Librarian Contacts:
 

History Librarian: Joan Ariel Collections Department History and Women's Studies Librarian 386 Main Library 949/824-4970 jariel@uci.edu

Special Collections/Manuscripts:  Bill Landis  Manuscripts Librarian  Special Collections and Archives  500 Main Library  824-3113  blandis@uci.edu

Chicano/Latino Studies Librarian: Christina Woo Reference Department 150 Main Library 949/824-4974 cjwoo@uci.edu

This guide is designed as an introduction to print and online resources for accessing materials in the UCI Libraries and beyond on research topics related to Colonial Mexico. The guide  is extremely selective, both in terms of the sources cited and the strategies recommended.

The guide covers the following areas:

1. Sources for Historical Research
2. Effective Research Skills
3. Sources for Topic Analysis
1. Guides to the Literature, Encyclopedias and Other Reference Works
4. Search Types and Strategies
5. Monographs and Other Materials: Library Catalogs
1. ANTPAC (Anteaters Public Access Catalog)
2. CDL MELVYL: UC Systemwide Catalog
3. WorldCat
6. Finding Articles: Periodical Indexing/Abstracting Services
1. Web-based Indexes
7. Full-Text Online Journals
8. Specialized Internet Resources
9. Selected Primary Sources and Special Collections
10. Creating and Managing Bibliographies: EndNote

Primary sources (adapted from a definition on the Yale University Library Web site) are firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation.  The nature and value of a source cannot be determined without reference to the topic and questions it is meant to answer.  The same document, or other piece of evidence, may be a primary source in one investigation and secondary in another.  The search for primary sources does not, therefore, automatically include or exclude any format of research materials or type of records, documents, or publications.
Primary sources typically can include archives and manuscript material, photographs, letters and diaries, scrapbooks, newspapers and clippings, government publications, oral histories, magazines, published books, printed ephemera, and video and audio recordings.

Secondary sources are those that analyze, assess, or interpret a topic under investigation, typically utilizing primary sources to do so.

Tertiary sources identify and locate primary and secondary sources; these include bibliographies, indexes, abstracts, encyclopedias, and other reference resources.

Note: These categories are not mutually exclusive.

Start with topical analysis

• What is your topic?
• Diagram your topic (who, what, why, when, where, and how).
• Keywords, synonyms, contemporary ways of referring to your topic that are no longer current (e.g., Negro for African American); make a written list of these for convenient referral in keyword searching.

• Research is an iterative process and the best researchers learn as they go.
• What resources and research tools have you used? Which ones have been the most productive?
• What terms have/have not worked?
• What new names/terms have you encountered in your searches?  Add these to your terminology list.

Guides to the Literature, Encyclopedias and Other Reference Works

Guides (or guides to the literature as they're sometimes called) provide the researcher with a basic introduction to the literature of a topic. Guides list important bibliographies, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, periodical indexes, manuscript and statistical finding aids, etc. They may be  a useful first step in beginning research, helpful both in acquainting the researcher with critical sources in the field and assisting in organization and evaluation of research strategies. In other words, guides often offer a structured overview of an academic discipline.

Subject dictionaries, encyclopedias and handbooks (the terms are often used interchangeably) often provide useful background information, concepts and terminology, leads to key events and people, etc.

Guides to the Literature: History

• The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature. New York: Oxford, 1995. 2 vols.

Ref. Z6201 .A55 1995

• Dictionary of Mexican Rulers, 1325-1997.  Juana Vázquez-Gómez.  Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1997.  Ref. F1205 .V34 1997
• Enciclopedia de México.  José Rogelio Álvarez.  14 vols. Ciudad de México : Enciclopedia de México, 1987- Ed. especial, [2a ed.] Ref. F1204 .E5 1987
• Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Barbara A. Tenenbaum, ed.  New York : C. Scribner's Sons; London : Simon & Schuster : Prentice Hall International, c1996. 5 vols.   Ref. F1406 .E53 1996
• Encyclopedia of Mexico : History, Society & Culture. Michael S. Werner, ed. Chicago : Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997. 2 vols. Ref. F1204 .E539 1997
• Historical Dictionary of Ancient Mesoamerica. Joel W. Palka. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2000. Ref. F1434 .H57 2000
• Historical Dictionary of Mexico. Donald C. Briggs and Marvin Alisky.  Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1981. Ref. F1204 .B74
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures : The Civilizations of Mexico and Central America. 3 vols. Davíd Carrasco, editor in chief. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2001. Ref. F1218.6 .O95 2001
• A Reference Guide to Latin American History.  James D. Henderson, Helen Delpar, Maurice P. Brungardt, eds.  Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, c2000   Ref. F1410 .R395 2000

Who's Who of the Conquistadors. Hugh Thomas. London : Cassell, c2000. Ref.  F1230 .T487 2000

In doing library-based research, there are three key approaches to identifying information and materials on a subject or topic: known item; keyword; and subject heading.  All are based on the "bibliographic record" for the book, article, or other item.

