In this part of SAFARI we are going to cover information resources for history including history of science, technology and medicine. As with any subject it is difficult to describe every resource that may be of use. It will depend on what aspect of history you are interested in.
Information about resources available to Open University students and links to them are found on the Open Library website, Finding Information in History, and Finding Information in History of Science, Technology and Medicine
Specific resources are discussed in more detail below.
There are some history and historical books available online from the Electronic Books pages for History and History of Science, Technology and Medicine on Open Library. Some of the books are part of larger collections, so you may need to search for them. For instance:
There are also an increasing number of electronic books and texts available on the internet. These are available on ROUTES: Electronic books and include the Historical Texts Archive and the Electronic Documents in History.
To find out about other books available in your subject area, you can search library catalogues and/or online bookshops. These are listed on the Open Library page Catalogues and Bookshops.
There are online reference books (for example, dictionaries and encyclopaedias) in the Reference section of the Open Library web pages. The reference database, KnowUK, allows you to search across the following reference books:
Databases are useful for finding articles on a topic. They enable you to search across a number of journal titles (and sometimes books, reports and newspapers simultaneously) in order to find information in your area of study. There are two main types of databases:
Some databases may contain a mixture of both full text and bibliographic information. Your starting point when using library databases should be the History: Databases or the History of Science, Technology and Medicine: Databases sections of Open Library. Databases of particular interest to you include:
An increasing number of journals are available electronically through Open Library. We have selected some for History and History of Science, Technology and Medicine . This list is only a selection. You are strongly advised to use the A-Z list of journals to browse for other titles.
You can also search several journal titles at once, by subject keyword, using the electronic journal collections.
Open Library provides access to The Times newspaper via History Online in the History databases section. This includes:
For information on finding other newspapers online, see the Newspapers section.
If you are involved in extended historical study or research, you may wish to use primary sources. These include archival records, manuscripts, personal diaries and letters.
There are many sites on the internet where you will find useful information. Some of the best available are included on the ROUTES database. The Library and module tutors have worked closely to compile a set of resources relevant to history and history of science modules. You can browse module code, if you are following an OU module, by subject or by keyword.
You may also find useful history gateways on the Open Library page, Arts: Internet Links, including:
This is covered in more detail in Section 7.
SAFARI concentrates on resources that are available to Open University students through the Open Library web pages. However, these may not be the only resources available to you. When you need to use a library, you can find out about those located near you by using our database Access to University and Other Higher Education Libraries for Open University Students . All Open University students are also entitled to apply for a three-year pass to use the British Library's St. Pancras reading rooms. To receive your pass you need to present documentary proof of the module you are currently studying, and some form of personal ID.
Before visiting a library, you may want to check its catalogue to make sure it holds the books and journals you need. You can find links to library catalogues on Open Library.
There may be other library resources near to you. Does your workplace have a library or information service you can use? Do you belong to a professional organis ation or learned society? Many of these have specialist library and information services for their members and they often offer student membership rates.