Getting Started

Start your search at the UIC Library. Try using the periodical indexes and UICCAT (the online catalog) to find information on your topic. Remember that you may need to broaden the scope of your research beyond your Chicago focus. Here are some general hints:

Think about what disciplines might relate to your topic - e.g. business, psychology, social work, sociology, etc.
Think about the smaller arguments that you are making - it is sometimes easier to find articles to support these arguments than to support your thesis statement.
Start early - you may find that you need to do some creative research to complete your paper.

Questions?

The Reference staff is happy to help you.
Ask at the Reference Desk, located on the second floor of the Richard J. Daley Library, call 312.996.2726, or Ask A Librarian.

Finding Books

To find books at UIC use UICCAT, the online catalog.
Search by:

Any Word Anywhere
Do NOT use and, or, not between search terms. To search phrases, use quotes. Results are ranked by relevancy. For example:

history stockyards chicago
"chicago poets"

Subject
Use Library of Congress Subject Headings. *You must know the subject headings in order to search by them.* For example:

capone al
gangsters--illinois--chicago
chicago ill--social conditions

Boolean Search
Use and, or, not between your terms to combine. To search phrases, use quotes. For example:

chicago and gangs
"chicago politics" and race

Finding Articles

To find articles at UIC, use an index.

Online Journal Indexes

Social Sciences Abstracts -a general social science index. Online coverage is from 1984 to present.


WilsonSelect Plus Full Text - full text magazine and journal articles in science, humanities, education and business. Online coverage is from 1994 to present.

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals - a comprehensive listing of journal articles published worldwide on architecture and design, archaeology, city planning, interior design, and historic preservation. It also includes the Burnham Index to Architectural Literature. Paper copies available in the Warehouse. Online coverage is from the 1930s to present.


Art Abstracts - an index covering all disciplines within the arts.  Online coverage is from 1984 to present.


America: History & Life - Historical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.


Humanities Abstracts - a general humanities index. Online coverage is from 1984 to present.

Print Journal Indexes


 

Burnham Index to Architectural Literature
Paper copies available in the Warehouse or available online through the Avery Index to Architctural Periodicals.


Architectural Periodicals Index
Paper copies from 1981-present are available in the Daley Library.  Location:  2nd floor Index Tables, call number: Z5941.A66.  Not available online.
Art Index
Paper copies from 1929-1983 are available in the Daley Library.  Location:  2nd floor Index Tables, call number: Z5937.A78.  Continued by Art Abstracts online.    
Social Sciences Index
Paper copies from 1965-1983 are available in the Daley Library.  (From 1907-1965 the title is International Index.)  Location:  2nd floor Index Tables, call number: AI3.R49.  Continued by Social Sciences Abstracts online.




Magazine indexes

Readers Guide Abstracts
Paper copies from 1900-present also available on the index tables (call number AI3 .R48) on the 2nd floor of the Daley Library. Online coverage is from 1983 to present.
WilsonSelect Full Text - full text magazine and journal articles in science, humanities, education and business. Online coverage is from 1994 to present

Newspaper indexes

Chicago Tribune Index
The Daley Library owns the entire run of this print index, from 1972 to the present; there is no index before 1972, but the Chicago History Museum does have clippings files for important Chicago events. The indexes can be found on the index tables (call number AI21 .C45 C47) on the 2nd floor.
Recent years of the Tribune are available online in Newspaper Source (1997-current), NewsBank (1985-current), and LexisNexis Academic Universe (2002-current).
Older years are available full-text online in the Historical Chicago Tribune (1849-1985.)  All issues of the Tribune, except the most recent, can be found on microfilm (2nd floor north). Recent issues are in the Reserve Reading room on the first floor.
Chicago Sun Times Index
Coverage of this paper index runs from 1979-1982. It can be found on the index tables (call number AI21.C43 B4) in the Daley Library/2nd floor. All issues of the Sun Times, excpet the most recent, can be found on microfilm (2nd floor north). Full-text is available online through NewsBank (1986-current) and LexisNexis Academic Universe (1992-current). Recent issues are in the Reserve Reading room on the first floor.

