HIST 100: Children’s History and the History of Children (Fall 2024)

The Libraries have a LOT of e-journal subscriptions and hundreds of databases designed to help you find them. You can use PRIMO, the main catalog, to find interesting secondary sources (like articles!). For specialized  US history topics, you may want to try America: History and Life. Both work in a similar manner. 

Lets' say my topic is history of American children's toys, so I try
children AND toys AND "United States"

• Keep it simple!
  • Only use a few search terms at once, connected by AND
• Use nouns (people/place/thing/film) as search terms in the search
• Limit to peer reviewed materials
• Use Boolean!
• When you find a book on your topic, open it and pay attention to the subject terms!
  • When you search these databases, keywords will become highlighted in the results. Pay attention to these, they will help you find search terms
• Do NOT limit to full text
  • Even if a database thinks we don't own an article, we frequently do have access through another databases. Use the "find at W&M" button to check.
  • OR use ILL order a PDF at no cost -- we'll email it to your @wm address.

If you're interested in something like the history of Children keeping pets, start with something basic like children AND pets