New Electronic Research Tool Available

The Libraries & Archives have added a new full-text digital resource to their collection of research tools. The American Indian Experience is a collection of electronic books and journals exploring the histories and contemporary cultures of the indigenous peoples of the United States. Designed, developed, and indexed under the guidance of Loriene Roy, the first Native American President of the American Library Association, and a team of American Indian librarians and scholars, The American Indian Experience offers access to an online library, featuring more than 150 volumes of scholarship and reference content, hundreds of primary documents, and thousands of images. Material in the database may be found by way of keyword searching or via Library of Congress subject headings. This resource is available on site through the public access computer workstations in both the Research and Children's Libraries.

Archival Collection Features Material From 'Pequot Lives' Exhibit

The recently closed exhibit Pequot Lives in the Lost Century (May 16th – Sept. 12, 2009) focused on the lives of Mashantucket Pequot people during the roughly 100 year period leading to the Tribe’s rebirth in 1983. The exhibit drew upon several years worth of research performed here at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. Harley Erickson, a member of the Research staff, has compiled 27 notebooks of Pequot Lives research materials that include:

• Newspaper clippings and obituaries from 18th century through the present day
  Office of Indian Affairs records


• Data on Pequot communities in Providence, New York and Los Angeles
  Historic maps and aerial photos


• Images, articles leaflets, etc. representing tribal gatherings


• Notes, photos, articles, etc. pertaining to Pequots in the armed services


• and much more …

A finding aid for the collection is available in the Archives & Special Collections reading room. Some materials in this collection are restricted to Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Members.

Question and answer: Narrowing your topic

Question: I am a senior history student at ______ University. My last research paper is due this semester and I would like to do it on the Native Americans after Manifest Destiny. I was wondering if you could guide me to some information on this topic. Thank you.

Answer: Thanks for contacting us with your question. The topic you propose is a little too broad, but I can give you some suggestions to narrow it down. If by “manifest destiny” you mean 19th century U.S. expansion, then it seems you want to explore Native American history 20th century and beyond? Some suggestions: narrow it to a specific tribe or geographic area (such as Pacific Northwest, Great Plains, etc.). You could also, or in addition, focus on specific sub-topics such as

-Indian urbanization
-Indian activism and resistance movements
-Sovereignty
-Land tenure
-Native American’s involvement in the US military
-U.S. government’s American Indian policy

Try exploring our collection through the online catalog: http://www.mpmrc.com/
Do some keyword searching there and see what you come up with. Our collection has over 50,000 titles on Native American history and culture, so it is a good representation of what has been published. We do not lend or participate in interlibrary loan, but you should be able to get most of what we have through your university’s library system.

Feel free to ask if you need further assistance.

Sincerely,


Joseph Frawley
Reference / Info Tech Librarian
Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center