LibGuides: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources: Books & eBooks

How do I use books and ebooks?

The library has books available in both print and e-book form. Print books are located on the first floor of the library and can be searched for in the catalog. E-books are usually accessed through databases. The library has a few databases of e-books, including:

eBooks on EBSCO This link opens in a new window
Over 150,000 fiction, reference, scholarly, and professional books online.
Ebook Central Academic and Public Library Complete This link opens in a new window
Scholarly titles supporting student and faculty research, and general nonfiction on topics such as school & studying, career development, arts & leisure, and practical life skills.

Books tend to be better for more general overviews of a topic as opposed to articles that go in-depth on specific topics. Books can cover lots of ground in varying amounts of depth, whereas articles cover a smaller amount of ground in great depth.

Print Books

Search for books in the catalog here.

Some Dewey Decimal ranges where you may find books on this topic are:

300s: Social Sciences

900s: History, Geography

Books

Print Books

These books are examples of primary sources.

The 1950s (1950-1959) by Salem Press
Call Number: 973.92 N714
ISBN: 9781619258860
Publication Date: 2016
A reference to primary sources of the 1950s in the United States.
The 1960s (1960-1969) by Salem Press
Call Number: 973.92 N714
ISBN: 9781619258884
Publication Date: 2016
A reference to primary sources of the 1960s in the United States.
The 1970s (1970-1979) by Salem Press
Call Number: 973.92 N714
ISBN: 9781619258907
Publication Date: 2016
A reference to primary sources of the 1970s in the United States.

eBooks

Civil Rights in Black and Brown by Max Krochmal (Editor); Todd Moye (Editor)
ISBN: 9781477323786
Publication Date: 2021
First hand accounts from activists for fought for Mexican American and African American civil rights in Texas during the mid-twentieth century.
Gendered Citizenship by Rebecca DeWolf
ISBN: 9781496215567
Publication Date: 2021
This describes the struggle surrounding the Equal Rights Amendment from 1920 to 1963 using primary sources.
Primary Sources and Asian Pasts by Peter C. Bisschop (Editor); Elizabeth A. Cecil (Editor)
ISBN: 9783110674071
Publication Date: 2020
Scholars from various academic disciples compare methods and challenges for the analysis of primary sources from Asia.

Print Books

These books are examples of secondary sources.

The Lumumba Plot by Stuart A. Reid
Call Number: 967.5 R353L
ISBN: 9781524748814
Publication Date: 2023
"A spellbinding work of history that reads like a Cold War spy thriller-about the US-sanctioned plot to assassinate the democratically elected leader of the newly independent Congo"-- provided by publisher.
Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen E. Ambrose
Call Number: 385.0973 A496n
ISBN: 0684846098
Publication Date: 2000
The story of the Transcontinental Railroad and the people that built it.
John Lewis by Raymond Arsenault
Call Number: 328.73 A781j
ISBN: 9780300253757
Publication Date: 2024
The first full-length biography of civil rights hero and congressman John Lewis.

eBooks

Martin Luther King Jr by John A. Kirk
ISBN: 9780582414310
Publication Date: 2013
Combining the latest insights from KIng biographies and movement histories, this book provides an up-to-date critical analysis of the relationship between King and the wider civil rights movement. Delivering a fresh perspective on the relationship between'the man and the movement', Kirk argues that it is the interactionbetween national and local movement concerns that is essential to understanding King's leadership and black activism in the 1950s and 1960s.
World War II: Background, Aftermath and Impact by Allison L. Palmadessa (Editor)
ISBN: 9781536194418
Publication Date: 2021
This edited collection exhibits research that considers economic, educational, technological, and strategic planning that contributed to nations' involvement in and the lasting impact of engagement in World War II.
Titanic by John Lang
ISBN: 9781442218901
Publication Date: 2012
The sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage in April 1912 was one of the defining moments of the twentieth century. Books and films about the disaster that befell the iconic liner are commonplace, and it seems almost inconceivable that anything fresh can emerge. But there is one angle that has not been covered, and Titanic Revisited examines the events of April 1912 from that completely new perspective.