Public History

Reference Guides & Bibliographies

Directories

Indexes & Abstracts

Handbooks & Yearbooks

Primary Sources

Journals

Internet Sites

Public History is a diverse profession dedicated to the research, recording and explaining of history outside of traditional academia. As an extension of traditional historical methodologies and approaches, the practice of Public History applies a different set of research and inquiry tools to ask new questions and reach better answers. Public Historians apply these skills working with museums, archives, libraries, historical societies, government agencies, businesses, preservation offices, historic tourism, the media, and others. The demand for a broad range of materials and the interdisciplinary nature of the profession presents to the Public Historian a wide array of library resources. To avoid redundancy, students should also consult the Electronic Library (ELi) pages for Business, Communication Arts, Environmental Science, History, and Political Science according to their specific needs.

Reference Guides & Bibliographies

Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, & Town Sources. (Ref. CS 49 .A55 1989): A source book for genealogical and historical researchers. Provides descriptions of available materials via state, county and local government as well as private organizations. Lengthy descriptions of various types of resources(census records, land records, maps etc.) and how they may be useful in particular kinds of research. Includes short histories of each state and dates of incorporation of towns/counties.
A Bibliography of West Florida. 3 vols. (Ref. Z 1272 .W4 S47 1982): A chronological bibliography of West Florida history. Thorough index is complimented by descriptive annotations. See also Bibliography of West Florida, Supplement (Ref. Z 1272 .W4 S472), and A Guide to the Manuscripts & Special Collections of the John C. Pace Library, University of West Florida . 1979. (Ref. Z 688 .A2 F58)
The Craft of Public History. 1983. (D 13.5 U6 C74): A thorough guide to the diverse literature of Public History. Includes nine chapters detailing the various sources(guides, manuals, journal articles, directories etc.) that may be of use to Public Historians.
Florida Records Management, Retention & Disposal, Official State Guidelines: A list of online guidelines for records management published by the Florida Bureau of Archives and Records Management.
Genealogical Research in the National Archives: An online tutorial to genealogical research in the National Archives. Allows limited searching of the NARA genealogical catalog.
Guide to the Records of the Florida State Archives. (Doc. SS .D8: A62): A description of the holdings of the Florida Bureau of Archives and Records Management. Includes local government records, manuscript collections, legislative papers, correspondence etc. See also the entry under State Library of Florida (Indexes and Abstracts) below.
The History Highway: A Guide to Internet Resources. (Ref. D 16.255 C65 H58 1997): Though dated, this source presents hundreds of websites and listserves of interest to history students. Most of the sites are sponsored by universities and historical organizations.
Keyguide to Information Sources in Museum Studies. (Ref. AM 5 .W66 1994): Divided into three parts (Overview of Museum Studies, Bibliography of Reference Sources, and International Museum Organizations), this source lists the periodicals, monographs, directories, and organizations that would be useful in museum studies research.
The Modern Researcher. 1992. (LB 2369 .B28) & Emerald Coast Library: A broad-based guidebook on research methods, fact-finding, and interpretation of "the facts" as gleaned from historical sources. See also A Guide to Historical Method (Ref. D 13 S47 1980).
The Museum: A Reference Guide. (Ref. AM5 .M8 1990): A "critical bibliography" of resources in museum studies, this source covers many different types of museums including art, science and technology, history, folk and natural museums. Includes an annotated list of museum directories.
National Council on Public History: Offers access to the Cultural Resource Management Bibliography, an annotated list of resources useful to Public Historians. Organized by historical period and topic.
Oral History Association: This site offers oral history evaluation guidelines as well as a bibliography and links to oral history organizations.
Oral History: From Tape to Type. 1978. (Book Stacks D 16.14 D38): A thorough description of the process of oral history.
Public History Resource Center: This site offers "Select Publications on Public History," which provides reviews of books, journal articles and online resources. Updated regularly.
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. (Ref. CS 49 .S65 1984): A comprehensive guide to genealogical research. Extensive descriptions of "major record sources" including oral histories and home sources, census records, marriage and divorce records, cemetery research, church records military records etc. Also includes information on published genealogical sources and resources for special populations (immigrant, urban ancestors, Native American, etc.).
Sources of Information for Historical Research. (Ref. D 20 .S55 1994): A comprehensive guide to historical reference material much in the same vein as Balay's Guide to Reference Books(Ref. Z1035.1 G89 1996). Covers world history from antiquities to the present.
U. S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. (Ref. E181 .N4 1994): A thorough examination of the various sources available to genealogists and military historians. Extensive introduction details the origins and collections of military documents. Includes brief descriptions of military conflicts (appendix) and a bibliography.
Yale University Library: Using Manuscripts and Archives: A Tutorial: A thorough description and guide to the methods and process of using primary sources in historical research.

Directories

American Library Directory. 2 vols. Annual. (Ref. Z 731 .A53): A directory of over 37,000 libraries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Includes public, academic, special and government/military libraries, as well as library consortiums, networks and library schools. Indexed by organization and personnel.
Archives and Manuscript Collections: A comprehensive directory of online manuscript archives and collections. Includes links to presidential libraries, NASA historical archive, university and college libraries, public libraries, state historical libraries, and the Library of Congress.
Corporate Information: This site (supported by the Winthrop Corporation) indexes over 350,000 domestic and foreign companies thoughout the world including hard-to-find private companies. Information includes basic economic statistics for each country, description of company and stock data, rankings of top companies by market capitalization (overall and within an industry), research reports on publicly traded companies, industry research and analysis, and weblinks to useful sites.
The Directory of Business Information Resources (Ref. HD 2425 .D46): A directory to the associations, journals, newsletters, databases, directories and trade shows of 93 major industry groups. See also the National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States (NTPA) (Ref. HD 2425 .D53).
Directory of Corporate Archives in the United States and Canada: Created by the Business Archives Section of the Society of American Archivists, this site lists the companies that maintain their own historical records. Also includes those that contract with consulting firms.
Directory of Historical Consultants: A directory of historians specializing in cultural resource management/public history. Arranged alpabetically by state.
Directory of Historical Resources: An alphabetical list of Web sites that contain directories. Provides links to societies and associations, institutions, museums, libraries, publications, archives, government agencies etc.
Gale's Ready Reference Shelf. (GaleNet): Search the "Organizations" database for information on "approximately 455,000 international and U.S. national, regional, state, and local nonprofit membership organizations in all fields." See also the Encyclopedia of Associations. 3 vols. (Ref. AS 22 .E5).
International Directory of Company Histories. 1988- (Ref. HD 2721 .D36 1988): This source provides detailed historical information on large well-known companies, as well as smaller companies that are leaders in their respective industries. Principal subsidiaries and brief bibliographies follow each main entry.
National Contact Center: Offers access to the Federal Consumer Information Center, federal yellow pages, a government agency directory, and a listing of federal employees. Includes site search engine.
The Official Museum Directory. 2 vols. (Ref. AM 10.A2 O4 2000): A detailed listing of various types of museums in the United States including art museums, children's museums, natural history museums, science and technology museums, history museums and planetariums. Entries include address, phone, email, facility holdings and key personnel. Indexed by institution, subject category, and personnel. Includes website addresses. For an international directory of museums see The World of Learning (Ref. AS 2.W6 2000).
Oral History Index: An International Directory of Oral History Interviews (Ref. D 16.14 O74 1990): This source indexes over 30,000 oral history transcripts held at archives and history centers in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Israel. Indexed by interviewee or collection title with references to specific oral history collections. See also Directory of Oral History Collections (Ref. D16.14 S58 1988) and Oral History Collections (Ref. D 16.14 M4).
Oral History Organizations: Links to oral history associations in Florida as well as other states.
Research Centers Directory. 2 vols. (Ref. AS 25 .D5 2000): This source indexes approximately 14,400 university-related and other nonprofit research organizations in the fields of government and public affairs, business and economics, labor and industrial relations, humanities and religion, computers and mathematics, law, medicine etc. Although entries are brief, this is an excellent tool for determining expertise in a specific area.
Special Collections Web Resources: An extensive list of Websites devoted to archival/preservation work. Includes links to institutes and agencies, associations and organizations, electronic records and digitized information, reference materials etc. This page was developed by Andrea Bean Hough and now maintained by Julie Grob for the University of Houston Libraries.
Virtual Library Museums Pages: Comprehensive listing of Web sites of museums world wide. Can search by country, state or province, city, and name of institution. See also: Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web (http://www.sil.si.edu/SILPublications/Online-Exhibitions/) and MUSEE Directory to Museums (http://www.musee-online.org/home.asp).

