrowing-faq/
- Borrow books
- Use online resources (on campus only)
- Get reference and research help
- Special Collections and University Archives (check hours) http://www.library.umass.edu/locations/scua/
- UMass dissertations and theses
- Focused collections of primary documents on social movements in the Pioneer Valley
- Growing digital collection freely available online
- Get help from a librarian online, email or by phone (Ask Us)
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources –http://bpl.org/electronic/index.htm The Boston Public Library receives funding from the state to serve as the Library for the Commonwealth. As a result, they are able to purchase licenses to a large variety of databases and resources and make them available to all citizens of the Commonwealth through their eCard program – http://bpl.org/electronic/index.htm
Boston Public Library Online Collections (Digitized Collections): http://www.bpl.org/collections/online/ This is a mixed collection of resources, all available online. The majority of the collection contains a variety of items owned by the Boston Public Library that has been digitized and made available online such as map collections, newspaper collections, photographs, audio, and video. There are also some collections of eBooks, manuscripts and other books that have been digitized and made available for online access.
Boston Public Library Research Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/ These are very well laid out and informative websites that provide links to a variety of resources — websites of various types as well as resources from within the collection of the Boston Public Library.
Digital Commonwealth – https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/ This is a collection of cultural heritage materials from libraries, museums, historical societies and archives from around the state of Massachusetts. The materials available are documents, images, and sound recordings. Everything can be accessed online for free.
Local Public Libraries in Massachusetts – https://libraries.state.ma.us/library/search Many public libraries in the state of Massachusetts have collections of local material. Some libraries have museum collections or entire rooms of floors of their library dedicated to their historical collections. Much of this material may not be discoverable through an online library catalog. Instead, you may want to contact the library located in the city or town you are researching and ask them if they have a local history collection available for research. The link above will allow you to search for the library located in the city or town you are interested in and will provide you with an address and contact information.
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ Articles from newspapers, magazines, academic journals as well as entire academic publications and encyclopedias are available to all residents in the state of Massachusetts through the link above.
UMass Research Guides http://guides.library.umass.edu/subjectguides Research guides compiled by subject specialist librarians and arranged by academic department. Each guide has the contact information for the specialist librarian in that subject.
By Topic
Art & Architecture
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/art.asp
Boston Public Library Research Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/art-architecture-research
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Cities and Buildings Database http://www.washington.edu/ark2/
Great Buildings http://www.greatbuildings.com/
Built in America http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/
Biography
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/biography.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Business
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/business.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Dance
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/theatre.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Education
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/education.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Encyclopedia
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/encyclopedia.asp
Gale Virtual Reference Library (Statewide Databases) – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Gale Virtual Reference Library” link)
Encyclopedia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/
Film
Boston Public LibrarInternet Movie Database (IMDb)y Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/theatre.asp
Boston Public Library Resource Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/filmTV
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences http://www.oscars.org/
Internet Movie Database (IMDb) http://www.imdb.com/
Genealogy
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/biography.asp
Boston Public Library Resource Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/genealogymain
FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/
General
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/general.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Dissertations and theses at UMass Amherst (online from 2014-present)
Government, Law & Political Science
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/government.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Health
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/health.asp
Boston Public Library Research Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/healthinformation
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
History
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/history.asp
Boston Public Library Research Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/bpldocs (also guides on Boston History, Boston Public Schools History, and lots of other history topics)
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
National Archives – https://www.archives.gov/ (Photos, historical documents)
Hobbies, Home & Travel
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/hobbies.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Language Learning
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/language.asp
Literature
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/literature.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Maps
Boston Public Library Norman B. Leventhal Map Center – http://www.leventhalmap.org/
Digital Commonwealth – https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search?f%5Bgenre_basic_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Collections&f%5Bgenre_basic_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Maps
UMass Amherst Map Collection (Physical maps. Recent and historic USGS topographic quadrangles, satellite and aerial photo images, county soil surveys, remote sensing land use maps, flood insurance maps, geoscience thematic maps, travel and recreation maps)
David Rumsey Map Collection http://www.davidrumsey.com/home (Antique and historical maps, celestial maps, illustrated maps)
Boston Streets http://dca.lib.tufts.edu/features/bostonstreets/about/index.html (Combines photographs, maps, and city directories in historical layers)
Music
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/music.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Newspapers (Historical and Current)
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/newspaper.asp
Boston Public Library Research Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/newspapersBPL
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (Boston Globe and New York Times. Go to “Newspapers” section near bottom of page)
Philosophy, Religion & Social Sciences
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/philosophy.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Psychology & Sociology
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/psychology.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Science & Technology
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/science.asp
Boston Public Library Research Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/scienceresearch
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Historical Math Monographs http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/m/math//
Science.gov https://www.science.gov/index.html
SciTech Connect https://www.osti.gov/scitech/
American Geosciences Institute http://www.americangeosciences.org/
Minerals.net http://www.minerals.net/
US Geological Survey: Geology research and information https://geology.usgs.gov/index.htm
Sports
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/sports.asp
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Statistics
Boston Public Library Electronic Resources – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/statistics.asp
Boston Public Library Research Guides – http://guides.bpl.org/populationdata
Statewide Databases – https://libraries.state.ma.us/research/ (click on “Complete List of Databases” link to get collection by topic)
Theatre
Boston Public Library – http://www.bpl.org/electronic/theatre.asp
Miscellaneous Useful Sites
Massachusetts Land Records http://www.masslandrecords.com/ (Includes records from every town and city in the Commonwealth; coverage dates vary)
WorldCat https://www.worldcat.org/ (A catalog of books in libraries around the world)
Open Access Dissertations and Theses https://oatd.org/ (Good for scholarly and academic research)