Amy Murrell Taylor, a professor in the Department of History at the University of Kentucky, has won her institution’s top teaching award. In this “Quick Clip” she discusses the impact of today’s political culture on her students.  She highlights the importance of studying history as a means of developing the critical reading skills essential to being an informed citizen in the twenty-first century.

Amy Murrell Taylor is a professor in the Department of History at the University of Kentucky. In this “Quick Clip” she describes an “incredible moment” in the research for her award-winning new book, Embattled Freedom: Journeys Through the Civil War’s Refugee Camps (2018). Her project was enriched by the use of newspaper databases which took her in an unexpected direction.

Support learning and research across STEM and humanities disciplines with this unique family of digital collections. Each is comprised of primary source documents from around the world, collected and translated by the CIA. Researchers will find journal articles, government publications, newspapers, magazines, and transcribed television and radio broadcasts that illuminate the origins of today’s most relevant scientific fields.

More than half of America’s states began as territories. “Territorial Papers of the United States” records this official history, collecting Native American negotiations and treaties, correspondence with the government, military records, judicial proceedings, and more. Now these essential publications are available in a unique digital product, offering new research opportunities for all studying the creation of modern-day America.

In this behind-the-scenes chat, Yale Professor Joanne B. Freeman discusses what first sparked her interest in Alexander Hamilton, why after decades of research this enigmatic founding father continues to fascinate her, and how she predicts “Hamilton Mania” will impact history. 

Joanne B. Freeman, Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University, is a leading expert on early American politics and culture. In this interview she describes the essential role that primary source materials have played in her own research. She also discusses the lasting benefits of studying the humanities.

Created to cajole, convince and inform citizens on nearly every issue of the day, pamphlets had a powerful impact on 19th-century American life. Now American Pamphlets, a unique digital resource, provides more than 25,000 short works from every region of the U.S. Revealing passionate views and perspectives not seen in other print genres, these rare items address hundreds of heavily researched topics.

Amy E. Hughes is Associate Professor of Theater History & Criticism at Brooklyn College (CUNY). In this interview, she discusses how the study of theater deepens our understanding of history and society; what happens in the classroom when students use these kinds of primary sources; and what the digitization of collections like Nineteenth-Century America Dramahas meant to her.

This family of digital resources for 20th-century international studies provides global perspectives on many of today’s most relevant research areas. Each of these unique collections offers new insight and unprecedented opportunities for teaching and scholarship in some of the most-searched topics in libraries today. Subjects covered include immigration and refugees, worldwide propaganda, nuclear arms, protest movements, race relations, Korean and Vietnam wars, and more.

The newspapers in this one-of-a-kind collection cover the seamier aspects of 19th-century urban life: crime, scandal, and brothels, combined with reviews of bawdy performances and reports on sporting events such as cock-fighting and boxing. The included publications were all collected by the American Antiquarian Society and are among the rarest of American newspapers. They are of particular interest to researchers in gender studies and the underground economy and literature of the era.

In the nineteenth century drama became the most popular form of entertainment in America while taking on myriad forms. This unique and comprehensive collection sheds new light on an enormous range of heavily studied topics, including daily life in the United States; politics, both local and national; culture in all of its forms; and the shifting and evolving tastes of Americans from across the country.

A leading authority on the American frontier, Stephen Aron is professor of history at the University of California, Los Angeles. In this brief video, Aron tells why primary sources resonate with college students today. Allowing them to make their own discoveries and learn the craft of history, he says, is critical to training students to be educated human beings.

UCLA Professor Stephen Aron explains why his published research on Western U.S. history might require reinterpretation now that Readex has digitized the Territorial Papers of the United States. The comprehensive online edition not only dwarfs the amount of content previously available in print form, but also includes intentionally omitted materials.

University of Tennessee Professor Daniel Feller clarifies why the new digital edition of Territorial Papers of the United States may provide fresh understandings of the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Researchers previously relying on Clarence Carter’s small sample of selected documents will now have access to an enormous range of newly searchable materials.

American historian Daniel Feller, Distinguished Professor at the University of Tennessee, is Director of “The Papers of Andrew Jackson.” In this short video, he discusses how digitized primary sources have helped to unlock new discoveries about the seventh U.S. president. He explains how using keyword search has been critical to his project’s continued success.

Recorded, transcribed and translated into English by the Central Intelligence Agency, these open source intelligence reports are an indispensable source for insight into decades of turbulent world history.  Now available in a fully searchable digital collection, these primary source documents provide crucial news and information from all countries outside of the U.S. during the second half of the 20th century.

