Research Guides

Refer to the Glossary for definitions of common terms, browse public domain materials, search the Library databases by subject, or consult with a subject specialist librarian.

Glossary

The glossary definitions are provided by the Association of College and Research Libraries unless otherwise noted.

Abstract: A summary or brief description of the content of another longer work. An abstract is often provided along with the citation to a work.

Academic Integrity: Scholarship based on honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, fairness, and courage. (Definition from Barton Community College Procedure 2502—Academic Integrity.)

Annotation: A note accompanying an entry in a bibliography, reading list, or catalog intended to describe, explain, or evaluate the reference publication. (Definition from the American Library Association Glossary of Library and Information Science, 4th Edition)

Archives: 1) A space which houses historical or public records. 2) The historical or public records themselves, which are generally non-circulating materials such as collections of personal papers, rare books, ephemera, etc.

Article: A brief work—generally between 1 and 35 pages in length—on a topic. Often published as part of a journal, magazine, or newspaper.

Bibliography: A list containing citations to the resources used in writing a research paper or other document. See also Reference.

Boolean operator: A word—such as AND, OR, or NOT—that commands a computer to combine search terms. Helps to narrow (AND, NOT) or broaden (OR) searches.

Citation: A reference to a book, magazine or journal articles or other work containing all the information necessary to identify and locate that work. A citation to a book includes its author’s name, title, publisher and place of publication, and date of publication.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): It is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by the publisher to a digital object.

Index: 1) A list of names or topics—usually found at the end of a publication—that directs you to the pages where those name or topics are discussed within the publication. 2) A printed or electronic publication that provides references to periodical articles or books by their subject, author, or other search terms.

Inter-library services/loan: A service that allows you to borrow materials from other libraries through your own library.

Journal: A publication, issued on a regular basis, which contains scholarly research published as articles, papers, research reports, or technical reports. See also Periodical.

Keyword: A significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of an information resource that indicates its subject and is often used as a search term.

Magazine: A publication, issued on a regular basis, containing articles, written and illustrated in a less technical manner than the articles found in a journal. See also Periodical.

Newspaper: A publication containing information about varied topics that are pertinent to general information, a geographic area, or a specific subject matter (i.e. business, culture, education). Often published daily. See also Periodical.

Open Access (OA): The free, immediate, online availability of research articles combined with the rights to use those articles fully in the digital environment. (Definition from Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition).

Open Educational Resources (OERs): Teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public domain or (b) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities (Retain, Reuse, Remix, Revise, Redistribute). (Definition from Creative Commons).

Peer-reviewed journal: Peer review is a process by which editors have experts in a field review books or articles submitted for publication by the experts’ peers. Peer review helps to ensure the quality of an information source. A peer-reviewed journal is also a refereed journal or scholarly journal.

Periodical: An information source published in multiple parts at regular intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, biannually). Journals, magazines, and newspapers are all periodicals. See also Serial.

Plagiarism: The use of outside sources without proper citations or documentation, including: 1) the submission of another’s ideas or work while giving the impression that it was one’s work; or 2) neglecting to add source information documentation, either accidentally or intentionally. (Definition from Barton Community College Procedure 2502—Academic Integrity.)

Primary source: An original record of events, such as a diary, a newspaper article, a public record, or scientific documentation.

Public Domain: Works not protected by copyright, or for which copyright has expired, which may be printed for distribution and sale, quoted, excerpted, reproduced, and made available online to the public without infringement. (Definition from Joan M. Reitz, Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science).

Refereed journal: See Peer-reviewed journal.

Reference: 1) A service that helps people find information. 2) Sometimes “reference” refers to reference collections, such as encyclopedias, indexes, handbooks, directories, etc. 3) A citation to a work is also known as a reference.

Scholarly journal: See Peer-reviewed journal.

Secondary sources: Material such as books and journal articles that analyze primary sources. Secondary sources usually provide evaluation or interpretation of data or evidence found in original research or documents such as historical manuscripts or memoirs.

