History
Welcome to the History subject guide - your guide to using the library resources, services and facilities for your subject.
Search Library Resources
Use DiscoverEd to search the Library's collections and find books, ebooks, ejournal articles and more. Use your University Login to sign into your account and manage loans, requests and fines.
Search for literature on historical topics
- America: History and LifeBibliographic reference to the history of the United States and Canada. The database comprises almost 400,000 bibliographic entries and covers over 2,000 journals published worldwide, providing an incomparable research tool for students and researchers of US and Canadian history.
- Arts & Humanities Citation IndexPart of Web of Science Core Collection. A multidisciplinary index containing details of every substantive item in 1,200 arts and humanities journals, as well as references to books included in book reviews, and live performances, films, records, and television and radio broadcasts. Contains over 2 million references.
- Bibliography of British and Irish HistoryThe Bibliography of British and Irish History provides bibliographic data on historical writing dealing with the British Isles, and with the British Empire and Commonwealth, during all periods for which written documentation is available - from 55BC to the present. It is the successor to the Royal Historical Society Bibliography of British and Irish History, available online from 2002 to 2009.
- Historical AbstractsBibliographic reference to the history of the world (excluding United States and Canada) focusing on the 15th century forward. The database covers over 2,600 journals published worldwide, providing an incomparable research tool for students and researchers of world history. The database provides indexing of historical articles in over 40 languages, published from 1955.
- International Medieval BibliographyCovers articles published in journals and in miscellany volumes. All subjects relating to the Middle Ages are included, within the date range 300-1500 AD. Geographical areas covered are Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Digital primary source databases
Through the Library you have access to millions of digitised primary source documents that you can search and browse through hundreds of online databases.
Between them these databases cover the Medieval period onwards and include material such as books and manuscripts, personal and official correspondence, diaries, legal documents, newspapers, magazines, audio and video recordings, images, maps, ephemera and much more.
To discover the full range of digital primary source databases you have access to you should take a look at the Digital primary source and archive collections guide and the Newspapers magazines and other news sources guide.
The resources on these tabs will allow you to cross-search multiple digital primary source databases (from the same publisher) at one time. If you've never used digital primary source databases before this can be a good way to start.
Gale are a major publisher in primary source databases and the Library has access to a range of material from them including Archives Unbound, Archives of Sexuality & Gender, Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), two of the Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO) databases, The Making of Modern Law and a wide range of newspaper archives including British Library Newspapers, The Times Digital Archive and The Daily Mail Digital Archive.
Gale Primary Sources allows you to cross-search across all, or a selection of, the Gale primary source databases the Library has access to.
Tick/untick the boxes of the resources you do or don't want to search.
Archives Unbound, published by Gale, provides the Library with access to over 300 primary source databases, all of which are listed individually above.
However, you can cross-search all, or a selection of, the databases within Archives Unbound by accessing it directly.
ProQuest provide the University Library with access to over 300 databases (both for primary sources, newspaper archives and secondary sources).
ProQuest has a few different platforms it provides access to these databases through and it allows you to cross-search across all, or a selection of, the databases on a particular platform.
Click on "Databases" in the top menu to see full list of databases and then tick/untick the boxes of the resources you do or don't want to search.
ProQuest History Vault provides access to millions of primary source, cross-searchable, full-text/full-image documents on the most widely studied topics in 19th and 20th century American history. The content in History Vault is suitable for researchers in history, African American studies, women’s studies, political science, social sciences, sociology, and international studies.
AM Digital are a major publisher in primary source databases and the Library has access to a range of material from them covering the late Medieval period onwards.
AM Explorer allows you to cross-search across all of the AM Digital primary source databases the Library has access to.
It's quite a basic search but will help you locate material or relevant databases to do more advanced searching in.
Readex are a publisher of primary source materials for academic libraries. At the library we have access to their collections African Newspapers, African American Newspapers Series 1 and 2, Early American Imprints, Series 1: Evans, 1639-1800, Early American Newspapers, Series 2: The New Republic, South Asian Newspapers and some modules from FBIS Daily Reports.
Readex AllSearch allows you to cross-search through all of, or a selection of, the databases the Library has access to from Readex at one time.
Main Library
The Main Library holds the majority of books for History. Most of these books are on the 2nd floor or in the HUB Collection on the ground floor.
Watch the student-led tour of the Main Library to help you get your bearings and discover the resources, services and facilities on offer.
- Main Library - orientation guideThis guide will help you to find the Main Library, and to navigate its services and collections.
Resource Lists
Find your course reading lists via Resource Lists. Type in your course code or keywords from the course title, or your lecturer's name.
Please note that not all courses at the University use Resource Lists.
Exam Papers
Exam Papers Online provides access to the collected degree examination papers of the University from 2004 onwards. They may be used by students as a study aid only.
Your Academic Support Librarian
3 Lady Lawson Street
Edinburgh EH3 9DR
Online learning
The Library provides access to 100s of 1000s of online resources, including e-books, e-journals and online databases, but we also provide lots of other services and support for students on online learning programmes.