Subject Guide
Off-Grounds Access
Most databases are available only when you're connected to the UVa network. For off Grounds use you'll need a connection through the EZ Proxy or UVaAnywhere. More information.
Tips
- Need help? Ask a Librarian.Chat | IM | Text message | E-mail | Telephone -- Or come in and ask at a reference desk.
- Off-Grounds Access.Most databases are available only on Grounds, but ITC provides workarounds for home use.
- Refworks: Manage Your Research and Writing.A tool for managing a collection of articles and books for your research. Import the citation from one of our databases; export it into a footnote or bibliography.
- Library and ITC Accounts.Virgo | RefWorks | InterLibrary Services | Eservices | Proxy | UVaAnywhere | Home Directory | Wireless | Printing (Cavalier Advantage)
- Request a Purchase.Ask the Library to add a book, video, etc. to the UVa collections.
- Interlibrary Loan / LEO.Can't find what you need? Borrow the book, journal article, etc. from another Library.
Faculty: use LEO to have library materials delivered to your office.
Citation Tools and Style Guides
Citation Tools and Style Guides Includes links to commonly used style guides; RefWorks, a U.Va-supported tool for managing citations and bibliographies; and advice on writing and avoiding plagiarism.
Introductory/Background Information
Subject encyclopedias can provide detailed and authoritative background information that can help you to begin your research. The articles can define terms, give an overview of a topic and suggest directions for narrowing your research. They can also provide bibliographies of books and articles for more in-depth research.
Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. 1990. A bit dated, but still useful for background information. Covers many aspects of the Holocaust. Each article has a bibliography. Shannon Reference D 804.3 .E53 1990 3 vols.
Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933-1945. Incredibly detailed work of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) describing the system of concentration camps and ghettos established by the Nazi regime. Each article includes source information, as well as notes referencing archival material held by the Holocaust Museum. Shannon Reference D 805 .A2 .U55 2009. Two parts, each two volumes. Also available as downloadable PDFs from the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Encyclopedia of World War II: a Political, Social and Military History. 2005. Covers many aspects of the war. Each article has a bibliography. Vol. 5 contains key documents. Shannon Reference D 740 .E516 2005 5 vols.
Oxford Companion to World War II. 1995. Essentially a one-volume encyclopedia. Covearge may be better for certain topics (compare articles onn "Canada," for example). Shannon Reference D 740 .O93 1995.
CQ Researcher -- In-depth reports on selected issues with lists of recommended books and articles, 1923-present.
- Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance CenterIsrael's Holocaust Museum. Contains extensive digital collections, including The Encyclopedia of Ghettos, Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, and Encyclopedia of the Righteous.
Finding Books
VIRGO-- The U.Va. Library Catalog
Keyword search should be "Google-like," just enter whatever terms you want; no need for connectors like and.
Will search the title, author's name or description of the item.
There are also some Subject terms that indicate primary source materials:
Archives*
Correspondence*
Diaries*
Facsimilies
Notebooks, sketchbooks, etc.
Pamphlets
Personal narratives (used in relation to specific events only)
Songs and music
Sources
Speeches, addresses, etc.*
Treaties
*Used with individuals' names,classes of persons (e.g., soldiers), and organizations.
VIRGO Classic In Basic Search mode choose "Begins With" and then select "Title" when searching for a known item, or "Subject" when searching for terms like Soviet Union will reveal related subject headings and different subdivisions--for example, Soviet Union--1917-1936--Politics and Government.
Google Books Searches the full text of thousands of books. If used in conjunction with Amazon.com full text search of a book, can get most of the text of a book.
- LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR HIST 4501: THE SECOND WORLD WAR, 1939-1945Massive bibliography compiled by George Crafts, former Research Librarian for History at U.Va., working with Dr. Schuker.
Finding Primary Sources
- Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies This link opens in a new windowThe Fortunoff Archive currently holds more than 4,400 testimonies, which are comprised of over 12,000 recorded hours of videotape. Testimonies were produced in cooperation with thirty-six affiliated projects across North America, South America, Europe, and Israel. The Fortunoff Archive and its affiliates recorded the testimonies of willing individuals with first-hand experience of the Nazi persecutions, including those who were in hiding, survivors, bystanders, resistants, and liberators. Testimonies were recorded in whatever language the witness preferred, and range in length from 30 minutes to over 40 hours
- U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Survivor TestimoniesInterviews with Holocaust survivors grouped by theme. Search by name of interviewee to see the full testimony, which is typically broken up into smaller segments.
- Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System OnlineThe digital collection consists chiefly of summary transcripts of 705 interviews conducted with refugees from the USSR during the early years of the Cold War. A unique source for the study of Soviet society between 1917 and the mid-1940s, the HPSSS includes vast amounts of one-of-a-kind data on political, economic, social and cultural conditions.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowInformation by and about the U.S. Congress: documents and reports, Legislative Histories, hearings, and members and committees. Search the Congressional Record, Federal Register, Federal Regulations, The Hill, and Roll Call. Formerly LexisNexis Congressional.
- USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive OnlineFree login to view the testmonies of many survivors of the Holocaust. Many of the videos are also available via Youtube. (Search for USC Shoah Foundation Testimonies.)
Finding Scholarly Articles
- RAMBI: The Index of Articles on Jewish Studies This link opens in a new windowA selective bibliography of scholarly articles in Hebrew, Yiddish, and European languages in all fields of Jewish studies and the study of Israel.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new windowFind articles about the history of the world from 1450 to the present, published in over 2,000 journals from many countries. Includes book reviews. Does not include articles about the US or Canada. For these see America: History & Life.
- America: History & Life (1964-present) This link opens in a new windowCovers the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to present with records from 2,000 English-language journals published worldwide. Includes book reviews.
- Jahresberichte für deutsche Geschichte This link opens in a new windowLists journal articles, books and dissertations on all aspects of German history. Coverage begins in 1974; earlier years in paper and CD-ROM at Shannon Reference Z2236.J26.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR provides access to millions of journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. The Archive Journal Collection is included.
Finding Magazine and Newspaper Articles
- Factiva This link opens in a new windowCompany and business information from Dow Jones; articles from over 6,000 newspapers and periodicals plus news photographs. Select "News pages" to browse daily issues of recent newspapers from many countries; use "Search" to find older articles. Access, provided through VIVA Consortium, is limited to 70 concurrent users.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowLarge general database of articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers on many topics. Also includes reference books (World Almanac, American Heritage Dictionary), biographies, speeches, images, and other primary source documents.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowNew York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Norfolk Journal and Guide, Pittsburgh Courier, NY Amsterdam News, Baltimore Afro-American, Washington Post, and The Guardian & The Observer.
- Times Digital Archive: 1785-2014 This link opens in a new windowThe full text of the Times of London from 1785-2014.
Getting Materials Not in U.Va. Library--Interlibrary Loan
Unavailable through VIRGO or unavailable in full-text via our article databases does not mean inaccessible or even seriously inconvenient. U.Va. Library has a great interlibrary loan service that should put the needed article in your inbox or the book in your hands within a few days of your requesting it.
Create an account with our Interlibrary Loan Department (log on as first-time user).