Reference sources provide basic information about a topic, person, or event. They do not make an argument or hold a particular point of view; rather, they try to provide the facts surrounding a topic. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are created by scholars or other writers to advance an argument about a specific topic. They are often very narrow in scope and can sometimes be much longer than reference sources.
The databases below all include both reference and secondary sources (and some have primary sources as well). By looking at the source itself as well as how it is categorized by the databases, you can figure out what kind of source it is. Each list includes a limited number of databases to help you focus your research, but the library has other databases that my be relevant to your search, which you can find at the "Library Databases A-Z" link at the bottom of the page.
The library also has print books about Haiti and the Haitian Revolution. There is more information about accessing print books at the bottom of this page.
Why search here? Includes more than 650,000 biographical entries covering a variety of time periods, regions and areas of study.
What's included? Biographical entries and related photos, primary sources, magazine and journal articles.
Why search here? Good starting point for historical research in all eras and across the globe. Topic overviews offer a basic understanding of a topic and reference sources and articles from scholarly journals and other magazines provide further information.
What's included? Reference articles, magazine articles, scholarly/journal articles, primary source documents, biographies, maps and photographs
Date range: Ancient world-Present
Why search here? Includes resources which support the exploration of historical questions, debates and controversies in world and American history. Also a great place to find curated primary sources.
What's included? Pro/con articles, timelines, primary sources
Date range: Ancient history-Present
Reference and primary sources about modern history.
Resources about the people, cultures, events, and societies that have formed the history of humanity.
Why search here? Here you will find links to all of the library's databases and helpful resources for your research.
What's included? An alphabetical, searchable list of all of the library's databases.
Why search here? Good starting point for secondary source materials on a variety of topics including business, science, history, media and the arts.
What's included? Scholarly/journal articles, magazine articles, and videos and podcasts from news organizations
Why search here? Look here for secondary sources on a wide variety of topics, including science and technology, the humanities, the social sciences and more.
What's included? Scholarly/journal articles, academic conference processings, government documents, and over 100,000 news videos from the Associated Press.
Why search here? JSTOR is a collection of leading scholarly journals across many academic disciplines, as well as other resources such as primary sources and images. Like many secondary source databases, JSTOR is best used to find scholarly work on a specific topic, not to learn background information about a general research topic.
What's included? Scholarly/journal articles, primary source collections, images
Resources about the people, cultures, events, and societies that have formed the history of humanity.
The library also has a number of print books that might be helpful in your search. Please search the library catalog at this link or ask a librarian for help searching for books if you are interested.
Why search here? The Putnam Library catalog shows which books the library owns and how to find them.
What's included? Library catalog