History Resources

(Los recursos para hispanohablantes se enumeran en una página separada.)

FVRL Resources

CultureGrams Online

Use CultureGrams to find maps and information on the peoples and cultures of over 185 countries, all 50 states in the U.S, and the provinces and territories of Canada. Includes a Kids Edition, too.

U.S. History (Gale in Context)

Find primary documents, reference books, journal articles, and scholarly analysis on periods and events in our history.

World History (Gale in Context)

Find scholarly analysis, articles, references, and primary documents covering the past 5,000 years.

Daily Life through History

Discover the everyday details about past eras that make historical accounts relevant and meaningful.

History Reference Source

View full-text reference books, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, history periodicals, documents, and biographies along with historical photos, maps, and videos.

Issues & Controversies in History

Formerly known as Issues & Controversies in American History, this comprehensive reference database has been expanded to cover every region of the world from antiquity to the present.  

Black Freedom Struggle in the United States

Find historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence, and more from specific time periods in U.S. history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom. Materials may be used for homework assignments, personal inquiry, research papers, and National History Day-type projects focused on African American history in the U.S.

HeritageQuest

Search the digital US Census records from 1790-1950 or the full-text of 25,000 family and local history books in Heritage Quest.

FIMO (Fire Insurance Maps Online)

Chart the growth and development of cities and towns in Washington with fire insurance maps (including Sanborn maps), plat books, real estate atlases, and other historical maps. Use the information to supplement your historical or genealogical research. Added in 2020: Portland maps! Use the "Place Name Search" to locate them.

EBSCO Discovery Services (EDS)

Find links to full-text articles without having to guess in which eResource to look! This search will look in most subscription eResources that contain journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, and serve up results no matter on which platform the article resides. No more trying one eResource after another in search of the article you need!

New York Times Historical via ProQuest

Search or browse the full text of The New York Times from 1851 to 2011. Research world events, find obituaries, or read editorials and classified ads from years gone by.

Gale eBooks

Search full-text reference eBooks on a variety of topics, including art, the Gale eBooks business collection, biographies, health, history, sports and more. No limits, holds, or waiting!

World Book eBooks

Access highly illustrated eBooks for kids in many curriculum areas. Always available to read in your browser—no holds or waiting! Subjects include biography, crafts, cultures, dinosaurs, environment, health, history, mythology, nature, space, and technology.

Web Resources

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers

View scanned U.S. newspapers in multiple languages spanning the years 1789–1963. Read about major world events or seek out local news about ancestors.

Washington Digital Newspapers

Seek out the news of yesterday in an ever-growing collection of old newspapers--including the Chronicle of Vancouver--digitized by the Washington State Library.  Search them all, browse a particular title, or view by location.  Dates range from as early as 1860, depending upon the newspaper.

Washington State Digital Archives

Look up historical newspaper articles or county and state records such as marriage, frontier justice, birth, and death records.  You can even find historical photographs.

Clark County Historical Museum

Research using local historical books, documents, city directories, maps, and more.

Washington Rural Heritage

Washington Rural Heritage is a collection of historic photos and other scanned materials documenting the early culture, industry, and community life of rural Washington. The collection includes materials obtained by FVRLibraries in Skamania, Klickitat, and North Clark/South Cowlitz counties, funded by a grant from the Washington State Library.

Librarian Tips

Tip: look at general knowledge resources

Looking for something a little broader in scope with less detailed information? Try a general knowledge resource.