- Library Home
- Research Guides
- English
- Find Cultural and Historical Context
English
Library Research Guide
Start Here
Whether researching an aspect of today's popular culture in the U.S. or kinship in the Balkans, start your search in the database ProQuest Research Library. It covers publications ranging from popular titles like:
- Daily Beast
- Variety
- New Yorker
- Jet
- Outdoor Life
to academic/scholarly titles like:
- Economist
- Journal of Leisure Research
- Asian Ethnology
- ProQuest Research Library
Publication Dates Covered: 1971 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
This is a good starting point for finding journal articles on almost any topic. Over 150 academic subject areas are covered, and most articles are full-text. Searches can be limited to scholarly, peer-reviewed journals.
Cultures & Identities
Gain insight by understanding the culture and identities encountered in a cultural object.
British Culture, 1776-1832 by ISBN: 9780191518218Publication Date: 2001-07-01"Romantic Age is surveyed across all aspects of British culture, rather than in literary or artistic terms alone. The Companion's two-part structure presents forty-two essays on major topics, by leading international experts, cross-referenced to an extensive alphabetical section covering all the principal figures, events, and movements in the broad culture of the period."
Contemporary Asian American Communities by ISBN: 9781439901243Publication Date: 2009-03-16"Once thought of in terms of geographically bounded spaces, Asian America has undergone profound changes as a result of post-1965 immigration as well as the growth and reshaping of established communities. This collection of original essays demonstrates that conventional notions of community, of ethnic enclaves determined by exclusion and ghettoization, now have limited use in explaining the dynamic processes of contemporary community formation.Writing from a variety of perspectives, these contributors expand the concept of community to include sites not necessarily bounded by space; formations around gender, class, sexuality, and generation reveal new processes as well as the demographic diversity of today's Asian American population."
The Rural Midwest since World War II by ISBN: 9780875806945Publication Date: 2014-02-01"Midwesterners are a dynamic people who shaped the physical and social landscapes of the great midsection of the nation, and they are presented as such in this volume that offers a general yet informed overview of the region after World War II."
Super Black by ISBN: 9780292726543Publication Date: 2011-10-01"Super Black places the appearance of black superheroes alongside broad and sweeping cultural trends in American politics and pop culture, which reveals how black superheroes are not disposable pop products, but rather a fascinating racial phenomenon through which futuristic expressions and fantastic visions of black racial identity and symbolic political meaning are presented."
Need more information? Search in Search It for terms that identify a culture or identity and the term encyclopedia or dictionary.
For example:
- punk AND encyclopedia
- workers AND encyclopedia
Too many hits? Click on the K-State Libraries only tab and the majority of your results will be books or films owned by K-State, including print and ebooks.
These databases explore cultures and identities. All include academic materials, but you may find popular or community publications, too.
- Diversity Database Suite
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Provides a combined search for Ethnic NewsWatch and Ethnic NewsWatch History which feature newspapers, magazines, and journals from ethnic and minority presses; GenderWatch which features historical and current perspectives of gender roles; and Alt-PressWatch which showcases some of the nation’s most respected and cited grassroots publications. Searches can be narrowed to peer-reviewed publications. - Religion and Philosophy Collection
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Includes more than 300 full-text journals, pertaining to topics such as world religions, biblical studies, language, and philosophy. - Sociological AbstractsPublication Dates Covered: 1963 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
Search international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Indexes journal articles, book reviews, books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. - Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000: Basic EditionPublication Dates Covered: 1600-2000 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Examines perspectives on women’s social movements from colonial times to the present. Brings together books, images, documents, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies, documenting the multiplicity of women’s activism in public life.
Cultural Expression
These databases provide primarily academic resources discussing how cultures express themselves.
