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Research Guides

HSTRY 498: Indigenous Pacific Northwest: Books & Scholarly Articles

Why Use Books & Journal Articles?

 The raison d'être of scholars is to attempt to describe, explain, interpret, and analyze our world. In the case of history, historians use evidence from the past (primary sources) to support their interpretations, which are most often published in the form of books and journal articles (secondary works). So why should you use secondary sources?

  • Secondary sources provide historical/broader context for a topic. For example, if you are researching the Chemewa Indian School, you may want to use a secondary source to get information on how this school compared to others. 
     
  • Secondary sources are written by expert scholars. Before publication academic books and articles are vetted by other scholars in a process known as peer review. 
     
  • Secondary sources provide historiographical/scholarly context for a topic. In other words, how has this topic been interpreted by other scholars. Scholarship is not stagnant but is constantly being reinterpreted in light of new evidence and new outlooks.
     
  • Secondary sources in the field of history are based on evidence (primary sources) that are cited in the footnotes and bibliography. Secondary sources are often a quick way to identify important primary sources that you too may wish to use in your research paper. Look for published primary sources such as books, articles and government reports. UseUW Libraries Search to see if we have a copy.

Using UW Libraries Search to Find Books

 
Advanced Search | FAQ
  • Keep in mind that when searching for books dealing with Native Americans that the official term used is "indians of north america." You can also search by tribe ("tulalip indians," "apache indians," etc.)
     
  • By Topic - Type in the keywords that broadly describe your topic. For example: fishing rights indians. On the results screen use the "Resource Type" options on the left toolbar to limit your results to books. This will eliminate any articles that were found.
     
  • By Title - search for a specific book by title. Type in the first few words of the book title in quotations.  For example: "sea is my country". if you don't see the book on your list of results then use the "Resource Type" options on the left toolbar to limit your results to books. This will eliminate any book reviews that were found.
     
  • By Author - search for books written by a specific author. Type in the last name followed by the first name of the author in quotations. For example: "harmon alexandra". On the results screen use the "Resource Type" options on the left toolbar to limit your results to books. This will eliminate any book reviews and articles that were found.

 

Note down the library name and call number -- you need this information to locate the book.

Find Articles on American Environmental History

America History & Life is the best database to use when looking for academic journal articles in the field of American history.

Search America History & Life
 

 

Link your search terms using the AND connector. For example: tuberculosis and indians. On the search results screen, use the options on the left toolbar to narrow your search results. To find the fulltext of the article (if not provided directly in the database), click on the "Check for Full Text" button and work your way through the screens. Not all articles will be online, some may only be in print, others may not be available at the UW. Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested via Interlibrary loan.

Other Useful Databases for Indigenous History

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