Indexes & Abstracts

Academic Index ASAP. 1980-: Interdisciplinary database of scholarly journals and popular magazines with many articles in full text.
America: History and Life. 1964-: Bibliographic database covering scholarly historical literature in the United States and Canada from prehistoric times to the present. Articles are abstracted from more than 2,100 journals. Of these, around 900 are published in the United States and Canada, including journals of state and local historical societies, the social sciences, and humanities, and leading journals in related fields of knowledge. Editors review the foreign periodicals to include all articles on American history and life.
ComAbstracts.: This database indexes over 42 primary professional journals in the fields of communication and the media. Provides good coverage of media influence/impact. See also the print Communication Abstracts (Ref. P87 .C6).
Combined Retrospective Index Set to Journals in History, 1830-1974. (Ref. D 1 C73): Selective indexing of about 1,000 journals in history, political science, and sociology under keyword or subject categories. See also Recently Published Articles, 1976-1990 (Ref. D 1 R4).
Historical Abstracts. 1954-: Premiere source for scholarly articles, books, and many dissertations on all aspects of world history except the U.S. and Canada.
Humanities Full Text. 1984-: Long regarded as the ideal single reference for periodical information in the diverse subject area of the humanities, Humanities Abstracts is a wonderful complement to the monographic resources accessible via WorldCat (the OCLC Online Union Catalog).
JSTOR.: This full text database offers archival holdings of scholarly journals in several disciplines of interest to Public History students including African-American Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, Political Science, and general History.
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.: This comprehensive database offers users full text access to information in the fields of law, business, medicine, general news and reference. Indexes trade journals and periodicals from around the world, as well as transcripts, newswires and company profiles and financial data.
Library Literature. 1980-: International coverage of library and information science journals and books. See also the print version Library Literature. 1943-1991. (Ref. Z666 .L69).
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC): Access to over 500,000 records via the "Research Libraries Information Network bibliographic database, for archival and manuscript collections in research libraries, museums, state archives and historical societies located throughout North America." Use the "NUCMC Z39.50 Gateway to the RLIN AMC" option. See also the print National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (Ref.Z6620 .U5 N3) as well as ArchivesUSA CD-ROM loaded on the Turquois computer behind the Reference Desk.
PAIS International. 1972-: This database covers the public and social policy literature of business, law, international relations, public administration, government, and political science. Emphasis is placed on issues that may become legislation. Indexes over 2100 journals as well as books, conference proceedings, government documents and statistical directories. See also the print version Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin, 1915-1971 (Ref. H 1 .P94).
Project MUSE.: Over 110 scholarly journals in the liberal arts are available in this database. Articles are full text (and image), and the file can be searched via keyword or Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT).
State Library of Florida and State Archives - Catalog: Partial holdings of the Florida State Archives can be searched via the Web.

Handbooks & Yearbooks

The Almanac of American Politics. 1972-76, 1980- (Ref. JK 1010 .A6): A directory to members of Congress as well as members of congressional committees. Main entries include a brief description of the history of each state, an introduction to state politics and demographic statistics, and brief profiles of Governors, Senators, and Representatives. This source also includes "Key Voting" records of congressional members as well as performance ratings by several political watchdog groups.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. 2 vols. 1999. (Ref HE 8689 .B77): This directory covers all aspects of the broadcasting industry including television, radio, cable, satellite providers, programming services, associations and events, awards, government agencies, and law and regulation.
Congressional Quarterly Almanac. 1948- (Ref. JK 1.C66): An excellent source for congressional information. Includes detailed analysis on legislation currently being considered, roll call votes on major legislation by members of Congress, texts of Presidential statements, a detailed list of all bills enacted into law (public laws), as well as proposed bills which failed to garner enough passing votes. For current year information see the CQ(Congressional Quarterly) Weekly Report (Ref. JK 1 .C15).
Facts on File Yearbook. 1941- (Ref. D 410 .F3): A summarized recording of world events, the Yearbook consists of 52 weekly news digests, and a review of the "top national and foreign news stories of the year."
Florida Almanac. 1980- (Ref. F 311 .F65): Invaluable source for information on Florida. Includes chapters on Florida history, archaeology, tourism, wildlife, government, elections etc.
International Motion Picture Almanac. 1991- (Ref. PN 1993.3 I55): A comprehensive source for all types of information on the movie industry. Includes chapters on Awards and Polls, International Film Festivals and Markets, Motion Picture Producers and Distributors, Corporate Histories of the Major Motion Picture Studios, Film Preservation, Processing and Repair, and Entertainment Industry Biographies.
Preservation of Library & Archival Materials: A Manual: Published by the Northeast Document Conservation Center, this handbook includes chapters on Planning, Emergency Management, Storage and Handling, Reformatting, and Conservation of library materials.
Wall Street Journal Almanac. 1998- (Ref. AY 67 .N5 W35): A business oriented almanac offering statistics and brief information on a variety of topics including politics, business and economics, the media and entertainment industry, and life style demographics.
World Almanac and Book of Facts. Annual. 1923- (Ref. AY 67 N5 W7) & Emerald Coast Library: Quick source for facts, figures, and events of each year. Feature articles provide useful background information. The British counterpart is Whitaker's Almanac (Ref. AY 754 W5).