- Art Full Text
Publication Dates Covered: Indexing 1982 - present; abstracts 1994 - present; select full text 1997 - present Paid for by the State Library of Kansas
Addresses “art” in the broadest sense including topics relevant to archaeology, architecture, art history, ceramics, fashion design, graphic arts, interior design, landscape architecture, metalsmithing, photography, sculpture, textiles and more. Includes content from international arts journals, periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. - Oxford Art Online
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Formerly Grove Art Online, this is the definitive encyclopedia for the arts and design. This portal to Oxford art reference products includes cross-referenced articles and links to art images in galleries and museums. Articles are scholarly and include bibliographic references. This database contains Grove Art Online (the entire text of The Dictionary of Art), The Oxford Companion to Western Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, and is continually updated. - Performing Arts Periodicals Database
Paid for by K-State Libraries
A comprehensive guide to the journal literature on performing arts–drama, theater, dance, film, television, and more–from both scholarly and popular publications. Multidisciplinary fields include film, drama, dance, stagecraft, broadcast arts, circus performance, comedy, storytelling, and more. - Project MusePublication Dates Covered: 1995 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
Full-text scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Titles include the most widely held and heavily used core titles from noted academic publishers. Subjects include literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, mathematics and others. - RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale) Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text
Publication Dates Covered: 1967 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
A comprehensive bibliography of writings about music featuring citations, abstracts and indexes. It covers nearly one and a half million publications from the early 19th century to the present on traditional music, popular music, jazz, classical music, and related subjects, enhanced with the full text of over 260 periodicals. New titles are being added annually.
History
Scholarly Sources
Search these sources for articles, books, and chapters that provide context on historical events and people.
America: History and Life covers U.S. and Canadian history. It features an Advanced Search feature that will let you limit your search to a time frame in history.
Project Muse, JSTOR, and ACLS Humanities Ebooks also include extensive historical academic sources.
- America: History & Life
Publication Dates Covered: 1964 - present Simultaneous users: 6 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Indexes and abstracts for approximately 1,800 journals in the field of United States and Canadian history. Full-text coverage for more than 280 journals and more than 80 books. Contains citations and links to book and media reviews. Can search by time period. - JSTOR
Paid for by K-State Libraries
A full-text collection of journals ranging from history to business to literature to science and mathematics. Coverage begins with the first issue of a title, but the most recent three to five years of each title are usually not available. The full article text is searchable. Images are available for searching as well. - Project MusePublication Dates Covered: 1995 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
Full-text scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Titles include the most widely held and heavily used core titles from noted academic publishers. Subjects include literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, mathematics and others. - ACLS (American Council of Learned Societies) Humanities E-BookPaid for by K-State Libraries
Fully searchable collection of high-quality books in the humanities, sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies. Titles consist of new books in electronic-only format and time-tested works originally published in paper but converted to electronic format.
Primary Sources
Sources that provide historical context include, but are not limited to: newspapers articles, letters, maps, music, diaries, and cultural objects.
Primary sources may be found in: databases, archives, museums, digital collections, books, personal collections (photo albums, attics, filing cabinets).
Digital Collections from Museums and Archives:
Many archives and museums digitize items in their collections to make them more widely available online. Their websites will may include digital archives or digital collections.
Primary source materials are often collected and made accessible by cultural institutions. Consider the country, social group, and activity that is the focus of your research. Look for related museums, libraries, and clubs/associations that may have digitized materials from their collections.
United States
- Digital Public Library of America Search across digitized library collections across the United States
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- New York Public Library Digital Collections
- Smithsonian Institute digital Collections Search Center
Europe
- Biblioteca Digital Hispánica Biblioteca National de España
- British Library Digital Collections
- British National Archives - Research Guides for Online Collections
- Europeana -- collective digital library for Europe
- Gallica - Bibliothèque Nationale de France's digitized collections
Communities and Identities
- Digital Schomburg - The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library
- Digital Transgender Archive - an international collaboration
- South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
- Southern Appalachian Collections - digital materials from Berea College's archives
Collections with a Special Focus
- Victoria and Albert, preeminent museum of art and design - Search the Collections
- Wellcome Library -- medical history library -- Digital Collections
- Winterthur Museum -- focus on design and gardens -- Online Collections
- Internet Archive
Library Databases:
K-State Libraries subscribe to a number of primary source databases. These include:
Newspapers
- African American Newspapers Series 1, 1827-1998Publication Dates Covered: 1827-1998 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Covers African American experiences before the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement, and up to the end of the 20th century. Includes more than 270 newspapers (published by or for African Americans) from 35 states, including many rare and historically significant 19th century titles, and provides access to both full-text and images. - New York Times, Historical
Publication Dates Covered: 1851-2021 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Digitized version of The New York Times since its first issue in 1851. Search the full text of articles to find articles on a wide variety of topics. Full name of the database is ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index. - Times Digital ArchivePublication Dates Covered: 1785-2019 Paid for by K-State Libraries
The complete issues of more than two hundred years of The Times of London are available for keyword searching by users, including articles, advertisements, and illustrations. Coverage of specific events and trends can be reviewed, providing a contemporary view to modern researchers.