1.  Known Item
Search on a known title or author, then use subject headings in the bibliographic record to expand your retrieval to related items.

2. Keyword

In most library catalogs and databases, searches for your key words usually drawn from the following data fields:

• Books: title, series title, and/or subject heading words.
• Articles: article title, subject heading, abstract if available.

    Note:

• In some databases (ANTPAC included), you must use a single word, an exact phrase, or and between multiple words.  Example: asian american women and feminism
• In other databases (MELVYL included), the database automatically inserts an implicit and between multiple words and you do not have to type these.

Example: asian american women feminism
• If in doubt or you get a zero result, try both approaches.

Searches for subject heading(s) assigned by the Library of Congress or descriptors assigned by the index/database producer use a "controlled vocabulary."  The best way to identify subject heading(s) for your topic is to do a keyword search first, then note and link from subject headings of the most promising items.

Note:

• A subject search in ANTPAC is an exact subject heading search.

Some "subject" searches (e.g, in MELVYL as well as some databases) provide the option of searching by topic keywords, subject heading words, or exact subject heading.  Read search screens and select options carefully

Reminder: Subject headings, like all language and most everything in life (!), are socially and historically constructed; consider terminology for your topic broadly and deeply.

The following is a highly selective list of subject headings that might prove useful in looking for information resources related to the history of Mexico.

Tip: Finding the subheading terms "Sources" or "Archival resources" appended to any of the subject headings below on a record in an online catalog is an indication that the item you've identified is substantially composed of primary source material.

• Mexico -- History
• Mexico -- History -- To 1519
• Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540
• Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540 -- Sources
• Mexico -- History -- Spanish colony, 1540-1810

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And more specifically, for example:

• Aztecs -- Civilization
• Aztecs -- History
• Aztecs -- History -- 16th century
• Catholic Church -- Missions -- Mexico -- History
• Counter-Reformation -- Mexico
• Indians of Mexico -- History -- 16th century
• Mexico -- Antiquities
• Mexico -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
• Mexico -- Economic conditions
• Mexico -- Historiography
• Mexico -- Politics and government
• Mexico -- Relations -- United States
• Mexico -- Social life and customs -- 18th century
• Mixtec Indians -- History -- Sources
• Indians of Mexico -- Government relations
• Indians of Mexico -- Historiography
• Marriage -- Mexico
• Mayas -- Civilization
• Painting, Colonial -- Mexico
• Peasantry -- Mexico -- History
• Sex role -- Mexico -- History
• Social classes -- Mexico
• Sonora (Mexico : State) -- History -- Sources
• Spain -- Colonies -- America -- Administration

• Cortés, Hernán, 1485-1547
• Ilarione, da Bergamo, fra, d. 1778
• Quiroga, Vasco de, 1470-1565

4. Useful Search Strategies:

4.1. Truncation:  Use trucation symbols (usually * and/or #) building on the root of a word to expand your retrieval

    Examples:
        histor*    =    history, historian, historical, historicism, etc.
        mexic#    =    mexico, mexican, mexican
        gender*    =    gender, genders, gendered, etc.
   But caution:
        rac*            =    race, racism, racist BUT also raccoon, racketeer, etc.

4.3. Combining search terms: using AND between terms will give you a smaller set of retrievals, while using OR will get you more retrievals.
For more information, see Boolean Searching: A Primer

5.1. ANTPAC: UCI Libraries Catalog

ANTPAC provides quick and efficient access to the holdings of the UCI Libraries.  ANTPAC should be your first stop for accessing books, periodicals, media, and other research materials.

ANTPAC is available via a Web interface in the UCI Libraries as well as from home or office.  You can access ANTPAC via the UCI Libraries homepage (http://www.lib.uci.edu/) or directly (http://antpac.lib.uci.edu/).

 ANTPAC offers the following unique features:

• Circulation status of material -- ANTPAC tells you whether a book is available (on the shelf), checked out (and date it's due back), or missing;
• Acquisitions status -- ANTPAC lets you know whether a book is under consideration for purchase, on order or in process.
• Serials information -- serials (journals, newspapers, magazines, etc.) are integrated into a single file with other types of material.
• Personal circulation data -- ANTPAC's allows you to keep track online of materials you have checked out of the Library. You will need to get a "PIN number" at the Loan Desk.
• Interlibrary Loan -- ANTPAC allows you to place a request electronically for materials not held at UCI.