Finding Other Resources

Sometimes topics may require materials that are not found in traditional sources (magazines, newspapers, journals, or books). For more information on some topics you may need to use material found in special collections and archives. Special collections and archival materials include things like manuscripts, drawings, blueprints, photographs, scrapbooks, rare books, ephemera, etc.

There are many different special collections and archives in Chicago that may be able to provide more specialized information on a variety of subjects of local interest. We have included links to a number of these resources so you can read about their collections before calling to make an appointment.

Using special collections and archival materials involves more time than finding information in traditional sources, but the results can prove very interesting and rewarding. When using these materials it is important to keep the following guidelines in mind:

Be Prepared
Do some preliminary research using books and articles so you have a very focused and well-thought out topic.

Call Ahead
Make an appointment to use the collection and speak with a Librarian. The Librarian will help determine where you may find the information you need.

Plan Ahead
Special collections and archival materials usually need to be collected from storage and are often not available on demand. This is one reason always to call ahead.

Be Flexible and Patient
The first place that you try may not have all of the information that you are looking for and you may need to look through a lot of material to find what you need. Allow the Librarian to help direct you in your search and be patient. Using special collections and archival material is not like reading a book: there will not be a folder with all of the information you need available.

Special Collections and Archives Resources

UIC Special Collections and University Archives.  Collections of interest include:

Jane Addams/Hull House Collection

Chicago Worlds Fair 1933/34: A Century of Progress

Harold Washington Library Special Collections and Preservation Division.  Collections of interest include:

Neighborhood Collection

Chicago Theater Collection

The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 Collection

Harold Washington Library Municipal Reference Collection

Clipping files

Chicago History Museum.  Collections of interest include:

Prints and Photographs Division

Archives and Manuscripts Collections

Charles F. Murphy Architectural Study Center

National Archives and Records Administration - Great Lakes Region - genealogical collections of interest include:

Federal Population Censuses for all states


Military Service and Pension Records


Indian Census rolls for Michigan and Wisconsin

Selected Internet Links

Important: don't forget to cite resources that you find on the Internet!

Chicago Timeline.  Includes links to information sheets compiled by the Chicago Municipal Reference Library such as:

• Eastland Disaster
• Brief History of the Chicago Fire Department
• Chicago's Historic Watertower
• Great Fire
• Brief History of the Chicago Police Department
  

Chicago Daily News Photographs.  A collection of over 55,000 images of urban life captured on glass plate negatives between 1902 and 1933 by photographers employed by the Chicago Daily News, then one of Chicago's leading newspapers. From the Library of Congress' American Memory Project.

Chicago's Mayors.  Photographs, Chronology, Biographical Information, Inaugural Addresses and Gravesites. Compiled by the Municipal Reference Library.

Columbian Exposition.  Information on the Worlds Fair - Columbian Exposition of 1893 compiled for the Internet 1996 World Exposition.

Facts about Chicago.  Most recent 2001 facts. Compiled by the Municipal Reference Collection, City of Chicago.

Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory.  A commemorative exhibition created by the Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University. Includes lots of information and resources on the Chicago Fire.

Urban Experience in Chicago: Hull-House and Its Neighborhoods, 1889-1963.  Sponsored by the Jane Addams Hull House Museum and the University of Illinois at Chicago, this online project contains a variety of primary source documents, documentary photographs, and scholarly essays that explore the legacy of social reform movements in Chicago and the community's history.

Selected Bibliography

Andreas, A.T. History of Chicago from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Chicago: A.T. Andreas, 1884-86.
Daley Library F548.3 .A5

Holli, Melvin G. and Peter d'A. Jones, eds. Ethnic Chicago: a Multicultural Portrait. 4th ed. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1995.
Daley Library F548.9.A1 E85 1995

Holt, Glen E. and Dominic A. Pacyga. Chicago, a Historical Guide to the Neighborhoods: the Loop and South Side. Chicago: Chicago Historical Society, 1979.
Daley Library F548.68.A1 H64

Pierce, Bessie Louise. A History of Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975.
Daley Library F548.3 .P54

Schulze, Franz and Kevin Harrington, eds. Chicago's Famous Buildings: a Photographic Guide to the City's Architectural Landmarks and Other Notable Buildings. 5th ed.  Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Daley Library NA735.C4 C4 2003