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