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Research Guides

About This Guide

These are the guidelines by which materials are purchased for the History collections of the UW Libraries (Seattle Campus).  For questions or more information, please contact the History Librarian.

Photo: Timeless Books by Lin Kristensen

UW Libraries: Collection Goals

The UW Libraries is committed to providing convenient and timely access to collections and information resources that are outstanding with respect to their quality, depth, diversity, format and currency to support the research and teaching missions of the University of Washington.

Subject Definition

History is the exploration and disciplined inquiry into the complexities of the human past from ancient and medieval times to the late twentieth century and beyond. History seeks to record, analyze and interpret all aspects of the past. 

Historical scholarship is distinguished by a reliance on both primary collections (historical documents, images and other material) and secondary collections (interpretations and analyses of the past published in scholarly monographs and journal literature).

The Library's history collection primarily supports the teaching and research of the University of Washington's Department of History. The collection also supports many other UW departments and programs that rely on historical documentation and scholarship.

Subject Classification

History is by its nature an interdisciplinary field, and the collections supporting it range widely and can be found among all Library of Congress (LC) classes. The primary LC classes for history are:

Additional LC classes with substantial history material include: