Overview resources

• • find architectural and placed-based resources
    • City Tech Library guide to architecture-related research
    • City Tech Library guide to place-based research
  • Brooklyn Bridge history timeline
  • Building the World encyclopedia, blog post on Brooklyn Bridge

Using archives, what are archives, how to use maps

•   The Society of American Archivist has this nice guide on using archives. Click the image …
• Prof. Almeida’s overview on archives and how they are different from libraries
• Historic Maps as Historian’s Evidence

Find material for your research

• find archival resources including images, ephemera, letters and diaries, objects (and maps)
  • New York Historical Society
    • Finding aids (searchable online) remember that finding aids describe large collections of material, not individual objects. Search broadly
  • Brooklyn Historical Society
    • Finding aids (searchable online) remember that finding aids describe large collections of material, not individual objects. Search broadly
    • Emma guide to collections at BHS
    • Online image gallery
  • Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn Collection
    • Brooklyn Eagle newspaper
    • Many other collections
  • Municipal Archives Brooklyn Bridge Collection [microfilm only, on site] [Brooklyn census data by ward, on site]
  • Transit Museum / MTA Archives
  • Museum of the City of New York: lots of photos, ephemera, prints that have been digitized. Use the advanced search option if possible to limit your results by date an/or additional keywords
  • Digital Metro: digitized materials from 150 image collections. Difficult to search but will give you access to different content
• find historic maps
  • NY Public Library (NYPL) map collection (Sanborn or fire insurance maps include elevation information)
    • reading Sanborn Maps
  • overview from NYPL
  • NYPL map warper to overlay historic maps with current (you can use onsite to get assistance)
    • Workshop on 4/4
  • NYC Space/Time Directory (NYPL)
  • Maps by Decade (NYPL)
• find historic newspaper articles
  • NY Times, Historical (requires login from off-campus)
•  other
  • miscellaneous articles and clippings
  • Zoning maps and overview (NYC Dept. of Planning)
  • Find historic and current census data (Social Explorer) requires login from off campus)
  • Avery Index for architecture articles
  • ARTStor for images including paintings and other fine arts as well as architectural renderings
  • Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection
  • Depending on your question, library databases can help you. Ask Prof. Berger or one of the reference librarians. OneSearch does not search all our resources and it doesn’t always search directly.
  • Miscellaneous maps of Brooklyn (Brooklyn Geneaology site)

Help with moving forward with your question, conceptualizing your research

Ask yourself: What do I already know about this topic? Where can I find additional background information? Is my topic too broad or too narrow? What point do I intend to make with my research question?

What are the key terms that describe my topic? What are some synonyms for those terms? Is my search statement too narrow or broad?

Start thinking about what type of resources I might need now and in future steps.

• improve your research techniques
• develop research questions
  • Research Questions – the good and the not so good (Badke prezi)
  • City Tech tutorial\
• More useful materials from Badke

Developing an outline from Purdue OWL

Annotated bibliography guide City Tech and Purdue OWL