Resources by Subject

In addition to our Databases, there are a variety of research guides and materials available on the internet to assist students with curriculum assignments and basic reference work. These websites are considered by librarians to be from reputable and sometimes scholarly sources.

Art

Beazley Archive Material relating to the study of classical archeology and art. More than 5,000 images, an illustrated dictionary, bibliographies for classical archeology, and illustrated programs about pottery, sculpture, and engraved gems. Extensive, searchable pottery database.
Google Arts & Culture Explore art museums around the world. Walk through galleries, zoom in on artwork, and learn about works and their creators.
NYPL Digital Collections The New York Public Library's collection of prints, maps, posters, photographs, illuminated manuscripts, sheet-music covers, and dust jackets (and more).

Education

General Information

Ask a Librarian An online reference service from the Library of Congress. Includes links to the Library of Congress web site and online catalog.
Library of Congress Webcasts Over the past several years, the Library of Congress has documented several hundred of the talks, discussions, and conferences that have taken place under its leadership.
Today's Front Pages From Newseum, this includes over 250 front pages of newspapers from 37 countries, presented alphabetically with links to each newspaper's website.
The Wayback Machine Over 100 terabytes and 10 billion web pages archived from 1996 to the present.

Government Documents

The American Presidency Project Contains the Public Papers of the Presidents -- consisting of public messages, statements, speeches, and news conferences -- from Hoover through Trump. Also contains the Messages and Papers of the Presidents from 1789-1913 as well as election statistics and maps.
Congress.gov Access to legislation, committee reports, The Congressional Record, and more.
CyberCemetery Provides permanent public access to the websites and publications of defunct U.S. government agencies and commissions.
GPO Access U.S. Government Printing Office. Search all U.S. Government publications from one search box.
The Indigenous Digital Archive: Treaties Explorer An archive of hundreds of Native American treaties, plus supporting historical and contextual information.
National Archives and Records Administration An independent federal agency that manages all federal records, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
National Security Archive A library and archive of declassified U.S. documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, run by The George Washington University.
State Department Freedom of Information Act Homepage Links to State Department records and information access programs.
U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets Information from the State Department on U.S. relations with 200 separate countries.
U.S. Census Bureau Maps, gazetteer files, and the American Community Survey, as well as statistics on income, poverty, housing, demographics, genealogy, and economics.
UVA Miller Center: The Presidency Includes presidential speeches, presidential oral histories, and secret White House tapes.
Wilson Center Digital Archive: International History Declassified Contains unclassified documents from U.S. and international governments.
The World Factbook (CIA) Maps and information about countries' geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues. Includes flags of the world.

History

History (focused on primary sources)

US History

General Information

100 Milestone Documents Documents chronicling United States history from 1776 to 1965.
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History Primary documents pertaining the the study of American history; documents span the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries.
American Archive of Public Broadcasting Features over 50,000 files from public television and radio stations across the U.S. from the past 70 years.
The American Yawp Reader A primary source companion to The American Yawp, an open-source textbook.
The Avalon Project at Yale Primary documents relevant to law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy, and government from pre-18th to the 21st century.
Calisphere Over one million photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements, musical recordings, and more.
Digital History Search by era and then choose the documents tab, or click on "Primary Sources" at the bottom of the page.
Digital Public Library of America A collection of photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and more from America's libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions.
Document Bank of Virginia A collection of primary source documents relating to the history of the United States; browse by era or theme.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Includes over 70,000 primary source documents (log in and sign up for an account for access).
Hathi Trust Digital Library A collection of millions of digitized items from libraries throughout the world.
History Matters: Many Paths Contains over 1,000 primary source documents, images, and audio interviews about the experiences of ordinary Americans; use the "full search" feature for best results.
Internet History Sourcebooks Project From Fordham University, primary source documents divided into several history collections: Ancient, Medieval, Modern, Byzantine Studies, African, East Asian, Indian, Islamic, Jewish, Lesbian and Gay, Science, Women's, and Global.
Library of Congress: Chronicling America A searchable collection of America's historic newspapers from 1789 to 1963.
Library of Congress: Digital Collections Includes primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States.
Library of Congress: Primary Source Sets Documents U.S. history through a collection of photographs, newspaper clips, maps, and more.
National Archives: Docs Teach Thousands of U.S. history primary sources; search by era or document type.
National Archives: Founders Online The correspondence and other writings of Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison.
NYPL Digital Collections A collection of over 800,000 digitized items that features prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming videos, and more.
Primary Source Nexus Primary source materials on a wide range of topics; includes a "Today in History" calendar with links to primary documents.
Unz.com Free periodicals, books, and magazines from US history.
Wilson Center Digital Archive Contains unclassified documents from U.S. and international governments.
World Digital Library A project from the Library of Congress and UNESCO, featuring primary sources from all countries and cultures.
Yearbook of Immigration Statistics Statistics on immigration and immigrants in the United States.

