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Key Resources
Key citations and abstracts in all areas of Canadian and U.S. history.
Covers all aspects of Indigenous culture, history, and life in North America.
Digitizes all documentary heritage including books, newspapers, periodicals, images and nationally significant archival material.
Documents the relationships among peoples in North America from 1534 to 1850 with personal accounts of slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, etc.
Pick a research topic
- Pick a research topic that interests you and meets the assignment criteria
- If you need help, use Choosing an essay topic
- For background reading on your topic, watch Using Wikipedia wisely video
- Read Developing strong research questions
Biographies
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Canadian Encyclopedia
- Encyclopedia of Canada's peoples
- Historica.ca
- Historical dictionary of Canada
- Oxford Companion to Canadian History
Books
To find books, begin with an Omni search by keyword/title/author. For help use: how to find books using Omni
Journal Articles
Begin with how to find journal articles using Omni. For help: Omni Search Tips
Key Databases:
- America History and Life (covers Canada and the US)
- Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America
- C19, The Nineteenth Century Index
- Canadiana
- Libris Canadiana - provides access to Canadian periodicals of historical significance, including Maclean's Magazine, The Financial Post, The Monetary Times of Canada, Massey's Magazine, The Canadian Bookman, The Canadian Magazine, Saturday Night and The University Magazine.
Additional Databases:
Dissertations
Begin with: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources for a detailed explanation.
To find Primary sources in Omni:
- Search your topic or historical person of interest in the main search box
- Keyword searches that include one of the following terms will identify primary materials in most cases. Sample keywords may include: Diar* (for diary OR diaries), Correspondence, Letters, Memoirs, Personal narratives, Recollections, Reminiscences, Journals, or Sources
Other search tips:
- Check the bibliographies and footnotes of books/journal articles on your topic to help identify primary sources.
- Check the list of references used in theses and dissertations for primary sources.
- Discover alternative sources: History Beyond the Text : A Student's Guide to Approaching Alternative Sources
- Original documents can also be found by searching our archival collections, or by contacting the Archives and Special Collections (ASC) staff for help.
Canadian Primary Sources Online:
- Ad Access - repository of advertisements (1911-1955), Duke University Libraries
- Alberta Women's Memory Project
- Canada and the First World War
- Canadian Historical Booklets
- Canadian Illustrated News 1869-1883
- Canadian Mail Order Catalogues
- Canadian Pamphlets and Broadsides collections (Internet Archive)
- Canadian Residential School and Colonial Institutions Database 1620 - present
- Canadian War Poster collection (McGill University)
- Canadiana (contains content from Early Canadiana)
- Champlain Society Digital Collection
- Democracy at War: Canadian newspapers and the Second World War (Canadian War Museum)
- Diaries of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King (LAC)
- Early Chinese Canadians, 1858-1947 (LAC)
- Home Children Records, 1869-1932 (LAC)
- Indian Affairs Annual Reports, 1864-1990 (Canada) (LAC)
- Libris Canadiana - Provides word, title, author and subject access to material published in a number of Canadian periodicals of historical significance, including Maclean's Magazine, The Financial Post, The Monetary Times of Canada, Massey's Magazine, The Canadian Bookman, The Canadian Magazine, Saturday Night and The University Magazine.
- Treaties, Surrenders and Agreements (LAC)
Historical Microfiche:
CIHM (Canadian Institute for Historical Micro-reproductions) Historical microfiche reproductions from the time of the first European settlers to the 1920s can be searched by entering relevant keywords and adding and CIHM to the search in Omni or by searching Canadiana.
Digital Archives
- Archives Canada
- Canadian Letters and Images Project
- Canadiana
- Empire Club of Canada
- Empire Online
- HathiTrust Digital Library
- Historical Atlas of Canada - Online learning project
- Internet Archive
- Library and Archives Canada
- Primary Documents.ca
Historical Newspapers
Canadian
- The British Colonist
- Canada Gazette
- Canadian Illustrated News, 1869-1883
- Globe and Mail: Canada's Heritage from 1844
- Google Newspaper Archive
- Library and Archives Canada - Collections of Canadian Newspapers
- Toronto Star: Pages of the Past (1894-2012)
British
- Times Digital Archive (1785-1985)
- The Guardian (1821-2003)
- The Observer (1791-2003)
CRL Catalog
Carleton University is a member of the Center for Research Libraries consortium in Chicago, Illinois. It regularly acquires and preserves newspaper, journals, documents, archives and other traditional and digital resources for research and teaching. Search the CRL Catalog
Government Information
- Canadiana
- Canadian Parliamentary Publications (Pre Confederation)
- Constitutional Acts: 1867-1982 - Department of Justice
- Canadian Council for Refugees 100 years of immigration to Canada 1900-1999
- Canadian Residential School and colonial Institutions Database 1620 - present
- Census of Canada 1851
- Census of Canada 1881
- Census of Canada 1901
- Census of Canada 1911
- History of the Federal Electoral Ridings since 1867
- National Defense and the Canadian Forces
- Labour Organizations in Canada - Employment and Social Development Canada
- Historical Statistics of Canada
- History of Global Affairs Canada
- Statistics Canada - Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
- Status of Women Canada
- Treaties and Agreements - Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Images
- Canadian Letters and Images Project
- Canadian War Poster Collection (McGill)
- Canadian Wartime Propaganda (Canadian War Museum)
- CBC Digital Archives
- CN Images of Canada Gallery: A Canadian History (Canada Science and Technology Museum)
- Japanese-Canadian Photograph Collection (University of British Columbia)
- Korean War Photo Gallery
- National Gallery of Canada
- Northwest Rebellion Photograph Galley (University of Manitoba)
- Sporting Lives: Images of Canadian Athletes
Maps
- Canada's Participation during WWI: The Battlefields
- Canadian Atlas Online
- Canadian Confederation - Maps & Images - 1667-1999
- Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Carleton including Ottawa
- In Search of your Canadian Past
- Native Land - Indigenous Mapping
- Residential Schools in Canada - Interactive Map
- Territorial Evolution of Canada
Museums
Writing Guides
- Essaying the past; how to read, write and think about history
- A short guide to writing about history
- Notes on wrting a history essay
- Writing about Canada: a handbook for modern Canadian History
- Writing History: a guide for Canadian students
Citation Guides
Citation Management Tools
- See the Citation Management web page
