Getting Started - HS 110 - Historical Studies: Rock, Race, and Class - Popular Music since World War 2

"Freedom Highway" - The Staple Singers, 1965

Photo: The Associated Press

Why Should I Use Reference Resources?

Beginning your research with reference resources helps you discover background information like terminology, central figures and dates and an overview of existing literature on your topic. Look for:

Definitions of key terms
Historical context
Biographical information
Critical interpretation of texts
Bibliographies detailing relevant scholarship

Reference

Use these specialized encyclopedias and reference texts to get an overview of the subject, or to familiarize yourself with terminology and key concepts.

The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin (Editor)
Call Number: ML102.P66 V57 1999
ISBN: 1852278323
Publication Date: 2000-03-01
Suitable for writers, researchers, musicologists and music industry professionals, this title includes hundreds of fresh entries covering fresh acts, breaking dance artists, urban R&B and the indie bands. It offers essential information - birth dates, career facts, and five-star album ratings to all of which are presented with a sense of context.
The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups by Jay Warner
Call Number: ML106.U3 W2 1992
ISBN: 0823082644
Publication Date: 1992-11-01
Songs of Protest, War and Peace by R. Serge Denisoff
Call Number: ML 128 W2 D5 1973
ISBN: 0874361214
Publication Date: 1973-09-01

Where to Begin

General background information is helpful in the early stages of a research project. These databases are an excellent place to begin.

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window General database for scholarly articles in most disciplines.
Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window Also includes atlas, world data, the Classics, biographies, news & multimedia plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window Reports on topics of national interest including overview, chronology, pro/con & more.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Credo contains full text encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window Oxford Reference is a comprehensive online reference product, spanning 25 different subject areas, bringing together two million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias.
Points of View Reference Center (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window Full text database designed to provide students and schools with a series of controversial essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. Essays provide questions and materials for further thought and study and are accompanied by thousands of supporting articles from the worlds top political and societal publications. Hosted on the EBSCOhost platform.
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window General database for scholarly and popular articles on most disciplines.
Research Library (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window

HS 110 - Historical Studies: Rock, Race, and Class - Popular Music since World War 2

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"Freedom Highway" - The Staple Singers, 1965

Why Should I Use Reference Resources?

Reference

Where to Begin