Video: What is History For? (4:13)
Background Information
Background information is a good place to begin research. You can gather general information about your topic, dates, names, places, and other content that will be useful when you're ready to take a deep dive into your topic.
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Access background information by clicking the blue "Find Facts" button on the library homepage.
Choose a subject area to access the right facts databases for your topic.
Each database will have a search box, filters for refining your search, and tools to save, print, cite.
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Suggested Databases for Background Information
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Academic Search Complete EBSCOProvides a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals - of which more than 7,300 are peer-reviewed journals.
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American Decades 1900 through 1999 - GVRLCross-disciplinary source for documenting and analyzing periods of contemporary American social history (1900-1999).
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Black Thought and Culture
Black Thought and Culture contains 1,303 sources with 1,210 authors, covering the non-fiction published works of leading African Americans. -
CQ Historic Documents 1972 to PresentEach annual volume includes approximately 100 documents covering the most significant events of the years 1972 - present. These documents range from presidential speeches, international agreements, and Supreme Court decisions to U.S. governmental reports, scientific findings, and cultural discussions.
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CQ Press Encyclopedia of US Political HistoryTrace themes over time or delve deeply into American political institutions, culture, and behavior during seven time periods that correspond to key eras in United States history.
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Credo Reference - All Subjects SearchContains dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles.
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Oxford African American Studies CenterPrimary documents, web sites, and maps. Material is compiled by Oxford University Press from their many reference works, such as Africana, Encyclopedia of African American History, various Oxford Companions, and the forthcoming African American National Biography.
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Facts on File All ResourcesLinks to the Facts on File databases available at Oakton.
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StatistaBusiness, marketing, demographic, and economic statistics along with content in the form of infographics, company/industry dossiers, market analytics, and forecasts.