New Electronic Resources: June 2005 Archives

Temple Libraries today acquired the electronic version of the Pennsylvania Gazette, 1728-1800. Published in Philadelphia, the Gazette is often called the New York Times of the 18th Century. For now, researchers should go directly to Accessible.com for access to this full-text resource. Once at the site, click on "Search" to begin.

A second major acquisition is African-American Newspapers: The 19th Century, also available from Accessible.com. Representative titles include Freedom's Journal, the North Star, Provincial Freeman and the Frederick Douglass Papers.

--David C. Murray

Temple now has online access to the Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, available from the e-books page. The 5 volume print version is available in the Paley Reference Stacks. Here's what the publisher says about this reference work:

"The Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology is the first work to map this ever-changing field. It is the most comprehensive, research-based encyclopedia consisting of contributions from over 900 noted researchers in over 50 countries. This five-volume encyclopedia includes more than 550 articles highlighting current concepts, issues and emerging technologies. These articles are enhanced by special attention that is paid to over 5,000 technical and managerial terms. These terms will each have a 5-50 word description that allow the users of this extensive research source to learn the language and terminology of the field. In addition, these volumes offer a thorough reference section with over 11,500 sources of information that can be accessed by scholars, students, and researchers in the field of information science and technology."

--Fred Rowland

A major new acquisition, Early American Imprints (EAI) Series I and II will be particularly welcome among students of Americana.

Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans (1639-1800)

Based on the renowned American Bibliography by Charles Evans. The definitive resource for every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, temperance, witchcraft, and just about any other topic imaginable. Upon completion, Evans Digital will consist of more than 36,000 works and 2,400,000 images.

Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker (1801-1819)

Covering every aspect of American life during the early decades of the United States, this rich primary source collection provides full-text access to the 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the first nineteen years of the nineteenth century. Its intuitive interface allows students and scholars to explore the development of the American nation as never before.

To access the database simply click on the appropriate series title above. Alternately, from the Libraries' Home Page, click on Find Articles > All Research Databases > NewsBank Fulltext Pennsylvania Newspapers. From there, click on Series I or II as desired. EAI will soon have its own link on the "All Research Databases" page. If accessing Early American Imprints from off-campus, log into the Libraries' Home Page via TUPortal.

--David C. Murray

Thanks to another librarian blogger, I've just discovered the Online Etymology Dictionary. It is a huge searchable resource of word origins: everything from "library" to "onomatopoeia" to "blog". This is an excellent resource and free, too.

One should always be skeptical of online sources, but thankfully this source even includes a list of sources.

--Derik A Badman

The Twentieth Century North American Drama database from Alexander Street Press has just announced that it is expanding its full-text coverage from 1500 to 2000 plays. This new content will be released in September 2005. The increase comes from 250 plays by new playwrights like Adam Rapp, David Lindsay Abaire, Naomi Wallace, Paul Rudnick, and Mac Wellman, all of whom are contemporary rising stars. These plays are unpublished and under copyright so you're unlikely to find them elsewhere. Another 250 plays come from the early works of major playwrights, including some plays that were written in the late nineteenth century. These additional works come from Eugene O'Neill, David Belasco, Langdon Mitchell, Clyde Fitch, William Gillette, Augustus Thomas, William Vaughn Moody, William Dean Howells, and a few others.

As you peruse this electronic collection of plays, make sure to look at the Multi-field Search because it provides fantastic fine-grained indexing, allowing the user to search by the age of the author at the time of publication, gender, race, nationality, genre, literary period, settings, performers, and composers, among others.

Other Alexander Street full-text databases available at Temple (see All Research Databases) include:

• The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries
• American Film Strips Online
• Black Drama 1850 to Present
• Black Thought and Culture
• Early Encounters in North America
• Latino Literature
• North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
• North American Women’s Letters and Diaries
• Oral History Online

--Fred Rowland