Gathering background information from a variety of sources can help out in a number of ways:
Encyclopedias are a great source for background information! Here is a sample of titles that are available in the library's physical and online reference collection.
Encyclopedia of the Great Depression by 
Encyclopedia of American Indian History by 
A Dictionary of World History (3 ed.) by Books and ebooks on different historical topics can be found using OneSearch, the Library's search tool. Try searching for your topic in the search box.
Books that are available for check out are located on the 2nd floor of the Library. Reference books are located on the first floor by the Reference Desk.
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by 
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America From 1890 to the Present by 
The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War by Choosing to search a specific eBook database will give you different filtering options that can help you narrow your search. You will also have less unrelated information to sort through.
Formally called "Gale Virtual Reference Library." Ebooks, subject-specific encyclopedias, biographies, and contemporary topics organized into a variety of subjects including business, education, environment, medicine, mythology, science, and technology. Easy to search. Citations provided.
Over 3 million articles from dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotation sources and atlases. Articles are often very short. “Mind Maps” help with topic exploration. Includes video content.
A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by 
The War for the Common Soldier : How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies by 
To the Line of Fire! : Mexican Texans and World War I by