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Professor
Poppy Fry
Library Liaison
Jeff Waller
Contents
Introduction
Background & Reference
Find Books at Geisel Library
Find Books beyond
Geisel Library
Find Articles
Find Primary Sources
on the Web
How to Cite Your Sources
Subject Guide
History
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This guide is designed to support the class research paper on a topic related to Southern Africa. You may want to begin by reading biographical and topical entries in reference books, in order to obtain basic background information and identify potential keywords to use in your searching. Next, search the library catalog and WorldCat for books and other materials about your topic, taking advantage of relevant subject headings. Then search the history and full-text journal databases for scholarly articles that are relevant to your topic. You can locate primary source materials on websites, in WorldCat, and in specialized databases such as Aluka.
Before delving into books and journal articles, you may wish to consult reference sources in order to learn the basic facts about people or events. Reference materials can provide background information on your topic and help you identify keywords for further searching; for example, the names of important leaders, places, or events. Some reference resources include bibliographies at the ends of each entry or volume, which will point you to additional books and journal articles worth exploring.
African Biographical Dictionary
Ref DT18 .B76
Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara (4 vols.)
Ref DT351 .E53
Encyclopedia of African History (3 vols.)
Ref DT20 .E53
South Africa under Apartheid: A Select and Annotated Bibliography
Ref DT763 .K35
Use the Subject index at back to find sources by topic.
The Struggle for South Africa: A Reference Guide to Movements, Organizations, and Institutions (2 vols.)
Ref JQ1931 .D38
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To find relevant books, you will probably want to try a combination of Subject and Keyword searching in the Geisel library catalog. Start by doing a Keyword search on the people, places, events, or topics that you intend to research. This will find books for which the search terms appear in the title, a chapter title, or a subject term. When you find a useful book, click on its subject headings to identify similar works.
Next, try conducting Subject searches on any of the Subject Headings below that relate to your topic. This may uncover books that are broader in scope but which contain briefer discussions of the people and events of interest.
- Africa — History — Sources
- Africa, Southern — History
- Africa, Southern — Politics and Government
- Apartheid — South Africa
- Indigenous Peoples — South Africa
- South Africa — Economic Conditions
- South Africa — Foreign Relations — United States
- South Africa — History
- South Africa — Politics and Government
- South Africa — Race Relations
- South African War, 1899–1902
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Since Geisel Library's collection is not especially strong in the area of African history, you may not find sufficient information on your topic without taking advantage of Interlibrary Loan. By searching WorldCat (an online catalog encompassing the holdings of thousands of libraries worldwide), you can identify relevant books owned by other colleges and have them delivered to Geisel Library for your use.
One approach is to develop a keyword search strategy that combines different aspects of your topic using the Boolean AND operator; for example, South Africa AND women AND rights. Another approach would involve performing Subject searches on the same Subject Headings you used in the Geisel Library catalog. See the subjects in the previous section for examples. You can combine the two methods by simultaneously searching on a Subject Heading as a Subject and another word or phrase (representing a specific person or concept) as a Keyword.
To locate primary sources, combine keyword searches on your topic with Subject searches on terms such as sources, memoirs, diaries, correspondence, papers, personal narratives, or pictorial works. These words will typically appear in the subject headings of primary sources.
Inside most WorldCat book records is a "Request ILL" link; to place an ILL request, all you need to do is:
- Click on the Request ILL link
- Input your name and contact information, including the S number on your student ID
- Click the Submit button
The book will be available at our circulation desk within 1–2 weeks. You will be emailed when it arrives, and you can check it out for a specified borrowing period.
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As with the book catalogs, search the journal databases using keywords related to your topic, combining concepts together using the Boolean AND and OR operators. Once you find relevant articles, examine the subject headings that have been assigned to them and conduct Subject searches on the ones that seem most potentially fruitful. Be sure to read the bibliographies of articles to identify additional sources worth tracking down.
If there is no link to the full text of the article, click on the  icon (when present) to determine whether the journal is available in the Geisel Library or in full-text via another electronic database. If the article isn't available, consider clicking on the Interlibrary Loan link to request a PDF copy of the article from another library. Articles requested via ILL will be delivered to your email inbox within about a week.
Historical Abstracts
This database provides abstracts to journal articles, book/media reviews, and dissertations with a focus on world history and culture (excluding the United States and Canada) from prehistoric times to the present. To specify your time period of interest, use the Historical Period From/To limiter (located below the full text limiter checkboxes).
Academic Search Premier
A broad index providing abstracts and some full-text of scholarly and popular journals for a range of academic areas, including history.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHSearch)
This index provides citations to more than 1,300 arts and humanities journals, which include articles, bibliographies, editorials, letters, and reviews. Watch for the Saint Anselm College label in your search results, indicating that the journal is available at Geisel Library.
JSTOR
Search here for full-text articles from major journals in the humanities and social sciences, including a number of important history journals. Coverage is generally from the beginning of publication to within 5 years of the current issue. Several highly useful journals are available in this database, including the African Studies Review, Journal of African History, Journal of Modern African Studies, and Journal of Southern African Studies.
New York Times – Historical
This database provides full-text access to every page of the New York Times, from 1851 to 2003. The searchable collection includes digital reproductions, so that even advertisements and political cartoons from every available issue may be viewed.
Times of London Digital Archive
This database provides full-text access to every issue of The Times (London) newspaper from 1785 through 1985, except for Sunday editions. The digital archive includes not only articles but also advertisements, editorials, obituaries, and pictures. It can be searched by keyword and date range, with options to limit to specific sections of the newspaper.
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The following websites offer primary-source material relevant to the history of Southern Africa. For help on how to find and use primary sources, see the library's guide to primary source documents.
African National Congress – Historical Documents
This large online archive contains speeches, statements, conference documents, and articles related to the history of South Africa and the ANC. The website also provides links to documents from the United Nations and various countries advocating an end to apartheid.
Aluka
This database consists of primary source materials from and about Africa. It contains over 280,000 objects in 21 collections, including photographs, art, documents, reference works, and archival records of historical expeditions to Africa. The database includes a content area focused on freedom movements in southern Africa.
Google Book Project
Google has digitized large portions of several major university library collections and made them accessible through their search engine. Books not under copyright (including most published before 1922, and many books published in other countries) can be read in their entirety, making this website a great resource for primary source material from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Internet African History Sourcebook
This website of primary source documents includes numerous links to transcribed texts, including some housed on other websites. The texts are organized loosely by time period and country. There are materials related to Southern Africa under the "European Imperialism", "Fight for Independence", and "Modern Africa" categories.
Perspectives: The South African War
A collection of original and contemporary sources on the South African (Boer) War, including lengthy memoirs and historical accounts written shortly after the war's conclusion.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report
This major governmental report (released in 2003) passed judgment upon the crimes against human rights committed during the apartheid era and the struggle for liberation. For documents compiled during the preparation of this final report, including witness testimonies and case studies, see the Traces of Truth website.
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For assistance with formatting your citations in Chicago style, consult the University of Wisconsin's online guide or ask for the Chicago Manual of Style (Ready Ref Z253 .U69) at the library's reference desk.
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