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Libraries and Research
The TRU Library has publications that you will need for all levels of work. Some of these are primary sources, such as books of original documents, including memoirs, and others are secondary sources, such as publications of historians about the events and developments in question.
Parliamentary debates, presidential papers, and statistical yearbooks are examples of primary sources, as are newspapers and collections of diplomatic documents. The latter we used to examine in published or bound volumes, but in recent decades the contents of entire archives have been recorded on microfilm and microfiche, as well as in books. Many Canadian newspapers are on microfilm. So too are numerous other printed works published before the late 19th century
You should also know that if you need a book that is not in the TRU Library, you may be able to borrow it from another institution though a service known as Interlibrary Loan, which scans Canadian libraries first and then those in the United States. Enquire about this at the Library. Librarians are always ready to help you, but you should learn how to use the microfiche and the computer catalogues as well as published bibliographies and reference volumes,
If you have a computer with a modem you can use the computer catalogue directly, Resourcefulness developed in these searches as an undergraduate student will serve you well in life, since ours is a society and economy so much oriented towards retrieval and evaluation of information. If you learn to do it for the past, you will have skills for the present and future.
Some students are daunted by the Library of Congress system of letters and numbers in academic libraries. Here are the categories, with details on those most relevant to historical studies:
A General Works
AC Collections
AE Encyclopedias
AG Dictionaries
AI Indexes
AM Museums
AN Newspapers
AP Periodicals
AS Academies and learned societies
AY Yearbooks. Almanacs. Directories
AZ History of scholarship. The humanities
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion
BC Logic
BD Speculative philosophy
BF Psychology
BH Aesthetics
BJ Ethics
BL Religion. Mythology. Rationism
BM Judaism
BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc.
BQ Buddhism
BR Christianity
BS The Bible
BT Doctrinal theology
BV Practical theology
BX Christian denominations
C Auxiliary sciences of history (General)
CB History of civilization
CC Archaeology
CD Diplomatics. Archives. Seals
CE Technical chronology. Calendar
CJ Numismatics
CN Inscriptions. Epigraphy
CR Heraldry
CS Genealogy
CT Biography (General)
D History (General). Europe (General)
DA Great Britain
DAW Central Europe
DB Austria. Hungary. Czechoslovakia
DC France
DD Germany
DE The Greco-Roman World
DF Greece
DG Italy
DH Low Countries. Benelux Countries
DJ Netherlands (Holland)
DJK Eastern Europe (General)
DK Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics. Poland
DL Northern Europe. Scandinavia
DP Spain. Portugal
DQ Switzerland
DR Balkan Peninsula. Turkey
DS Asia
DT Africa
DU Oceania (South Seas)
DX Gypsies
E-F History: Americas
E United States (General)
F United States local history. Canada. Latin America
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation
G Geography (General). Atlases. Maps
GA Mathematical geography. Cartography
GB Physical geography
GC Oceanography
GE Environmental sciences
GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
GN Anthropology
GR Folklore
GT Manners and customs (General)
GV Recreation Leisure
H Social Sciences
H Social Sciences (General)
HA Statistics
HB Economic theory. Demography
HC Economic history and conditions
HD Industries. Land use. Labour
HE Transportation and communications
HF Commerce
HG Finance
HJ Public finance
HM Sociology (General)
HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
HQ The family. Marriage. Women
HS Societies: secret, benevolent, etc.
HT Communities. Classes. Races
HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
HX Socialism. Communism. Anarchism
J Political Science
J General legislative and executive papers
JA Political science (General)
JC Political theory
JF Political institutions and public administration - General
JK Political institutions and public administration - United States
JL Political institutions and public administration - Canada. Latin America
JN Political institutions and public administration - Europe
JQ Political institutions and public administration - Asia. Africa. Australia. Pacific
JS Local government. Municipal government
JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration
JZ International relations
K Law
L Education
M Music
N Fine Arts
P Language and Literature
Q Science
R Medicine
S Agriculture
T Technology
U Military Science
V Naval Science (for Naval History, see D-F)
Z Bibliography and Library Science