Founding

The Founders' Constitution Complete copies of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights together with commentaries and criticisms.
Virtual Jamestown A unique combination of archival research and cutting-edge technology, focusing on the legacies it helped to foster such as slavery and indentured servitude.

Slavery and the Civil War

Documenting the American South Primary source materials documenting the cultural history of the American South from the collections of the University of North Carolina. Features diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, travel accounts, titles on slavery, and regional literature.
Freedom on the Move A searchable database of "runaway ads" for fugitives from North American slavery.
Umbra Search Includes primary source materials on select topics in African-American history, such as slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

Civil and Women's Rights

American Women: First-person Accounts A primary source collection from the Library of Congress's Research Guides.
Black Quotidian: Everyday History in African-American Newspapers An archive of digitized African-American newspapers that explores the everyday lives of African Americans in the 20th century.
History of Women's Suffrage An overview of the movement presented through biographies of important suffragists; includes timelines from 1792 to present.
National Women's History Museum A collection of primary source materials, including photos, flyers, advertisements, and more.
NYPL Digital Schomburg Access to information on the global Black experience through the Schomburg Center, created and curated by NYPL staff and librarians.
Stonewall Digital Collections A digitized selection from the Stonewall National Museum and Archives and Library, comprising over 6 million pages of materials documenting LGBTQ+ political, cultural, and social history.
W. E. B. Du Bois Papers A collection of more than 100,000 items of correspondence, speeches, articles, newspaper columns, and other ephemera.

New York History

1940s New York A neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide featuring period photographs, color coded maps, statistics, and information on neighborhoods in NYC in 1943.

World History

Arab Culture and Civilization Focuses primarily on the culture and civilization of the Arab world. Divisions include history, ethnicity and identity, Islam, Arab Americans, literature and philosophy, family and society, art and architecture, the Arabic language, and geography.
The Avalon Project at Yale Primary documents relevant to law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy, and government from pre-18th to the 21st century.
Calisphere Over one million photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements, musical recordings, and more.
Churchill Archive Includes over 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965 (click here for login info).
Digital Public Library of America A collection of photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and more from America's libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions.
EuroDocs Collection of primary source documents relating to European history.
Europeana Collections Provides access to over 50 million digitized books, music, artworks, and more with helpful search and filter tools.
Hathi Trust Digital Library A collection of millions of digitized items from libraries throughout the world.
Internet History Sourcebooks Project From Fordham University, primary source documents divided into several history collections: Ancient, Medieval, Modern, Byzantine Studies, African, East Asian, Indian, Islamic, Jewish, Lesbian and Gay, Science, Women's, and Global.
Nations of the World Part of the Law Library of Congress's Global Legal Information Network; provides links to information on all the countries' constitutions as well as their legislative, executive, and judicial bodies.
New York Public Library Digital Collections A collection of over 800,000 digitized items that features prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming videos, and more.
Wilson Center Digital Archive Contains unclassified documents from U.S. and international governments.
World Digital Library A project from the Library of Congress and UNESCO, featuring primary sources from all countries and cultures; explore by place or time period.

Law

AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History Primary documents pertaining the the study of American history. Documents span the 15th to the 20th centuries.
Congress.gov A comprehensive guide to Congressional bills, including a history of the legislature. Information on measures expected to be considered on the House floor this week, search of text of bills, bill summary and status, public laws, house and senate roll call votes, Congressional records, and committee reports.
Find Law A guide to Supreme Court decisions, the Constitution, federal and state laws, cases and codes, legal subjects, and foreign and international legal resources.
Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute Provides selected historic decisions of the Supreme Court.
Oyez An audio archive of Supreme Court cases since 1955, plus profiles of all Supreme Court justices.