Serial: Publications such as journals, magazines, and newspapers that are generally published multiple times per years, month or week. Serials usually have number volumes and issues.

Special collection: 1) A cohesive collection of non-circulating research materials held together by provenance or by a thematic focus. 2) An institution or an administrative unit of a library responsible for managing materials outside the general library collection, including books, archives, manuscripts, maps, oral history interviews, and ephemera. (Definition from the Society of American Archivists).

Style manual: An information source providing guidelines for people who are writing research papers. A style manual outlines specific formats for arranging research papers and citing the sources that are used in writing the paper.

Thesaurus: 1) A compilation of terms showing synonymous, hierarchical, and other relationships and dependencies, the function of which is to provide a standardized, controlled vocabulary for information storage and retrieval. 2) A lexicon, especially of synonyms and antonyms in classified order. (Definition from the American Library Association Glossary of Library and Information Science, 4th Edition).

General Inquiry

First Amendment Center (Freedom Forum Institute)

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)

Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition (National Constitution Center)

The Free Speech Center (Middle Tennessee State University)

Kansas Universities

Emporia State University

Fort Hays State University

Kansas State University

Pittsburg State University

University of Kansas

Washburn University

Wichita State University

Leisure Reading and Entertainment

AudioShelf: A Podcast for Audiobookworms

AudioShelf is a weekly book review Podcast and YouTube channel for lovers of all things literature! Your hosts, Brad and Britney, will discuss many different topics ranging from audiobook reviews, narrator & author interviews, and general industry topics. The episodes are enthusiastic, candid, and above all else, honest.

Casefile True Crime Podcast

Casefile is an award-winning true-crime podcast that presents unforgettable stories in a professionally produced audio format. What started in 2016 as a one-person side project has grown to include an entire team based across multiple continents ... Episodes delve deep into the circumstances, investigations and trials of both solved and unsolved cases from all over the world. Casefile has hundreds of millions of downloads and consistently ranks highly across podcasting charts. Discover why everyone from Rolling Stone to Time magazine is calling it a must-listen experience.

Digital Book eLending

The State Library of Kansas works with Kansas libraries to provide digital library books for all residents, which includes downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. Most require a Kansas Library eCard for use. Contact a Barton Library staff member to receive an eCard.

The Endless Knot

A YouTube and podcast series about etymological explorations and cultural connections. Aven & Mark discuss history, literature, language, and cocktails, and the sometimes surprising connections between them all.

Fantastic Fiction

A resource that finds bestselling fiction authors, books, and series in order.

The Great Books

The thinking podcaster's podcast from highbrow American magazine The National Review. Author, journalist and academic Professor John J. Miller is joined by an array of esteemed literary experts to dive deep into literature's greatest classics, from the work of Evelyn Waugh, Herman Melville and James Joyce to Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, and more.

InfoBase Feature Films for Education

The Feature Films for Education Collection offers hundreds of full-length feature films for educational instructional purposes. Brought to you in partnership with Criterion Pictures USA, an Anuvu Company, this outstanding collection focuses on both current and hard-to-find titles, including dramas, literary adaptations, blockbusters, classics, science fiction, environmental titles, foreign films, social issues, animation studies, Academy Award® winners, and more.

Literature and History Podcast

With millions of downloads, hundreds of hours of soundtracked content, and an overall emphasis on the cultural history behind famous works of literature, Literature and History is one of the most popular independent podcasts on its subject. Starting with Sumerian cuneiform in 3,100 BCE, Literature and History moves foward in chronological order through Assyriology, Egyptology, the Old Testament, Ancient Greece and Rome, and the birth of Christianity. The show's current season is on Late Antiquity (or 200-700 CE) and the dawn of the Middle Ages.

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

TED Talks Daily

Every weekday, TED Talks Daily brings you the latest talks in audio. Join host and journalist Elise Hu for thought-provoking ideas on every subject imaginable -- from Artificial Intelligence to Zoology, and everything in between -- given by the world's leading thinkers and creators. With TED Talks Daily, find some space in your day to change your perspectives, ignite your curiosity, and learn something new.

