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US History Survey: The Great Depression and World War Two | Museum Exhibit

This guide was created to support the final project for US History, Winter term '25. For questions or help accessing these resources, please contact Ms. Sinai asinai@lawrenceville.org

Lange, Dorothea, photographer. Oklahoma dust bowl refugees. San Fernando, California. United States Los Angeles County California San Fernando, 1935. June. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017759887/.

Background Reading: Reference Collections & Articles

Secondary Source Collections: Online Resources, eBooks and Print Books

Online Resources:

Academic Search Engines:

Books from the Library Catalog:

Search the Bunn Library Catalog to explore the library's print and ebook collection. Look for works that are written by historians and experts in your topic. To save time, check out the INDEX of the book to find your keywords (important people, themes, etc.) and read those sections. 

To find books in the stacks (main shelves in the library), look at the call number:

  • 000-699: Lower Level
  • 800-899: Main Floor
  • 700-799, and 900-999: Second Floor

Found a useful book?

  • Look at the Index for additional keywords and locate where they are discussed in your book
  • Check the Bibliography for additional sources that are connected to your topic
  • Do a shelf browse - look to the left and right on the shelf to find related books

Primary Source Collections

For more recommendations specific to women in WWII, visit this research guide

Newspapers and Periodical Archives:

Historical Images (Photographs, Illustrations, etc):

Analyzing a visual source can be tough! Start with these questions to help think through how the imagery supports the creator's goals. What is the value of the source? What does it say? What does it leave out? 
 

  • Describe the source: List information about the images, colors, lines, placement of objects, other details.
     
  • Record basic information about the work. Who created it? When? Does the piece have a title, or supporting text that can provide more context? In what format was it originally distributed, and how it was it used?
     
  • Based on what you know about the image, what message did the creator(s) of the poster intend to express? Who was the intended audience? What do you think they wanted the audience to do or feel once they have seen the image?
     
  • Is the image effective? Does it successfully communicate the intended message? Does it use misleading information or lies to express its message? If so, how?
     
  • Remember, you are building an exhibit. When choosing your artifacts, think about how they relate to one another - can you find artifacts that share common themes, or offer a counterpoint? 

For more help, use the Image Analysis Procedure graphic organizer from Facing History. 

From the Web: