Guide to Historical Research in the CSU Libraries

The Columbus State University Libraries offer a variety of digital, print, and microfilm resources which can be utilized for historical research. This guide lists materials which are either specific to our facilities, or are available via the world wide web. If you need more detailed help with historical resources, please contact Reagan Grimsley, the history liaison.

Monographs

GIL Online Catalog provides links to materials which are located in the CSU Libraries.

GIL Union Catalog is a listing of the library catalogs of the University System of Georgia. Through GIL Express these materials may be requested via the web and delivered to and dropped off at any USG library.

WORLDCAT via GALILEO contains entries for books held in libraries in the United States and around the world. Materials found in this database can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

Journal Articles

Searching either the Historical Abstracts or America: History and Life databases represents the best way to start a journal article search. Each of these databases covers nearly 2,000 journals in history and related disciplines, and can be accessed under the Non-GALILEO link on the library homepage. Please note that only an abstract comes with the article, it is not full text. To obtain the full text of the article you must then either find the journal in print form, access it at an online website, or via a digital database. You can use the Journal Locater in GALILEO to find which database holds the periodical you seek.

Print and Microfilm Journals are available on the first floor of the Schwob Library. The CSU Library subscribes to a variety of historical journals in print format. Some of the major journals located in the collection include:

• The American Historical Review
• English Historical Review
• European History Quarterly
• Georgia Historical Quarterly
• The Journal of African American History
• The Journal of American History
• The Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians
• The Journal of Southern History
• Latin American Research Review.

Digital Journals are available through GALILEO, primarily in EBSCOHOST Academic Premier. In addition, many quality peer-reviewed scholarly journals can be found on the web, and a brief list of these are located on the library website at History Journals on the Web

JSTOR is a database product which offers journals in a full-text searchable format. Included are fifteen major historical journals, as well as number of journals from related fields such as African-American History, Asian Studies, Language and Literature, and Political Science.

Wilson-Web Full Text Mega also offers full text access to major historical journals.

History Journals on the Web includes links to scholarly journals which are available free via the world wide web. These journals cover a variety of fields and historical disciplines.

Primary Source Materials

Primary sources can be found in the variety of locations in the CSU libraries. The list below comprises just a few of the major types of materials which are available to those interested in historical topics, and should not be considered a comprehensive list.

Government Documents houses a variety of state and national materials which can be valuable primary source documents. All titles can be searched using the GIL online catalog. Major multi-volume sets include the following:

• Documents on German Foreign Policy, 1918-1945: Gov Docs S1.82
• Foreign Relations of the United States,1939-1976: Gov Docs S1.1
• Letters to the Delegates of Congress,1774-1789: Gov Docs LC1.34
• Public Papers of the Presidents, 1929-1983 (Includes Presidents Hoover, F.D. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan): Gov Docs G54.113
• The Emerging Nation: Foreign Relation Of the United States, 1780-1789: Gov Docs AE1.114
• Treaties and Other Agreements of the United States, 1776-1949: Gov Docs S9.12
• United States Army in the Great War: Gov Docs D114.8
• United States Army in World War Two: Gov Docs D114.7
• United States Treaties and Other International Agreements, 1950-1984: Gov Docs S9.12

The Columbus State University Archives contains nearly 2000 linear feet of archival material which documents the history of Columbus and the surrounding Chattahoochee Valley. Also located in the Archives are vertical files, city directories, historical maps, photographs, and oral histories. Please visit the archives web site for a more detailed listing of the materials contained in the archives. A brief listing of major collections include:

• Loretto Chappel Collection
• Henry Benning and Seaborn Jones Papers
• Joseph B. Mahan Collection
• Carson McCullers Research Collection
• Legislative Papers of Mary Jane Galer
• Papers of Congressman Jack Brinkley
• Papers of A.J. McClung
• Records of the Eagle and Phenix and Muscogee Mills

The Library of American Civilization is a collection of materials on microfiche relating to all aspects of American life and literature from their beginnings to the outbreak of World War I. Included in the collection are pamphlets, periodicals, documents, biographies and autobiographies, fictional works, poetry, collections of various kinds, materials of foreign origin relating to America, and many rare books not generally available. These materials are indexed in the GIL online catalog.

Newspapers are available on the local, state, and national level. The three with the best coverage are from the cities of Columbus, Atlanta, and New York, although other major newspapers are available on microfilm as well.

Online Primary Sources for History, is a brief list of world wide web sites which are useful to those engaged in historical research. Other compilations of primary source documents may exist on the web, but each site should be carefully evaluated for the accuracy of its contents before being utilized in scholarly research.

Author Reagan L. Grimsley -- December 2004
HTML conversion EHK -- January 2005