News

InfoBase World News Digest

NewsBank

Newspaper Source Plus (EBSCOHost)

Newswires (EBSCOHost)

Regional Business News (EBSCOHost)

Web News (EBSCOHost)

Open Access Sources / Open Educational Resources

Directory of Open Access Books

Directory of Open Access Journals

OER Commons

Open Book Publishers

OpenStax

Open Textbook Library – Student Success

Professional Development

Professional Development Collection

Teacher Reference Center

Reference

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary

The First Amendment Encyclopedia (Free Speech Center, Middle Tennessee State University)

Funk & Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia

Studying and Exams

Study Guide Zone

Study Tips

*SLK = State Library of Kansas

Public Domain Materials

Books and Texts

American Naval Records Society

This website offers free access to documents and publications relating to the history of the U.S. Navy from the eighteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. The ANRS is an informal group of volunteer scholars and enthusiasts who contribute material to the site, which is hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

The website is the online version of the primary biographical dictionary, in print since 1859, for all past and present members of the U.S. Congress as well as those attending the Continental Congress. Territorial delegates and resident commissioners from Puerto Rico and the Philippines are also included. Extended bibliographies and guides to research collections can be accessed through links on individual webpages.

Chronicling America (Library of Congress).

The website is a digital repository for historical newspapers printed in the United States between 1836 and 1922. The digital images are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions.

California Digital Newspaper Collection.

The website is a digital repository for historical newspapers printed in California from 1846 to 1922. Some contemporary California newspapers are being archived as part of a pilot project. The newspapers published before January 1, 1926, are in the public domain and have no restrictions on use.

Digital Public Library of America.

The site is a collaboration of American libraries, archives, and museums that grants free access to a wide variety of texts and other primary sources.

Gallica.

This website is the digitized collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF). To only use materials in the public domain, search for those that were published more than seventy-five years ago.

Getty Search Gateway

The site provides high-quality digital images of manuscripts and texts. Search by using the “Open Content Images” option in the Highlights filter section. All images found through this search should be credited as “Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.”

Google Book Search.

Search for books and magazines published more than seventy-five years ago by using Google Books Advanced Search

Internet Archive.

Some of the texts on this site contain Creative Commons licensed works. Internet archive has amassed an immense volume of titles, with more added on a regular basis. Some texts have restrictions on bulk re-use and commercial use, so verify any restrictions set for the collection or by the sponsor of a book.

Internet History Sourcebooks Project.

A venture of Fordham University, this site is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts. The project has adopted a broad scope of ancient, medieval, and modern history, primarily involving African, Byzantine, East Asian, Indian, Islamic, and Jewish history.

Kansas Memory.

The site is a part of the Kansas Historical Society and provides access to digitized images of primary sources including letters, diaries, and state government records.

Kansas State Library Online Databases.

The website provides access to the State Library’s electronic databases. Subjects for study include General Research, History & Genealogy, Health, Medical, & Science, and Business & Technology.

Library of Congress Digital Collections.

The site allows access to online collections, including correspondence, diaries, and newspapers. The introductory page for each collection usually contains a link to copyright information. Verify the material intended for use is in the public domain.

Librivox.

This site offers unlimited access to over 24,000 public domain audio books, which are available for streaming or download from the website or from other digital hosting sites.

The Literature Network.

This website offers searchable online literature for students, educators, and general readers. They currently have over 3,500 books and 4,400 short stories written by more than 260 authors. In addition, there is a database of over 8,500 quotes.

Perseus Digital Library.

The site is a project of Tufts University that provides access to digitized classic works of the Greco-Roman world, including those in the subjects of history and literature. A subsequent expansion of the project was made to include the English Renaissance.

Project Gutenberg.

The site offers access to thousands of free eBooks for reading online or downloading. Review Project Gutenberg’s Permissions and License page before deciding to use a particular work. Most eBooks contain the permissions within the item itself.

