Librarian
Books from other libraries
If you are interested in books which are not owned by the Alkek Library, they can be requested via our Interlibrary Loan service and we will borrow them from another library. This is a free service available to current Texas State Students, Faculty, Staff. NOTE: This process takes 7-10 days for books.
To request a book, open our ILLIAD link for interlibrary loan and fill out the online request form.
If you have not used the service before, just click near the bottom of the page at the "First time users" link to set up your free account.
Tips for finding primary sources
Perform a KEYWORD search in the library online catalog to find books or other materials on your topic
- Add one of the following primary source terms to your search: Correspondence, Description and Travel, Diaries, Interviews, Personal Narratives, Sources, or Speeches -- Example: United States Foreign Relations sources
Tips for finding books
The library has many sources that may be of interest when exploring the historiography of the early American history.
Always try searching our online catalog first, you'll be surprised what you find!
Here are just a few examples of some useful subject headings to use when searching the catalog-
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Social aspects
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Influence.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1809.
North America -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Great Britain -- Colonies -- America
France -- Colonies -- America
Indians of North America -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
If you need help finding materials which may be available in other libraries, WorldCat is a database containing cataloging records from libraries around the world. This can help you to identify resources for your paper.
Once resources are located, you may request that we borrow them from another library through interlibrary loan (see box below) OR, you will be able to see a list of libraries which own the item. If you don't wish to wait for the ILL process, you may visit libraries on your own and borrow their materials.