If your ANTPAC search does not produce the desired results or you want to expand your retrieval of materials, you will want to search the holdings of other libraries, particularly other UC libraries. The California Digital Library (CDL) MELVYL® Catalog opens doors to worlds beyond UCI .

To research a topic, select Subject or Power search.  Subject searches require word(s) from authorized LC subject headings.  Power searches allow you to combine search types (including title words, subject, or exact subject) and, if desired, to limit your retrieval by library location, date, language, form, and/or date added to the database.

Save: Use the Save feature to create your own topic bibliography within a single database or across several databases.  Once you have saved the items for your bibliography, click on Saved Lists to view, print, mail or download.  Make sure you give your list a relevant subject, indicating topic and date.  You may also want to add an annotation for your list indicating which databases you covered.

Output options: You may mail, print, or download your search results.

Request: You may also request  materials identified in a MELVYL® search through via the Request option (as long as they are not currently available at UCI). Keep in mind, however, that Document Access and Delivery /Inter-Library Loan (DA&D) can occasionally be a slow process, best undertaken at the beginning of your research. The ten-week quarter makes few allowances for DA&D, although the increased use of FAX and other electronic delivery systems does at least make acquiring journal articles from afar faster and easier (though often for a fee).
 
 

5.3. WORLDCAT (WCAT)

Records from the worldwide OCLC Online Union Catalog for books, computer files, audiovisual materials, periodicals, maps, manuscripts, musical scores, etc., in a variety of languages.  (Also provides links to other databases of possible interest, e.g., ArticlesFirst, etc.)

You can use WCAT to identify materials not held in the UC system, then request these via ILL using the ILL feature on
ANTPAC.

Tip: It is often very useful to use WCAT to identify chapters/articles in anthologies and collections.  A great deal of scholarship is published in this manner and it is often difficult to identify and access it.  In the Advanced Search function, do a notes field search in WCAT with your key words and useful combinations of words.  You can also specify the format of material desired, e.g., books, visual materials, etc.

Also, look for UNIV OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE  which indicates that UCI owns the item.
 
 

6.  Finding Articles: Periodical Indexes and Abstracts

The most convenient direct access to periodical indexes and abstracts is through the UCI Libraries Website:
Article Databases. Here you will find an alphabetical listing of all indexes and abstracts available through CDL or licensed directly by the UCI Libraries.  The following is a selective listing of indexes most useful for topics related to the History of Mexico.

Note: Pay attention to the type and chronological scope of the database you are using as you select your search terms.

History:

Historical Abstracts (HA)  1955-
The "world's leading historical bibliography" covers the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding North America).  Includes English-language journals (1,700+), books, and disseratations.

Latin American Studies:

The Handbook of  Latin American Studies/HLAS Online   1935-present
Contains citations in the area of Latin American studies from journals, books, and conferences in the humanities and social sciences including history.Many citations in the database are annotated.

Hispanic American Periodical Index/HAPI Online  1970-present
Produced by the UCLA Latin American Center, provides citations about Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean basin, the U.S.-Mexico border region, and Hispanics in the U.S. indexed from articles and other materials.

Also of possible interest:

Chicano Database    1967-present
The Chicano database contains records for all types of materials in the areas of Mexican-American topics, and since 1992, materials on other Latino cultures--e.g., Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Central American immigrants. Subject coverage includes art, language, sociology, public policy, economics, history, literature, politics, and law.

Multidisciplinary:

Expanded Academic Index ASAP  1980 - present
Provides multi-disciplinary coverage from arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology; inlcudes scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and
images.

Historical Newspapers Online
Contains three major historical resources:

• Palmer's Index to the Times which covers the period from 1790 to 1905 in The Times (London)
• The Historical Index to the New York Times which covers The New York Times from 1851 to September 1922
• Palmer's Full Text Online, 1785-1870, providing access to the full articles referenced in Palmer's Index to the Times

National Newspaper Index.  1977 - present
Provides quick access to the indexing of America's top five newspapers in one seamless search: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

Ethnic NewsWatch   1960- present
Full-text general reference database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press covering both current and historical topics.

GenderWatch     1970 - present
Full text database of publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas. Publications include academic and scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books, booklets and pamphlets, conference proceedings, and government, NGO and special reports.

Women’s Resources International    (WRI) 1972-present
Includes over 232,000 records drawn from a variety of essential women's studies databases including Women Studies Abstracts (1984- ; approx. 35,000 records) and the Women’s Studies Database (1972- ; approx. 70,300 records drawn from 125 journals worldwide).

