Secondary sources are accounts of the past created by people writing about events sometime after they happened. Secondary sources include books and articles that analyze events and people, in order to put them into a historical context.
The best method for finding books (including "e-books" that can be read online) is to use your library's catalog. Search by keyword or by subject, as described on the first page of this tutorial. Limit your search by format, as shown in the illustration.
If a book can be read online, there will be a link from the catalog record to connect to the text.
How do you know you that have found the best sources? Check for scholarly book reviews to understand how they are regarded by professional historians.
Book Review Index Plus Online
Includes more than five million review citations from thousands of publications, with links to more than 630,000 full-text reviews that may be read online.
America: History and Life
Covers history of the U.S. and Canada. A search for a book review is shown in the illustration.
Historical Abstracts
Covers all branches of world history, political, diplomatic, military, economic, social, cultural, religious, and intellectual history, and the history of science, technology, and medicine.
Use H-NET Reviews to locate an online book review of The Oglala People, written by Catherine Price.