Connections - A newsletter from the libraries to the faculty of The Claremont Colleges

We have lived in the digital age long enough that we readily use-and perhaps have come to take for granted-online citation databases and full-text journal articles. Government publications, business, and statistical sources are available. Less often, we may think of looking online for book length works, especially those generally found only in special collections. I think one of the most exciting developments in availability of online resources in the past couple of years is the growing number of those special, rare, and often difficult-to-get materials. Haven't many of us been thwarted when trying to get access to primary documents held in only a very few collections? Wouldn't we relish being able to see Shakespeare's First Folio of 1623, read Mark Twain's writings as they appeared when first published in nineteenth century magazines, discover what life was like in Colonial America through the letters and diaries of women who lived at that time, see photographs of Claremont during its first 50 years? These and many more opportunities for research and study across disciplines present themselves through hypertext and scanned images. Grant funds have allowed the Libraries to add several collections of primary documents to our online resources. Additionally, we have identified materials from our own Special Collections holdings for digitization; one project has been completed, a second is underway, and more are in the queue.

Selected primary resources available from the Libraries' web site are listed below.

African-American Newspapers: The 19th Century: Full-text of articles from major African American newspapers published in the United States in the 19th century.
American Periodical Series (APS) Online: Full-text access to more than 150 years of American magazine journalism, from 1741-1900. Coverage for some titles extends into the mid-20th century.
CGU Descartes Web Site: Provides searchable English and French editions of the last published work of René Descartes, Passions de l'ame, 1649 (Passions of the Soul, 1650).
The Craftsman: Full-text of all 183 issues of The Craftsman, a leading publication for people interested in the American Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the century. (Available only to users in the search centers of the Libraries.)
Early English Books Online: More than 96,000 early printed works in English, listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue 1475-1640, Wing's Short-Title Catalogue 1641-1700, and the Thomason Tracts 1640-1661.
Editions & Adaptations of Shakespeare: Contains eleven major editions from the First Folio of 1623 to the Cambridge edition of 1863-6, and much more.
Evans Digital Edition: Provides full-text access to Evans Early American Imprints, Series I (1639-1800).
HarpWeek: 1857-1889, Civil War Years, Reconstruction, and Beginning of the Gilded Age: Full-text of Harper's Weekly, one of the most important general news and culture magazines of mid to late 19th century America.
Landmark Historical Documents: Selected full-text documents in American history. (Available only in the Honnold/Mudd search center.)
Matrimonial Investigation Records: From Mission San Gabriel of the period 1788-1861, these records offer a unique insight into the pre-statehood activities of the Mission. The records are part of the McPherson Collection, housed in Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Full-text collection of letters, diaries, and unpublished manuscripts written by women from Colonial times to 1950.
Past Masters: Full-text philosophy and theology classics online in scholarly editions. The Women Writers category includes letters and journals of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Fanny Burney, and Katherine Mansfield.
The Wheeler Scrapbooks: These scrapbooks, from Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library, chronicle life at Pomona College and in the city of Claremont from 1884 to 1938.
Women Writers Online: Full-text access to important books by and about women published from 1400 to 1850.

Gale Burrow
Honnold/Mudd
gale.burrow@libraries.claremont.edu