Databases with Images.
- Vogue ArchivePublication Dates Covered: 1892 - present Paid for by K-State Libraries
This database contains the entire run of Vogue magazine (US edition), from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. There are options to browse complete issues or search by garment type, designer, brand name, photographer and more.
Databases with Digitized Texts
- Early English Books Online
Publication Dates Covered: 1473-1700 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Contains page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America, as well as works in English printed elsewhere between 1473 and 1700. Exhaustive resource on the first books in English from the ages of Spenser, Shakespeare, and the English Civil War. - Eighteenth Century Collections Online
Publication Dates Covered: 1701-1800 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Includes eighteenth century collections on history and geography, social sciences, religion and philosophy, fine arts, literature and language, law, medicine, science, and technology. Users can view digital page images; full-text searchable. - Gale Primary SourcesPublication Dates Covered: 1500 - 1955 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Primary Sources allows users to search multiple primary source databases, ifor example, Archives Unbound, British Library Newspapers, Eighteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers, Sabin Americana, 1500 - 1926, the Times Digital Archive, and almost 20 other databases. - Nineteenth Century Collections Online
Publication Dates Covered: 1800-1900, with some exceptions Paid for by K-State Libraries
Collection of primary materials from the 19th century on all kinds of topics. Fully searchable documents, books, images, maps, and other types of materials. Societies from around the world are profiled, as well as issues such as women’s rights, science, technology, politics, and business. - Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982
Publication Dates Covered: 1890-1982 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Indexes popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States from 1890 through 1982. Includes citations for more than 3 million articles from 375 magazines.
Databases with Music and Audio
- Naxos Music Library
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Expansive online library containing all music in the Naxos recording label's library in streaming format. It is continually updated with new music as it is released on the Naxos label. - Naxos Music Library - World
Simultaneous users: 5 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Naxos Music Library World features contains streaming audio of thousands of recordings of music from around the world. The entire Smithsonian Folkways catalog is included. - Naxos Music Library JazzSimultaneous users: 5 Paid for by K-State Libraries
This supplemental resource to the Naxos Music Library adds more than 60,000 tracks and 5,200 albums, representing nearly 7,000 jazz artists world-wide. Covered genres include Contemporary Jazz, Jazz, Blues, Nostalgia, World, Contemporary Instrumental, Pop and Rock, and Spoken Word. - Music Online Smithsonian Global Sound for LibrariesPaid for by K-State Libraries
An encyclopedia of the world's musical and aural traditions. The collection provides an unprecedented variety of online resources that include diverse musical forms, historical speeches, poets and authors reading their own works, and an extensive children's collection.
Dictionaries
- Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Online edition of one of the most authoritative sources for the English language. More manageable than the print edition and updated quarterly.
Biographies
Whether researching an author or a historical figure who appears in a work, these academic and scholarly biographies include references to additional sources of information.
- Literary Reference Center
Paid for by K-State Libraries
Offers full-text reference resources geared primarily toward undergraduate students. In addition to critical reviews of literature and encyclopedias, the Literary Reference Center also provides biographies. Includes reference works like: Dictionary of World Biography, Magill’s Survey of World Literature, and Research Guide to Biography & Criticism - Literature Resource CenterSimultaneous users: 2 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors from every age and literary discipline.
Includes classic reference works like: Dictionary of Literary Biography and Contemporary Authors Online. See a complete list of reference titles. (Opens as an Excel file.) - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Simultaneous users: 6. Paid for by K-State Libraries
Over 60,000 biographies of men and women who have impacted British history and culture worldwide from the Romans to the 21st Century. Includes over 11,000 portraits.
American National Biography by Call Number: CT213 .A68 1999 Hale Library Reference--Non-CirculatingISBN: 9780195206357Publication Date: 1999-01-21American National Biography is a comprehensive biographical dictionary containing over 17,500 profiles on historical figures written by an expert in the field and completed with a bibliography.
