Cambridge University Library and the Seeley Historical Library are delighted to announce three major new acquisitions of online archives for the study of American history in the University.
From June 2019 the University has access (on and off campus) to the Congressional Research Digital Collection, the Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection, and the Chicago Tribune in the Historical Newspapers series, all published by ProQuest, via the following links.
To promote the new resources in your library download and print the “New eResources in American History” A3 format poster.
Congressional Research Digital Collection
The CRDC is a collection of research materials – CRS Reports and Committee Prints – created for Congress.
CRS, the Congressional Research Service, is known as research arm of the United States Congress. CRS issues thousands of reports each year on issues of interest to Congress.
Committee prints are publications prepared for the use of a specific committee so often are working studies or compilations of articles prepared in the course of formulating legislation.
This material is often the first place you’ll find topics in the news, and because prints or reports might review pending legislation, or a government program, you’ll find them issued throughout the legislative process. Material in CRDC can be used for many purposes: to answer a reference question, create a chronology of events, to come up to speed on a topic, or to see what a proposal was at a specific point in time.
For more help on searching the CRDC visit the ProQuest LibGuide here.
The Congressional Research Digital Collection is available via the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z.
Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection
The Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection comprises the Congressional Record (beginning in 1873 and currently available through 2009), and the predecessor titles including the Congressional Globe (1833-1873), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Annals of Congress (1789-1824).
Help with searching the Congressional Record can be found on the Advanced Search Techniques section of the ProQuest LibGuide here. ProQuest is currently re-designing the Congressional platform to improve its search capabilities and the “Congress in Context” feature. For updates on the development over summer 2019 see this page.
The Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection is available via the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z.
The Chicago Tribune provided detailed accounts of the Great Fire of 1871, which killed hundreds, nearly destroyed the city, resulted in many reforms, and spurred new growth. In 1893 and 1909, the newspaper’s special Chicago Jubilee issues described and celebrated the city’s tremendous progress. It also reported on the Progressive Movement, followed the works of Nobel Peace Prize-winning social reformer Jane Addams, exposed the activities of mobsters like Al Capone, and reported on the city’s machine politics. To incisively convey ideas, opinions, and emotions, the Chicago Tribune relied on Pulitzer Prizewinning John T. McCutcheon’s editorial cartoons.
Readers can study the progression of issues over time by browsing issues of the Chicago Tribune, which offers coverage of 1849-1995, including news articles, photos, advertisements, classified ads, obituaries, cartoons, and more.
The Chicago Tribune is findable via iDiscover, the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z, the eresources Overseas and foreign language newspapers page, and the Newspapers LibGuide.
A flavour of the Congressional Research Digital Collection
Buzz salutes the U.S. Flag. (Wikimedia Commons)
“I believe we should go to the moon.” — President Kennedy, May 25, 1961, 87-1 (1961), HOUSE: VOLUME 107; (8877-8915) P. 8877. Permalink.
More resources in American history
The study of American history is also supported by the University Library’s provision of access to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post in the Historial Newspapers series and the 19th century United States Newspapers archive and the Early American Newspapers archive, as well as the United States Declassified Documents Online service:
19th century U.S. Newspapers Archive
Early American Newspapers Archive
United States Declassified Documents Online
For other resources in American politics and history, please visit the Cambridge LibGuides A-Z page here. And the Seeley Historical Library Tripos pages here and here.
Electronic Collection Management 