Illinois History Research
Research Databases
Access your library databases HERE to find collections of magazine, journal, newspaper articles, abstracts, images, videos, and other information, which has been checked for accuracy and reliability.
Annotated Bibliography
What is an annotated bibliography? View the NHD Annotated Bibliography Guide & videos to learn more
Artist’s Last Name, First Name (if any). “Title of the Picture.” Title of the Site, Date, URL. Accessed Date.
Example:
Funelf. “Download Me a Fish.” Fun Elf, 2012, www.funelf.net/download-me-a-fish/. Accessed 26 Aug. 2016.
Illinois History Online Resources
IL History Day Theme, Rules, & Resources:
Topic Help:
- Choosing a history day topic (graphic organizer)
- NHD Topic Ideas
- National History Student Resources
- NHD Past Project Examples
- Illinois State Museum HS Topic Ideas
- McLean County Museum of History (*local history)
- IHPD Collections & Resources
- EIU’s Illinois History Timeline
- Chicago -- Explore Chicago History & Culture
- Illinois Fun Facts & Trivia
- Illinois History IMC Book List
- More IL History Books!
Illinois History Online Resources:
- IL History Online Resources - This is a great site to find information about the history of Illinois and its government.
- Illinois Digital Archives
- Digital Research Library of Illinois
- Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection
- LOC Historic Newspaper Collection
- McLean County Museum of History
- Illinois Periodcals Online
- Chicago History Museum Research Center
- Explore History & Culture of Chicago
- Lincoln Research - Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum
Finding Primary Sources
Websites to Find Primary Sources:
Library of Congress - a research library in Washington, D.C., that serves as the library and research service of the U.S. Congress. Access this site to search for digitized images and documents.
National Archives - Research your ancestry and explore important documents in U.S. history.
Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection
Chicago History & Culture Collections
Chicago Libraries, Archives & Collections
DPLA: Digital Public Library of America
LOC Digital Collections (former "American Memory Project") - firsthand evidence of historical events
Awesome Stories - Primary source collections
New York Public Library Digital Gallery - Maps, posters, prints and more
Historical Scene Investigations - Use primary sources to decide for yourself the unsolved questions in U.S. history.
Digital History - (Teachers: see classroom handouts for teachers)
Docs Teach - Over Four Thousand primary documents from the National Archives; tons of resources and ready to use tools to enhance instruction
Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
Our Documents - Click “100 milestone documents” on the right
Conversations with History - Interviews with important individuals in modern history
Indigenous People’s Literature - Legends, poetry, quotes, biographies, important documents
Old Dominion University Library – Historical Documents
Find a book
Search our library catalog:
IL History Books - Arcadia Publishing
We have eBooks available through Gale Virtual Reference Library:
Google Tips & Tricks
When searching the Web or library databases, be specific in your terms. Rather than searching "American Dream," try being more specific.
- "American dream" education
- "American dream" equality
- "American dream" race
If you're searching Google, plug the following words into your search string:
unemployment statistics site:.gov
Google will ONLY pull up all the results about unemployment statistics that are from .gov websites!
Check out the Boolean pamphlet for more research tips and tricks!