The Times (London) Digital Archive gets a facelift

The Times (London) Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of the Times, one of the most highly regarded resources for eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century news coverage, with every page of every issue from 1785 to 2012 (6 year embargo).

This historical newspaper archive allows researchers an unparalleled opportunity to search and view the best-known and most cited newspaper, in fact the oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication!

This interface has recently transformed (see image below) for a more streamlined general and advanced search. Consider this database as a primary resource complement to social, political and cultural history courses.

More information on The Times Digital Archive and a list of additional primary source resources here at Monmouth College.

Primary Source Databases Added

New primary source databases available via Gale!

Hewes Library recently purchased access to five new primary source databases, outstanding resources for for historical, sociological, and cultural research.

The Times (London) Digital Archive 1785-2012 Full-image and fully searchable access to daily newspaper The Times (London). Coverage: 1785 through a 6 year embargo. 19th Century U.S. Newspapers Full-image and fully searchable access to 19th century United States newspapers, featuring over 500 titles portraying a broad depiction of life in the 1800's. Useful for research in American history, media, politics, and society, placing particular emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life. Archives of Sexuality & Gender: LGBTQ History & Culture Since 1940 Full-text access to primary source content on social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world, including the gay rights movement, activism, and the HIV/Aids crisis. Sources include newsletters, papers, government documents, manuscripts, pamphlets from over 35 countries.

Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive
Full-image and fully searchable primary source materials focused on the history of slavery, including the abolitionist movement, the anti- and pro-slavery arguments of the period, and the debates on the subject of colonization. Materials indexed include books, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, and manuscripts for a multinational perspective. Coverage: 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Women's Studies Archive: Women's Issues and Identities
Full-text and fully searchable primary sources focusing on women's history during the 19th and 20th centuries. Contents include diaries, letters, photographs, newspapers, and periodicals presenting a record of the issues that have affected women and women's movements.

--OR--   
SEARCH (almost all) of our Gale Primary Resource Collections with one search:

Includes the sources above + Times Literary Supplement Archive (1902-2013), however it EXCLUDES Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive.

Contact the Reference Desk (reference@monmouthcollege.edu) with questions.

Research Tip: Why should I use a library database?

What is a library database?

A database is a collection of citations, indexes, and/or full text for articles that originally appeared in journals, magazines, or newspapers.  A database gathers all of this information into a single, searchable collection.

How do databases differ from library catalogs?

Databases differ from catalogs. A catalog indexes books, DVDs, AV materials, music, and more so you can locate a record and then locate the item. Catalogs do not have full text articles, while many library databases do.  Think about it this way: If you wanted to find Time Magazine you would use a catalog, but to find the individual articles that appeared in Time Magazine, you would use a library database.

Why should I use a library database?

Searching a library database is different than searching the web.  While both provide information that is searchable, a library database contains expert selected and curated information that is not freely available on the web.  Libraries pay to access this content and which allows users to research using content that is managed and more reliable in many cases than information freely available on the web.  

You can find access to all of the Hewes Library's databases on the Databases: Find Articles section of the library's website.  We have a lot to choose from and the list can be a little intimidating at first, but don't worry!  You can always view the Databases by Subject, which will help to sort them by major subject area and help you focus your research.  

Access to library databases is limited to the current students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

Late Minute Election Information

Less than a week before the 2012 Presidential Election!  Are you prepared?

Looking for last minute election information assist you in making an informed choice?  Have you checked the validity of the candidate's statements? Do you know about their campaigns?

Check out the library's Election 2012 Research Guide which contains access to the latest news, fact checking resources, and candidate information.  Use the guide to learn more about the candidates, their speeches, and current campaigns. 

Current Periodicals: Finding Recent Issues

Recent periodicals are available on the main floor of Hewes Library.  Popular and scholarly periodicals are both located on the South side of the building - across from the Einstein Brothers Bagel Coffee shop.

The most recent issues are displayed on the front of the shelving.  The shelves lift up to store the older issues of the magazine or journal.  Issues from the previous six months to a year are available on the main level.  Back issues of the periodicals can be found in the lower level of the library shelved alphabetically by title.

To Go Workshops: November & December

Visit one of Hewes Library’s To Go! workshops. In these 15 minute workshops, library staff will review skills to get you through the semester & beyond! Workshops will be held in Hewes Library’s Instructional Area, Room 124, on the main floor of the library—near the public workstations.  Workshop times and topics are listed below.

Searching the Library Catalog

• Tuesday, November 16: 9-9:15am

Requesting Off Campus Materials

• Monday, November 15: 1:30-1:45pm

Finding Research Articles

• Wednesday, November 17: 3-3:15pm
• Tuesday, November 30: 10-10:15am

Working on your Bibliography

• Thursday, November 18: 4-4:15pm
• Monday, November 22: 12-12:15pm
• Wednesday, December 1: 4-4:15pm
• Thursday, December 2: 12-12:15pm
• Monday, December 6: 2-2:15pm

Current Newspapers

Do you miss knowing about happenings in your home region or want to know what is happening here in the Monmouth/Galesburg area? Or are you curious about the latest national or international news? Then check out the newspaper section of the library. Located across from the Current Periodicals section near the coffee shop, you can find the current editions of several local, regional and national newspapers.

Among the local newspapers subscribed to by the library are the Monmouth Daily Review Atlas, the Galesburg Register Mail and the Zephyr (Galesburg). Of regional interest are the Peoria Journal Star and the Chicago Tribune. For those with a taste for national news, the library offers subscriptions to the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post weekly edition. If you are interested in international news check out the Guardian Weekly (Great Britain) or practice your Spanish with the El Pais Weekly (Spain).

Back issues dating up to three months are stored in the back of the library. Just ask at the front desk if, for instance, you want to look at what the Chicago Tribune had to say about the Cubs 2009 season and you missed reading it when it first came out.

Gale's AccessMyLibrary iPhone App

Gale Publishing Company has recently unveiled an iPhone application for their AccessMyLibrary mobile platform. The AccessMyLibrary iPhone application will allow patrons to access Gale's scholarly resources. Using GPS technology, the system will identify libraries within a 10 mile radius of the patron's current location and allow users to access the Gale resources of local libraries. Please visit Gale's annoucement page for more information and a direct link to download the application.

Microforms, Part III: Microfilm

In the last part of this series on microformats at Hewes library, we’ll talk about microfilm, the material contained on small reels similar to movie film. The only current title that the library receives in the microfilm format is the New York Times. While you can get access to most current New York Times articles via the databases Lexis/Nexis and America’s Newspapers, these sources do not display the articles in context. The microfilm reproduces the exact look of the newspaper; layout, advertisements and pictures. This is not found in either of the two databases.

Microfilm was also the format preferred by the library for the back issues of magazines from 1967 until 1992, when the shift was made to microfiche. Some magazines that have been around for a long time like Time and Newsweek have issues available in print (for pre-1967 issues), microfilm (1967-1992) and microfiche (1993- present). Be sure to check the location information for the library’s magazine titles in found in the library catalog record or in the Journals: A to Z list to locate the issues you need.

There are also microfilm copies of some regional Civil War Era newspapers such as the Cairo City Gazette and the Keokuk Des Moines Valley Whig. All of the microfilm is filed alphabetically in the cabinets found on the right hand wall of the microforms room. The same readers used for microfiche can be used to read and print from the microfilm. If you need assistance in locating a title or would like more information on the microfilm and microfiche collections at Hewes, ask any librarian.