Starting Your Research

How do I find books and journals?

Search the SOAS Library catalogue . This will find print and electronic books and print journals. Widen your search to include other research libraries in the UK and Ireland by using Copac

How do I find journal articles?

• If you know the article you are looking for search the Library catalogue and/or eJournal and eBook finder for the title of the journal.
• If you want to find what articles have been written on a certain subject then start with EBSCO Discovery searching tool and then move on to more subject-specific databases.
• For regional bibliographies / indexes, please consult the appropriate regional subject guide

How do I find multimedia resources?

In the Library catalogue you can search by classmark for DVDs and CDs

How do I find newspapers?

• World-wide newspapers 1996- (including UK) on Access World News

• UK Newspapers on Lexis Library

• North China Herald Access to this major English-language Shanghai newspaper from 1850-1940.

• The Times of India (1838-2003) An easily searchable database of this major newspaper covering key events in the history of India and the British Empire. An excellent resource for political, social and cultural history.

SOAS Research Online

SOAS Research Online - Open access e-print repository of academic publications (articles, book chapters, theses etc.) by SOAS staff and students. Content dates mainly from the 1990s, though the earliest items are from 1959

What if SOAS Library does not hold what I need?

Try other libraries.

For History in general, the following libraries are recommended

• British Library
  The national library and manuscript collection of the U.K.
• Institute of Historical Research
  A major reference Library (part of the University of London) dedicated to the research-level study of Western European history
• History Libraries and Collections
  A comprehensive directory of academic libraries and specialised collections in the London area
• Institute of Commonwealth Studies
  Part of the University of London, the Institute focuses on the recent history of Commonwealth countries
• Senate House Library (University of London)
  SOAS students have access to the 8 collaborating libraries, including the School of Advanced Study, for a comprehensive collection of material on international history
• University College London (UCL)
  Specialist collections include ancient history and Jewish history
• University of Oxford, Bodleian Library (History Collections)
  The focus of the collection is British and Western European history from late Roman times; some world history is included

Archival collections

• National Archives / Public Records Office
  Public, local, government and personal papers relating to the United Kingdom from early medieval times to the present day. The Archives also include the following directories to local archive collections. To search for archival collections in the UK and abroad, go to the National Archives “ Find an archive ”
• Colonial Film: moving images of the British Empire
  A collaborative project between the British Film Institute National Archive, the Imperial War Museum, the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Birkbeck College and UCL. The archive currently includes information on over 6,000 films dating from the 1890s to the later 20th century. Over 300 have detailed notes and 150 are available to watch online.

Try e-book collections

• Cambridge Books Online [SOAS staff & students only when off-site]
• ebrary [SOAS staff & students only]
• Dawsonera [SOAS staff & students only]

Use the Inter-Library loans service to request books from other Libraries

• See inter library loan web pages for further details

Research Networks

• History Lab (Institute of Historical Research)
  A current awareness network for postgraduate students and new researchers in history and related disciplines. Membership is free for postgraduate students
• History Lab+ (Institute of Historical Research)
  This network is for early career historians, providing access to training and networking opportunities
• History Online (Institute of Historical Research)
  Includes details of lecturers, digital history projects, new books and journals, and current and past research (theses) [ http://www.history.ac.uk/history-online/theses ]. Users can cross-search or browse all the above categories.

I’d like further training. Who do I ask?

• Check the Library Events pages for upcoming training sessions.
• Contact the Subject Librarian for History