LibGuides: HIS 378: Capstone Course for History Majors / Prof. Green: Background Info and Reference

Background Information

Background information provides a general overview of a research topic, including important terms and concepts, relevant names of people or places, and dates of specific events.

Background info can help you locate keywords for searching databases and identify more specific areas of your topic that you may want to research further.

Below is a list of databases focused on providing reference information related to U.S. History:

Handbook of Texas
Find entries about Texas history, including events and people related to UT-Austin

American National Biography This link opens in a new window
Dates of coverage vary. 3 users.
Updated quarterly. Provides biographical information for over 19,000 people from all eras who have influenced and shaped American history and culture. Ranges in time from the earliest recorded European explorations to the very recent past. Includes the content from all 24 volumes of The American National Biography set as well as over 900 fully integrated articles from The Oxford Companion to United States History. The learning experience is enhanced with entries on historic events, social movements, ideologies, and iconic sites in the United States. Wide range of search options.
We have a limited number of users for this database. Please select the logout option before you leave your session. When the limit is reached, a username and password prompt will probably be displayed. If this happens, simply wait 15 minutes and then try the link again.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Most current edition. Unlimited users.
Updated regularly. A database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. Fully searchable across all files.

For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide
Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
Coverage varies. Unlimited.
These Bibliographies provide an authoritative guide to the current scholarship, expert recommendations and authoritative commentary on the best works available in the discipline covered, making them particularly useful for anyone beginning research.
UT Austin has access to the all bibliographies in all subject areas.

Select Reference Sources Online

American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History by Gina Misiroglu
Publication Date: 2015
The Columbia Guide to American Environmental History by Carolyn Merchant
Publication Date: 2005
Encyclopedia of American Social Movements by Immanuel Ness
Publication Date: 2015
Encyclopedia of US Labor and Working-Class History by Eric Arnesen (Editor)
Publication Date: 2006
The Grove Dictionary of American Music by Charles Hiroshi Garrett (Editor)
Publication Date: 2013
Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia by Carlos Eliseo Cortés
Publication Date: 2013
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in America by John Corrigan (Editor)
Publication Date: 2018
Queer Cinema in America: An Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Films, Characters, and Stories by Aubrey Malone
Publication Date: 2019
Surveillance in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, and the Law by Pam Dixon
Publication Date: 2016

Topical Reference Databases

African American Studies Center This link opens in a new window
Most recent edition. Unlimited users.
Updated regularly. A comprehensive collection of scholarship focused on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture, coupled with sophisticated technology permitting precise search and browse capabilities. Features over 7,500 articles from Oxford's authoritative reference works, approximately 100 primary sources with specially written commentaries, over 1,000 images, over 100 maps, over 200 charts and tables, timelines to guide researchers through the history of African Americans and over 6,000 biographies.
Some of the titles included in this access are:
- African American Artists before the Twentieth Century
- African American National Biography
- Africana
- Black Women in America, Second Edition
- Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature
- Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895
- Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present
Legal Information Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Dates of coverage vary. Unlimited users.
Offers everyday users the necessary tools and detailed how-to instructions covering a wide-range of legal issues. A majority of the full-text legal reference books are provided through Nolo, the nation’s oldest and most respected provider of legal information for consumers and small businesses. With the Legal Forms by U.S. State feature, users can search state-specific legal forms by top subject areas including adoption, bankruptcy, name changes and more.
LGBTQ+ Life This link opens in a new window
1917 - present. Unlimited users.
This comprehensive database is the definitive index to the world's literature regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. LGBT Life contains indexing and abstracts for more than 250 LGBT-specific core periodicals as well as periodicals in Women’s and Gender Studies. It also contains more than 350 books and reference works.
LGBT Life provides comprehensive coverage of traditional academic, cultural, lifestyle and regional publications, including The Advocate, Lesbian News and Bay Windows. LGBT Life also provides indexing and abstracts for the full run of many historically significant titles such as ONE, The Ladder, Mattachine Review, Christopher Street and Body Politic. In addition, LGBT Life includes other source types such as monographs, reference books, newsletters, case studies and speeches. It also provides relevant bibliographic data from NISC's Sexual Diversity Studies.
Texas Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Dates of coverage vary. Unlimited users.
Updated weekly. Includes more than 80 full text journals and books about Texas history, ethnic & cultural diversity, gender studies, literature, public health, business as well as home & garden and sports & leisure. The database contains biographies portraying famous historical and contemporary Texans. Also available in the Texas Reference Center is the Spanish-language newspaper El Sol de Texas with Texas and national news coverage.