Literature and English

Maps

David Rumsey Map Collection Rare 18th and 19th century North and South America cartographic history materials.
Library of Congress: Collections with Maps Map collections from 1500 to 2002. Sorted by cities and towns, cultural landscapes, military battles, conservation and environment, transportation and communication, discovery and exploration, and general maps.
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection A portion of the printed map collection at the University of Texas has been scanned and made available on this website.
U.S. Census Bureau Maps, gazetteer files, and the American Community Survey, as well as statistics on income, poverty, housing, demographics, genealogy, and economics.
The World Factbook (CIA) Maps and information about countries' geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues. Includes flags of the world.

Mathematics

Music

An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, ca. 1490-1920 A collection of over two hundred social dance manuals housed at the Library of Congress, as well as a number of anti-dance manuals, histories, and treatises on etiquette. Seventy-five video clips demonstrate steps from selected manuals.
The Aria Database A searchable reference guide to arias by name, opera, language, and voice type, including word-by-word translations into English, libretti, and MIDI files for many of the arias. Includes the complete set of operatic arias of Verdi, Mozart, and Puccini, as well as many others.
The Leonard Bernstein Collection, ca. 1920-1989 More than 400,000 items, including music and literary manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, audio and video recordings, and fan mail.
Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1870-1885 Over 47,000 pieces of sheet music registered for copyright during the years 1870 to 1885. Includes popular songs, piano music, sacred and secular choral music, solo instrumental music, method books and instructional materials, and music for orchestra and band.

Poetry

Bartelby.com: Poetry Thousands of poems by hundreds of authors spanning six centuries of English-language poetry.
Favorite Poem Project Created by Robert Pinsky as his poet laureate special project; features ordinary people reciting the poems they love. Includes 50 Favorite Poem Videos.
Poet's Corner Best known classics to obscure ballads in Middle English. Search by author, title, first line, or subject.
Poets.org A link to full text poems, information about poets, poetry events, discussion forums, and audio versions of poets reading their poems.
Poetry 180 Created by former Poet Laureate Billy Collins; provides the texts of 180 poems by contemporary American poets, one for each day of the school year. Includes guidance on how to read poetry aloud.
Poetry Daily An anthology of contemporary poetry, which each day brings a new poem from books, magazines, and journals currently in print. Also includes an archive to past poets, journals, and interviews.
Poetry Foundation Publisher of Poetry magazine; website is searchable by poem and poet, and several categories within each. Includes links to articles, videos, and podcasts.

Religion & Philosophy

Religion

American Academy of Religion Articles, discussions, and information on various religions and belief systems.
BBC Religion & Ethics A portal with information and discussions on dozens of major belief systems.
BBC Religions In-depth, accessible information on many religions.

Philosophy

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy A peer-reviewed online encyclopedia with articles about philosophy and philosophers.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy A work-in-progress with regular updates.

Science & Health

Science

Astronomy

Solar System Exploration Excellent visual representation of the planets and their moons in the solar system.
Space.com Information on everything to do with space and space exploration.

Biology

Evolution from PBS Short videos and lessons aimed to high school biology students to explain evolution.
Understanding Evolution From UC Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology; provides educators with lesson plans and other tools needed to teach natural selection, along with strategies for countering the misconceptions that often surround this controversial issue.

General Science Resources

NASA Science Science done through or at NASA, covering basic scientific principles, scientific methods, debates, and questions. Includes biology, chemistry, Earth Science, technology, astronomy, and physics.
National Science Digital Library A comprehensive source for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Funded by the National Science Foundation.
Population Reference Bureau Informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations.
Science.gov A gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies, including research and development results.
Scientific Biographies From the Science History Institute: "The biographies in this collection present the human side of science. They are authoritative accounts of what lives in science have looked like."

Health

Alcohol and Drug Issues

Above the Influence Links to advice and facts concerning illegal substance use, as well as teen-related news and suggestions on how to help someone in need.
DEA Drug Information Fact sheets and info about various drugs from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Go Ask Alice Columbia University's Health Center Q&A.
Merck Manual Information on medical topics, symptoms, drugs, procedures, news and more, written in everyday language.
National Institute on Drug Abuse Comprehensive website with research and treatment reports and news.

Eating Disorders

American Psychological Association -- Eating Disorders Information on treatments, body image disorders, news stories, and more.
Dying to Be Thin Examines life threatening eating disorders and seeks to reveal the reasons patients are consumed by their obsession with weight.

General Health

Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Family Doctor.org Written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals. Comprehensive coverage of medical topics relevant to teens.
Merck Manual Information on medical topics, symptoms, drugs, procedures, news and more, written in everyday language.
Sex & U Answers many questions about STIs.
Social Issues Links to the Social Issues page of the of Multnomah County Library.