LibGuides: AFR 320C: Power and Place in Making Texas History / Gordon: Find Background Information

Getting Started: Reference and Background Information

If you use Wikipedia as a first step in your research, you are already using background information to get started with research. Background information helps you:

pre-research your topic
learn more about theories and concepts
define terms
find key terms you can use to search for additional sources

These types of sources should be used for getting started with your research but not as scholarly sources for your annotated bibliography. If you are having trouble finding scholarly sources for your site, take a look at the "Find Scholarly Sources" tab or contact the course librarian, Adriana Cásarez.

Handbook of Texas
Find nearly 27,000 encyclopedic entries on the influential people, eras, and events of Texas history. Also see the special sections on African American Texas and Tejano History.
Texas Historic Sites Atlas
The Atlas features more than 300,000 site records, including data on Official Texas Historical Markers and National Register of Historic Places properties in Texas. Also included are cemeteries, courthouses, museums, and sawmills across the state.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects of historical significance.
SAH Archipedia: Texas
SAH Archipedia is an authoritative online encyclopedia of the U.S. built environment organized by the Society of Architectural Historians and the University of Virginia Press. It contains histories, photographs, and maps for many structures and places. These are mostly buildings, but as you explore SAH Archipedia you will also find landscapes, infrastructure, monuments, artwork, and more.

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
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

Cast a Wide Net

Not finding any reference sources in the databases? Use the library search tool to cast a wider net and search across disciplines. Refine your results to show just background information sources by selecting "Reference Entries" under Resource Type.