Note:  For other web databases relevant to history research, see CDL History Databases Available to UC Irvine

Convenient access from:

    CDL: Latin American History resources
    or
    UCI Libraries Website: Full-Text Journals

Specific Collections:

JSTOR   (Retrospective archive)
Provides searching and browsing access to the full text of back files of over 100 scholarly publications in dozens of academic disciplines, including History. Articles can be printed off using an Adobe PDF reader plug in to your Web browser (available on all public terminals in the UCI Libraries).
Note: for many jouranls,  does not include the latest 2-5 years, but often includes back issues from several decades past.

Latin American History Titles Include:
 

Hispanic American Historical Review Journal of Inter-American Studies

Journal of Latin American Studies Latin American Perspectives

Project Muse (Current)
Full text of over 40 journals in the humanities and social sciences published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Full text coverage varies by journal title but ranges from 1993 to the present. Links to the full text of many articles available in CDL-hosted databases.

Selected journals of interest include:
 

Americas

Hispanic American Historical Review

 

8. Specialized Internet Resources

Although the Internet provides access to information resources that are often of dubious quality or authority, for historians there are a growing number of sites worth visiting.  Among the most useful are collections of primary documents, visual resources, and listservs where you can chat with colleagues around the world. Google (http://www.google.com/), if you haven't used it, is an excellent internet search engine for finding resources.

Try the URLs listed below for a sampling of interesting and perhaps informative Web sites.

• Historical Text Archive: Latin America: Colonial.
• History: Latin American Resources (U. Texas)

includes sections by country; section on Mexico provides many links including:
    Time Line Overview of Mexican History Mexico Connect  (includes many embedded links to people and events)
 
• Latin American Website Project (Portland State University)

    Links for information on Economics and on Religion.
 
• Mexico Online: History

Reminder:  Try ANTPAC and/or MELVYL searches adding the form subheading "sources" to your keywords.  This should also retrieve primary sources; many will, however, be in Spanish.

You may also wish to consult a general guide Identifying and Locating Primary Sources.
 

Special Collections: 5th floor, Main Library

Hours:     Monday to Friday 10-6; Saturday 1-5

This "rare books and manuscripts" department includes numerous collections of books, newspapers, maps, photographs, pamphlets, and manuscript materials documenting many topics.

ANTPAC Search tip:       Subject: mexico --  history   or
                                        Keyword: mexico and history and sources
                                      and limit to location Main Spec Coll

Sample primary sources (check ANTPAC by title for call numbers):

• Cartas de relación / Hernán Cortés ; [nota preliminar, Manuel Alcalá]. México : Editorial Porrúa, 1963
• Codices Becker I/II; Museo de Etnología de Viena, No. de inventario 60306 y 60307. Comentario, descripción y corrección de Karl A. Nowotny. Traducción española de Baron W. v. Humboldt. Revisada por Gastón García Cantú. Mexico, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 1964
• Códice Ixtlilxochitl.  Graz : Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt ; México : Fondo de Cultura Económica, c1996
• Documentos para la historia de Méjico. Méjico : Impr. de J.R. Navarro, 1853-57
• The Indian uprising in Lower California, 1734-1737, as described by Father Sigismundo Taraval. Translated, with introd. and notes, by Marguerite Eyer Wilbur. Los Angeles, Calif., Quivira Society, 1931
• New Spain and the Anglo-American west; historical contributions presented to Herbert Euguene Bolton. [Los Angeles, Priv. print., 1932]

EndNote is a bibliographic management software program used to develop, organize and manipulate bibliographic citations and facilitate the production of bibliographies and the publication process.  EndNote allows the user to create a "library" to store and manage citations, similar to a set of index cards but with much greater organizational power and flexibility.  Additionally, EndNote allows the user to export citations from many (but not yet all) catalogs and databases (including ANTPAC and Historical Abstracts) directly into your "library" bibliography and from your "library" into a word processor.  You can thus produce a bibliography or manuscript automatically incorporating citations in a variety of publication styles (e.g., Chicago, APA, or journal-specific).

EndNote (version 4.1, not current version 6) is available on workstations in open-access library computer labs including Main
Library TEC, Room 228 (open in the evenings) and Science Library Interactive Learning Center (ILC) Room 164.  It is also
available for purchase at the UCI Computer Store: approx. $109.95 for students (with ID); $199.95 for faculty and staff. In addition, you can download a FREE full-featured 30-day trial version from the ISI/EndNote
website: http://www.endnote.com/endemo.asp

Highly Recommended: Upcoming Library EndNote Workshops

•     Tuesday, November 5: 10:00-12:00: Science Library ILC Room 164
•     Tuesday, December 3: 12:00-2:00: Science Library ILC Room 164