U.S. Army Center of Military History

The site is a permanent resource of the Center of Military History, an organization belonging to the Department of the Army. CMH is tasked with recording, collecting, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating the history of the Army’s activities from 1775 to the present.

U.S. Government Publishing Office.

The site provides public access to official publications created by the three branches of the Federal Government and their agencies.

Data and Research

Census Bureau.

The site offers a wealth of historical information on the lives of the American people including population data, geographic data, and education.

CIA World Factbook.

The site is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency to provide almanac-style information on the histories, governments, infrastructures, militaries, and economies of regions and countries around the globe.

Data.gov.

The website is the repository of the Federal Government’s open data on a wide assortment of subjects including agriculture, climate, crime, health, and local governments.

HealthData.gov.

Managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the site contains more than 125 years of U.S. healthcare data including claim-level Medicare information, environmental health, epidemiology, population statistics, and substance abuse.

ICPSR (Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research).

The website is the product of an international consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations that share data and analysis involving social science research.

National Institute of Health.

Produced by an independent U.S. government agency, the site provides open access into biomedical and public health research, as well as training opportunities and educational and library resources.

National Science Foundation.

As the creation of an independent federal agency, the site provides open access to research and education initiatives in all non-medical fields of science, technology, and engineering.

UNICEF Research and Reports.

The site provides empirical data, painstaking research, and independent evaluation and analysis on the plight of disadvantaged children throughout the world.

World Bank Open Data.

The site provides free and open access to global development data including indicators, statistics, and research.

Movies and Multimedia

Digital Moving Image Collections (Moving Image Research Center, Library of Congress).

The site provides access to one of the Library of Congress’s digital collections. The majority of the films are in public domain, but verify the status before using any of the materials. Information for acquiring broadcast quality digital copies is provided.

Federal Government Official Web Search (for videos).

This search engine will assist in searching for videos created by the United States government.

Library of Congress Digital Collections.

The site allows access to online collections, including historic films. The introductory page for each collection usually contains a link to copyright information. Verify the material intended for use is in the public domain.

Moving Image Archive.

Part of the Internet Archive organization, this site allows users to stream or download millions of free movies, films, and videos from a variety of sources. They are typically in the public domain or covered under Creative Commons licenses. As always, verify the status before using.

Music (Sheet Music, Scores, and More)

Choral Public Domain Library

The site provides access to public domain choral and vocal sheet music scores, texts, and translations, or sheet music freely available for printing and performing through permissions granted by copyright holders. Before using, verify the copyright status of selected works.

IMSLP: Petrucci Music Library

Search for public domain and Creative Commons-licensed scores and recordings.

Internet Archive.

The site contains some score collections, which are available through a keyword search. Verify the public domain or Creative Commons status before using any of the materials.

Public Domain Information Project.

The site provides information on public domain music, including lists of music in the public domain, sheet music reprints, and sheet music books. They also offer royalty free music libraries available for download.

Visual Arts and Images

Creative Commons.

The website includes an option to search for Creative Commons-licensed content across numerous sources, including Flickr, Google, and Wikimedia Commons.

Europeana.

This site is an online portal that contains links to an extensive range of digitized materials held in European libraries and museums. Some of these cultural collections are in the public domain, so apply the “refined search” function to search “by copyright.” Choosing the Creative Commons Zero (CCO) option will result in items published under an open license (i.e. free for any use) while the CC-BY-NC option will display works published under a non-commercial license (i.e. use is restricted to noncommercial purposes).

Federal Government Official Web Search (for images).

This search engine will assist in searching for images created by the United States government.

Flickr: The Commons.

The site allows cultural institutions, such as the Smithsonian museums and the Library of Congress, to share photographs which have been reasonably concluded to have “no known copyright restrictions.” According to the website, this designation is due to an expiration of the copyright; the institution holds the copyright but has no interest in exercising control; or the institution has legal rights sufficient to authorize others to use the materials without restrictions. Due to the ambiguity, users are strongly advised to confirm the copyright status of materials.

