BISMCS 343: The City as Character (Martin): Local History Books

There are surprisingly many books produced on local history topics.

Step 1: Type in 2-3 keywords that broadly describe your topic.  Use quotes around phrases. For example:

bothell and history

seattle and parks and history

"state route 522"

"tacoma narrows bridge"

You may have better luck finding books about the history of a place rather than a book about a specific built environment.

Step 2: On the results screen choose the format "Books" from the left toolbar. This is very important because otherwise you will get a lot of news articles that are not relevant.

Step 3:Go through your results and look carefully at each title, publication date, and "Item details." If the book is a history book, or an "Environmental Impact Statement" (EIS) it could be useful to you. If it is a book about hiking, it might not be useful.

Step 4: Note down the library name and call number -- you need this information to locate the book. Many of the books on local history may be located at the Seattle Campus, in Suzzallo-Allen Libraries, Special Collections, Government Publications, or the Built Environment Library. Look under "Availability & Request Options" to determine how you can access the book. You can either request to have the item sent to Bothell, or if it is a "library use only" book, you will have to go to Seattle to view it in the library. 

The Campus Library arranges books by Library of Congress (LC) call numbers. The major section for books about Puget Sound history is F899 and can be found in the main stacks on the 3rd floor.