Primary Sources

Achival Research Catalog, The National Archives: The National Archive's online catalog. The site indexes over 500,000 documents and collections. Of interest to history students is the availability of over 124,000 digitized copies of documents and images.
Repositories of Primary Sources: A metalist of over 3,900 Websites that describe the holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs and other primary sources. Organized by geographic region, state, province and country.
University of West Florida, Special Collections Department: Holdings (over 700,000 items) of The University of West Florida, Special Collections are included in the UWF Catalog.

Journals

The following is a partial list of journals that may contain articles on Public History. Periodicals are located on the second floor of the John C. Pace Library. Call numbers and microfilm numbers are provided. Some titles have electronic links to full text articles.

American Archivist MF 195 v. 1-29 (1938-1966)

CD 3020 .A45 v. 30 (1967) to date

Cato Journal MF 1008 v. 1-7 (1981-1988)

H 1 .C34 v. 8-17 (1988-1998)

Florida Genealogist F 310 .F48 (Special Collections) v. 1 (1977) to date

Forum Journal: The Journal of the National Trust for Historic Preservation E 151 .P74 v. 13 (1998) to date

The Historian: A Journal of History D 1 .H22 v. 24-25 (1961-1963); v.31-67 (1968-2005)

Ebsco Host v. 64 (2002) to date

Historic Preservation E 151 .H5 v. 9-48 (1957-1996)

Historical Journal D 1 .H33 v. 1-47 (1958-2004)

JSTOR v. 1-43 (1958-2000)

Cambridge Journals v. 40 (1997) to date

Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media PN 1991 .J6 v. 29-46 (1985-2002)

Journal of Interdisciplinary History D 1 .J59 v. 4-30 (1973-2000)

JSTOR v. 1-31 (1970-2000)

MUSE v. 30 (1999) to date

Journal of Policy Analysis & Management H 1 .P682 v. 1-23 (1981-2004)

Wiley InterScience v. 16 (1997) to date

Journal of Social Policy H 1 .J57 v. 1-12 (1972-1983), 23-32 (1994-2003)

Cambridge Journals v. 26 (1997) to date

Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory: J-PART JA 1 .J62 v. 4-15 (1994-2005)

Oxford Journals v. 13 (2003) to date

Journal of Social History HN 1 .J6 v. 1-33 (1967-1999)

MUSE v. 33 (1999) to date

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly PN 4700 .J7 v. 72 (1995) to date

Museums Journal AM 1 .M7 v. 35-82 (1935-1983)

Policy Studies Review H 1 .P73 v. 1-18 (1981-2001)

Preservation: The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation E 151 .H5 v. 48 (1996) to date

The Public Historian HN 1 .P84 v. 4-13 (1982-1991), 20 (1998) to present

Microfilm 1492 v. 14-20 (1992-1998)

Ebsco Host v. 24 (2002) to date

Social History HN 1 .S54 v. 3 (1978) to date

Ebsco Host v. 25 (2000) to present

Social Policy HN 51 .S54 v. 1-34 (1970-2004)

The Social Studies MF 53 v.44-52 (1953-1961)

D 16.3 .S65 v. 53-94 (1962-2003)

