Books & Chapters

The catalog includes records of books in the Library's print and electronic collections. Use WorldCat for a comprehensive review of the monograph literature.

Digital Editions of Books in the Public Domain

Federal government documents and books published prior to 1923 are mostly in the public domain and freely available online. The two best catalogs for this type of material are listed below. You may also try a simple internet search.

Dissertations & Theses

Dissertations are often the precursors for later monograph publications. Most of the dissertations submitted after 1997 and quite a few earlier ones are available in digital format. Those that are not available through Proquest can be requested through interlibrary loan.

Selected Historical Digital Collections

The Library has a numerous digital monograph collections. Some of these collections include all the books published in a particular period and/or geographic area. Some of them include languages other than English. They all have full text search capabilities.

  Early English Books Online (ProQuest)  Tutorial

Provides access to digital page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473 to 1700. Includes books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and newspapers. For searchable text of selected titles see Early English Books Online -Text Creation Partnership.

A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://proquest.libguides.com/eebopqp

  Eighteenth Century Collections Online: Parts I&II (Gale)

Offers full text access to nearly every English-language and foreign-language title printed in the United Kingdom, alongside thousands of works published in the Americas, between 1701 and 1800. Consists of books, pamphlets, broadsides, and ephemera. Multiple editions of individual works are offered where they add scholarly value or contain important differences.

  Sabin Americana, 1500-1926 (Gale)

Offers digital access to books, pamphlets, serials, and other sources published worldwide from 1500 to the early 20th century and documenting the history of the Americas. Titles were selected based on Joseph Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana.

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

Features most of the books, pamphlets, and broadsides printed in America between 1639 and 1800. Titles were selected based on Charles Evans's American Bibliography.

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

Features most of the books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in America from 1801 through 1819. Contains many state papers and government reports. Titles were selected based on Ralph Shaw's and Richard H. Shoemaker's American Bibliography.

  Making of the Modern World, Part I, 1450-1850 (Gale)

Provides access to digital copies of books, serials, and various other works of economic literature published between 1450 and 1850. Presents critical primary sources on European economic history including economic theory, imperialism, wealth creation, and trade. Most of the titles are in English but works in other European languages are also included.

  Gerritsen Collection of Aletta H. Jacobs (ProQuest)

Features digital copies of books, pamphlets and periodicals related to women's history in general and the movement for women's rights in particular. Coverage is international and extends from the middle of the 15th century to the middle of the 20th century.