Flickr: Public Domain.

A Flickr group where contributors are dedicating images to the public domain.

Getty Search Gateway

The site provides high-quality digital images of photographs drawings, paintings, maps, and prints. Search by using the “Open Content Images” option in the Highlights filter section. All images found through this search should be credited as “Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.”

Kansas Memory.

The site is a part of the Kansas Historical Society and provides access to digitized images of primary sources including photographs, museum artifacts, and maps.

Library of Congress Digital Collections.

The site allows access to online collections, including maps and photographs. The introductory page for each collection usually contains a link to copyright information. Verify the material intended for use is in the public domain.

Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

The site provides broad public access to catalog records and digital images from more than 95 percent of the Library of Congress’s Prints & Photographs Division holdings. The collections include photographs, fine and popular prints and drawings, posters, and architectural and engineering drawings.

MorgueFile.

The site is a free photo archive where the images are freely accessible for download and re-use whether they are intended for commercial purposes.

National Aeronautical and Space Administration.

The NASA website provides access to images, audio files, video, and other media involving the American space program. These files are commonly not under copyright and freely available for use.

National Gallery of Art (U.S.).

The website is a digital repository involving the collections of the gallery. Thousands of open access digital images are available for download and use.

Pixabay.

The site permits contributors to share copyright free images and videos released under Creative Commons Zero (CCO). This allows them to be used without receiving permission from or giving credit to the creator, even for commercial purposes.

Wikimedia Commons.

The site is Wikipedia’s media repository which provides access to a wide array of images. All content is in the public domain and provided with a Public Domain Marks or published with a CC BY-SA license.

Career Guidance

Databases

Free Speech and the First Amendment

Kansas Universities

Leisure Reading and Entertainment

News

Open Access Sources / Open Educational Resources

Professional Development

Reference

Studying and Exams

Books and Texts

Data and Research

Movies and Multimedia

Music (Sheet Music, Scores, and More)

Visual Arts and Images

Subject Specialist Librarian Contact Information:

Subjects: Accounting, Arts, Business, Business Technology, Communication, Computers/Information Technology, Dance, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Education, Health and Psychical Education, Music, Nursing, Sociology, Theater

Audiovisual

Journals

Books

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Reference Works

Web Resources

Professional Associations

Citation Styles

Citation Building Tools

Subject Specialist Librarian Contact Information:

Subjects: Agriculture, Chemistry, English, Life Sciences, Literature, Mathematics, Modern Language, Physical Science, Physics, Statistics.

Audiovisual

Journals

Books

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Reference Works

Web Resources

Professional Associations

Citation Styles

Citation Building Tools

Subject Specialist Librarian Contact Information:

Subjects: Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Emergency Management-Homeland Security, Emergency Medical Services, Geography, Hazardous Materials, History, Journalism, Leadership, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion

Audiovisual

Journals

Books

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Reference Works

Web Resources

Professional Associations

Citation Styles

Citation Building Tools

Subject Specialist Librarian Contact Information:

Subjects: Accounting, Arts, Business, Business Technology, Communication, Computers/Information Technology, Dance, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Education, Health and Psychical Education, Music, Nursing, Sociology, Theater

Audiovisual

Journals

Books

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Reference Works

Web Resources

Professional Associations

Citation Styles

Citation Building Tools

Subject Specialist Librarian Contact Information:

Subjects: Accounting, Arts, Business, Business Technology, Communication, Computers/Information Technology, Dance, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Education, Health and Psychical Education, Music, Nursing, Sociology, Theater

Audiovisual

Journals

Books

Library of Congress Classification call numbers:

Reference Works

Web Resources

Professional Associations

Citation Styles

Citation Building Tools

Subject Specialist Librarian Contact Information:

Subjects: Accounting, Arts, Business, Business Technology, Communication, Computers/Information Technology, Dance, Early Childhood Education, Economics, Education, Health and Psychical Education, Music, Nursing, Sociology, Theater

Audiovisual

Journals