Paul Finkelman, a leading authority on American legal history, race relations and religious freedom, discusses the importance of primary documents in his work as a scholar and professor. He explains how digital resources like the U.S. Congressional Serial Set and American Pamphlets can help students discover historical connections and energize their research. 

Presenter: Carl Robert Keyes, Associate Professor of History, Assumption College
In this 45-minute webinar, Prof. Keyes shows how he adapted two digital humanities projects—drawn from his own research on advertising in early America—into classroom exercises that challenge students to actively “do” history rather than merely learn about the past.

For wide-ranging perspectives on human migration that stretch far beyond the borders of the United States, Immigrations, Migrations and Refugees: Global Perspectives, 1941-1996, is an unparalleled new resource. This digital archive includes firsthand accounts from around the world, covering such important events as Jewish resettlement, South African apartheid, Latin American migrations and much more.

In this short discussion, David Goldfield, the Robert Lee Bailey Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, describes what sparked his interest in the American Civil War, explains how his use of primary source materials in the classroom has changed, and describes how digital collections of primary sources have impacted his research and his teaching.

African American Newspapers, 1827-1998, provides access to more than 350 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience. This unique collection, which includes historically significant papers from more than 35 states, features many rare 19th-century titles. Newly digitized, these newspapers published by or for African Americans can now be browsed and searched as never before.

Presenter: Julie R. Voss, Associate Professor of English, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Dr. Voss shares her experience using a digital archive to fascinate and challenge an undergraduate class. She provides tips for creating an effective digital archives assignment; improving student research skills; and increasing student knowledge, engagement and enthusiasm.

The first and only collection of American newspapers solely covering specific political campaigns and issues provides detailed primary-source documentation of the issues, arguments and opposing viewpoints that shaped 19th-century U.S. political history. Encompassing more than 300 papers published from 1803 to 1876, this one-of-a-kind resource offers essential core materials for teaching and research.

Readex Product Director Brett Kolcun provides interface training for African American Periodicals. Training includes key features, search limiters, locating titles by state or region or topic, title list and calendar page, results list, and document view.  Brett also covers bibliographic controls and teaching and research applications.

Readex Product Director Brett Kolcun describes the content found in America's Historical Imprints and demonstrates key features of the interface. Training also includes search, results, document view, and browse functionality. Also covered is bookmarking article URLs, emailing article links and information, and exporting citations to be used in a citation manager.

Readex Product Director Brett Kolcun covers Early American Newspapers, African American Newspapers, Hispanic American Newspapers, Ethnic American Newspapers, Caribbean Newspapers, and the World Newspaper Archive. This training also includes an overview of the integrated Readex interface and covers criteria for title selection, digitization challenges, and the research value of historical newspapers.

For the first time, students and scholars have the capability to search seamlessly across all Readex digital collections available at their institution. By consolidating all document types—historical imprints, newspapers, and government documents—Readex AllSearch enables users to make new and unexpected discoveries within one streamlined, mobile-friendly new platform.

Religion was the epicenter of nearly everything in the 19th century, dubbed the age of religion. Reflecting this influence, this collection of 320+ papers provides invaluable denominational insight, as well as news and opinions on wide-ranging topics of high interest to congregants. Far exceeding inspirational homilies, the editors of these papers took stands on the biggest issues of the time: slavery, women’s suffrage and others.

Readex recently sat down with Manisha Sinha, Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The discussion covered her highly praised new book, The Slave’s Cause (Yale, 2016), the research value of such digital resources as The American Slavery Collection, Early American Newspapers and African American Newspapers, and her own advice to students.

Presenter: Debra Reddin van Tuyll, Professor, Department of Communications, Augusta University
Learn how primary sources introduce students to the experience of the past; create deeper engagement with research activities; and spark lively discussions that improve the teaching process.

Megan Kate Nelson, author of Ruin Nation: Destruction and the American Civil War, describes the unique value of the American Antiquarian Society's collection for Civil War research. Digital access to this collection is available from Readex.

Created from the Library Company’s acclaimed Afro-Americana Collection—an accumulation that began with Benjamin Franklin and steadily increased throughout its entire history—this unique online resource will provide researchers with more than 12,000 printed works. These essential books, pamphlets and broadsides hold an unparalleled record of African American history, literature and culture. 

This 10-minute webinar explores three thematically connected Archive of Americana collections: Afro-Americana Imprints, 1535-1922—a preeminent collection for African American studies; African American Periodicals, 1825-1995—brimming with untold stories; and African American Newspapers, 1827-1998—a one-of-a-kind record of 150 years of history, culture and daily life.

Over several decades, Readex has published many of the most widely used collections of primary source research materials in academic libraries, first as Readex Microprint Corporation and since 1984 as a division of NewsBank, inc.