Making African History (HIS G9762): CLIO Searching & Primary Sources?

General Tips on Searching in CLIO

  1. Reference works or statistical publications -- in print or electronic
    • Combine name of country or language or ethnic group as “Subject” -AND- another term as a “Subject”….such as:

      bibliography | handbooks | statistics | atlas -or- maps

      biography | congresses | dictionaries | grammar

     
  2. Historical sources—published
    • Use “Subject” keywords like: “description and travel” | “personal narratives” | sources
       
    • Colonial government publications

      Search [name of the colonial territory], Great Britain Colonial Office, France, etc. as “Author” or “All Fields”

     
  3. Literary works
    • Search by author or title …or combine [name of individual language] as “Subject” with:

      literature | drama | fiction | poetry | criticism
       
    • Exceptions….African literature (English) ; African literature (French)

     
  4. NOTE: For materials before 1982: you may still need to use the Card Catalog, 310 Butler Library

Primary Sources?

  • Autobiographies and memoirs
     
  • Historical newspapers
     
  • Unpublished government records & published government reports
     
  • Ethnographic surveys & case studies
     
  • Travellers’ accounts & descriptions
     
  • International organization & national NGO reports based on field investigations
     
  • RECOMMENDATION: Routinely search & read articles in the back issues of two journals: