hist395/495h
HIST 395-1/495-3 Politics and Culture in the 1970s: A Library Research Guide
Purdue Libraries, particularly the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library have numerous resources on the U.S. during the 1970s. A good place to begin is looking for books on this subject in the Purdue Libraries catalog using Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) in your search. Examples of LCSH terms you can use include:
Carter Jimmy
United States Economic Conditions 1971-1981
United States Politics and Government 1945-1989
United States Politics and Government 1974-1977
United States Social Conditions 1960-1980
Watergate Affair, 1972-1974
You can also use the catalog to do author searches to find books by organizations or LCSH searches to find books about organizations such as government agencies, corporations, and associations.
Journal Article Databases
Academic Search Premier (Indexes articles from journals in a variety of subjects.)
America: History and Life (Indexes scholarly articles on U.S. & Canadian history from history journals.)
Humanities Abstracts (Indexes scholarly articles from history journals and other scholarly humanities journals.)
Proquest Research Library (Indexes articles from journals in a variety of subjects.)
Biography Database (Biographical portraits of individuals in a variety of professions.)
Newspaper Article Databases
Lexis Nexis Academic (Includes articles from a variety of U.S. and foreign newspapers. Legal resources here include and state court opinions.)
New York Times Film Reviews HSSE Reference 791.43015 N489n
Variety Film Reviews HSSE Reference 791.437505 V427
Company Annual Reports-Purdue's Management & Economics Library has assembled a large collection of company annual reports to shareholders. These reports are now housed in the Undergraduate Library's HIKS Repository. A finding aid lists which companies we have annual reports for and our holdings for these reports. These reports contain financial information on these companies, a review of events affecting their economic performance, pictures, and are good examples of graphic design practices at the time of their writing.
U.S. Government Documents
U.S. Government documents are excellent resources for studying the 1970s. The U.S. Government is the world's largest publisher producing information on a variety of topics. Purdue is one of over 1,200 U.S. federal depository libraries and general information about these resources can be found here which also features research guides for finding government information on various topics.
Government Information Indexes
Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications HSSE Periodicals 016.353 Un36 and its online version covers from July 1976-present with many recent documents being full text online.
Congressional Information Service (CIS) Index HSSE REF & 2nd floor periodical stacks 328.73005 C76 (Indexes U.S. Congressional Committee hearings.)
Historic U.S. Census of Population 1790-2000 (Excellent resources for analyzing population, social, and economic trends and developments.)
U.S. Army Center for Military History PublicationsHSSE DOC D 114 (Excellent source for military history information.)
Foreign Relations of the United States HSSE Periodicals 327.73 Un32 This State Department resource is the official U.S. foreign policy documentary collection. Nixon and Ford Administration volumes now being published.)
FBI Freedom of Information Act (Features FBI files on numerous prominent individuals including Lucille Ball, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and others.)
Central Intelligence Agency FOIA (Features access to declasified National Intelligence Estimates on various countries and regions. Select "Special Collections" then "National Intelligence Council (NIC) Collection" once you connect to this site.)
Congressional Committee Hearings (HSSE Documents Y 4 and various breakdowns e.g. Y 4.AR 5/3 for Senate Armed Services Committee hearings. These are great information sources because congresional committees have the legal authority to swear in witnesses, feature information from a variety of sources and viewpoints, document committee members questioninf of witnesses and witness responses, and because congressional committees are responsible for approving legislation, funding government programs, and conducting oversight of these programs. Hearing transcripts may include reports submitted by committee members and witnesses.)
Congressional Record HSSE Repository X/A (Request at HSSE Circulation Desk) and online through Digital U.S. Congressional Serial Set. Contains the text of congressional debate on legislation, recorded votes, and other helpful information.
U.S. Government Reference Sources
Statistical Abstract of the United States HSSE REF Desk 317.3 St29 & Periodical stacks. (Annually published compendium of governmental and non-governmental statistics.)
Economic Report of the President HSE Periodicals 330.973 Un365 (Annual report providing the current President's perspective on national economic trends and developments.)
Health United States HSSE DOC HE 20.6223 (Annual report on health care policy trends and developments.)
Public Papers of the President HSSE Periodicals 353.035 Un27 (Features presidential speeches, proclamations, and executive orders.)
Presidential Libraries
These National Archives administered facilities provide textual and audiovisual documentation of presidential administrations. Useful research materials can be acquired from their websites.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library
Gerald Ford Presidential Library
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
Professor Bert Chapman
Government Information and Political Science Librarian
chapmanb@purdue.edu
Professor Bert Chapman
Government Information and Political Science Librarian
chapmanb@purdue.edu