Technical Bulletin (Florida Bureau of Archives & Records Management) FL BARM v. 10-17 (1996-2003)

Internet Sites

American Cultural Resources Association
http://www.acra-crm.org/
American Film Institute
http://www.afi.com
American Historical Association
http://www.theaha.org/
American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/
ArchNet: Cultural Resource Management
http://archnet.asu.edu/topical/crm/crm.html
Association of Moving Image Archivists
http://www.amianet.org/
Association of Personal Historians
http://www.personalhistorians.org/
Business History
http://www.lib.umd.edu/UMCP/MCK/GUIDES/business_history.html
Center for Studies in Oral Tradition
http://www.oraltradition.org/
Conservation OnLine
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/
Florida Association of Museums
http://www.flamuseums.org/
Florida Oral History Association
http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/barm/foha/foha.htm
Florida Records Management Association
http://www.frma.org/
H-OralHist, Michigan State University
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~oralhist/
Media History Project
http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu//
National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators
http://www.nagara.org/
Public History Resource Center
http://www.publichistory.org/
School of Public Policy, George Mason University
http://policy.gmu.edu/
Society of American Archivists
http://www.archivists.org/
Society of Florida Archivists
http://www.florida-archivists.org
University of Florida, Oral History
http://web.history.ufl.edu/oral/

Melissa Finley Gonzalez, History Librarian
University of West Florida Library
Last Updated: July 2006

American Archivist	MF 195	v. 1-29 (1938-1966)
American Archivist	CD 3020 .A45	v. 30 (1967) to date
Cato Journal	MF 1008	v. 1-7 (1981-1988)
Cato Journal	H 1 .C34	v. 8-17 (1988-1998)
Florida Genealogist	F 310 .F48 (Special Collections)	v. 1 (1977) to date
Forum Journal: The Journal of the National Trust for Historic Preservation	E 151 .P74	v. 13 (1998) to date
The Historian: A Journal of History	D 1 .H22	v. 24-25 (1961-1963); v.31-67 (1968-2005)
The Historian: A Journal of History	Ebsco Host	v. 64 (2002) to date
Historic Preservation	E 151 .H5	v. 9-48 (1957-1996)
Historical Journal	D 1 .H33	v. 1-47 (1958-2004)
	JSTOR	v. 1-43 (1958-2000)
	Cambridge Journals	v. 40 (1997) to date
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media	PN 1991 .J6	v. 29-46 (1985-2002)
Journal of Interdisciplinary History	D 1 .J59	v. 4-30 (1973-2000)
	JSTOR	v. 1-31 (1970-2000)
	MUSE	v. 30 (1999) to date
Journal of Policy Analysis & Management	H 1 .P682	v. 1-23 (1981-2004)
Journal of Policy Analysis & Management	Wiley InterScience	v. 16 (1997) to date
Journal of Social Policy	H 1 .J57	v. 1-12 (1972-1983), 23-32 (1994-2003)
Journal of Social Policy	Cambridge Journals	v. 26 (1997) to date
Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory: J-PART	JA 1 .J62	v. 4-15 (1994-2005)
Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory: J-PART	Oxford Journals	v. 13 (2003) to date
Journal of Social History	HN 1 .J6	v. 1-33 (1967-1999)
Journal of Social History	MUSE	v. 33 (1999) to date
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly	PN 4700 .J7	v. 72 (1995) to date
Museums Journal	AM 1 .M7	v. 35-82 (1935-1983)
Policy Studies Review	H 1 .P73	v. 1-18 (1981-2001)
Preservation: The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation	E 151 .H5	v. 48 (1996) to date
The Public Historian	HN 1 .P84	v. 4-13 (1982-1991), 20 (1998) to present
	Microfilm 1492	v. 14-20 (1992-1998)
	Ebsco Host	v. 24 (2002) to date
Social History	HN 1 .S54	v. 3 (1978) to date
Social History	Ebsco Host	v. 25 (2000) to present
Social Policy	HN 51 .S54	v. 1-34 (1970-2004)
The Social Studies	MF 53	v.44-52 (1953-1961)
The Social Studies	D 16.3 .S65	v. 53-94 (1962-2003)
Technical Bulletin (Florida Bureau of Archives & Records Management)	FL BARM	v. 10-17 (1996-2003)