Academic Articles
The library has hundreds of specialized research databases, which are collections of resources based on subject, topic, or type of material.
Browse the library's databases list to choose a subject-specific database that fits your research topic.
Some suggestions of places to start are listed below, but ask a librarian for help identifying where to search for your topic.
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ProQuest Social Science Premium Collection This link opens in a new windowThis database provides full-text articles and abstracts from scholarly journals from 1871 to present on anthropology, criminology, economics, education, international relations, library science, linguistics, political science, public policy, social work, sociology, and more.
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America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new windowThis database provides articles, books, book reviews, and dissertations on the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistoric times to the present, and publication dates go from the late 19th century to the present.
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Historical Abstracts with full-text This link opens in a new windowContains articles, books, book reviews, and dissertations on the history of the world (except United States and Canada) from the 15th century to the present, and publication dates go from the 19th century to the present.
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APA PsycInfo This link opens in a new windowThis database provides access to psychology journals, books, and dissertations. It is THE source for starting any psychology research project. Coverage is from 1887 to the present.
Books & E-Books
The Books tab on the library homepage allows you to find books and ebooks in our collection. Watch a video about how to use the books tab.
After you have conducted a search, filter options appear to the left under "refine results." You can use the format filter to limit your results to e-books (available online) or books physically in the library.
How to Find a Book on the Shelf
For in-depth help, check out our guide to finding books in the library.
Primary Sources
The library has many primary source databases. Browse the library's databases list to choose one that fits your research topic, look at the suggestions below, or ask a librarian for help.
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Student Activism This link opens in a new windowStudent Activism is an open access database of approximately 75,000 pages of primary source documents that capture the protest, advocacy, and political demonstration activities of American college students in the 20th and 21st centuries, ranging from the most conservative to the most radical.
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Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new windowThis database provides primary sources including historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence, among other documents related to Black Freedom from 1790 to 2000s.
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Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000 This link opens in a new windowThis database provides a collection of primary and secondary sources on the history of women's social movements in the United States from 1600-2000.
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Library of Congress Digital CollectionsFrom the Library of Congress. Browse by time period or geography, or search for your topic.
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CalisphereCalisphere is your gateway to digital collections from California's great libraries, archives, and museums. Discover over 2,125,000 images, texts, and recordings.
Statistics & Data
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Statista This link opens in a new windowProvides statistics, reports and insight on over 80,000 topics from 22,500 sources in 170 countries, with content that ranges from forecasts, surveys, white paper reports, and daily data. Insight reports cover the market, consumers, companies, as well as e-commerce.
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California Open Data PortalFind data specific to the state of California.
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U.S. CensusData from the U.S. Census and the American Community Survey.
Background Information
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Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowThis database provides full-text articles from over 600 reference sources, as well as access to a wide range of information sources that include images, audio, and video. Topic Pages are informative overviews, and Mind Map assists narrowing and focusing research topics to improve database searching.
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Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Reference is a collection of Oxford University Press's dictionaries, companions and encyclopedias, spanning 25 different subject areas. Articles vary from general reference to in-depth discussion of specific topics. Subject areas include the sciences, classical literature, music, quotations, religion, social sciences, as well as law. Updated throughout the year.
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Britannica Academic This link opens in a new windowThis database combines the Encyclopedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, and primary sources from reputable websites chosen by Britannica editors. Creating an account allows for saving articles, media, etc. for later viewing, as well as resource packs that help keep research organized. Updated daily.