Introduction
Welcome to the course guide for HIST 408J: Global Water in the Modern Era: Capitalism, State Power, and Environmental Crises. This guide provides links to recommended resources available through the Yale University Library and the World Wide Web.
To complete your writing assignments for this course, you will need to find and utilize primary sources. Primary sources are invaluable to researchers, as they provide first-hand accounts of historic and modern events. Primary sources include (but are not limited to) personal correspondences, journal entries, interviews, transcripts from government hearings, and raw data. This page provides an overview of some of the primary sources available at Yale University: Primary Sources at Yale
If you have questions at any stage of your research, please feel free to reach out to library and archives staff:
Joshua Cochran, Archivist for American Diplomacy, Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library - joshua.cochran@yale.edu
Bill Landis, Associate Director for Public Services, Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library - bill.landis@yale.edu
James Kessenides, Kaplanoff Librarian for American History - james.kessenides@yale.edu
Rachel Sperling, Librarian for Environmental Studies - rachel.sperling@yale.edu
Yale Library Search Portals
The main search tools for finding books, articles, databases, archival collections, and more at Yale (and beyond) can all be found on the "Find, Request, and Use" page of the library's website. Here are a few quick refreshers, but be sure to visit the page for a full overview:
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Orbis (classic catalog)Searches books, e-books, journals (but not individual articles), government documents, and other physical and digital items. It's the classic catalog of Yale Library *not* including items from the Law Library. Can be used to find both primary and secondary sources.
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Morris (classic catalog of Law Library)If your topic relates to legal history or potentially involves research in legal materials, be sure to include Morris in your search, or alternatively to use Books+ (which searches both Morris and Orbis).
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QuicksearchA combined search of the library's books, journals and journal articles, licensed databases, digitized archival collections, and more. Searches Orbis as well as Morris, which is the Law Library catalog. A vast, Google-like search, but some library materials will still not be retrieved by it, and the advanced search refinements and options to use just one part of Quicksearch or another can be key to running efficient, manageable, and successful searches.
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Articles+Within Quicksearch, Articles+ can be a powerful tool for finding individual journal, newspaper, and magazine articles.
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Books+Within Quicksearch, Books+ will limit your search to the books (and reports and numerous other monographs, as opposed to journal articles) that are found across the Yale Libraries. Orbis + Morris (Law Library) collections are searched together.
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Archives at YaleThe search portal for finding archival materials at Yale. Look for the Scope & Contents notes, inventories, and PDF Finding Aids to assess the relevance of materials to your research project.
Also see the Guide to Using Special Collections at Yale University for more information on finding, requesting, and using archival materials in the Yale Library. -
Yale Library Digital CollectionsAccess to millions of digitized works and images from the Yale Library. This site is a living database, and new materials are added regularly.
Special Collections at Yale
The Yale Library has seven different special collections units, all of which hold archival collections in addition to rare and unique books and other published materials. Materials used in today's class session are from Manuscripts and Archives in Sterling Memorial Library. Feel free to contact Josh Cochran, if you have questions about finding and using materials in Manuscripts and Archives or other Yale Library special collections.
- The Guide to Using Special Collections at Yale University is a great introduction to finding and using special collections and archives held at Yale for your research projects.
- The Archives at Yale database searches guides to over 8,000 archival collections held within Yale's special collections. You use this database to find and request boxes from archival collections, that you will then use in the relevant special collections reading room. Special collections materials, including archives, cannot be checked out.
- The Primary Sources at Yale website is a great resource if you're not sure what types of materials might serve as primary sources for your research project. Be aware that archives and special collections are often not where you'll find the primary sources you need!
- MSSA Researcher Information has information on how to register and make reservations to conduct research in the research room.
