History  

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• Scout--a one-stop search that searches many databases at the same time.
• Find Primary Sources--find firsthand accounts of historical people and events.
• Find Secondary Sources--find scholarly works that interpret primary sources.
• Library Services--hours, interlibrary loan, reserves, technology.
• Careers and Graduate School--find job ads and grad school information.
• Citation and Writing Help--how to cite sources and prepare papers in Chicago style.

The Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, located on the Quad, offers thousands of books for historians and students.  The W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, located on the second floor of Mary Harmon Bryant Hall on Hackberry Lane, offers rare books University history, artifacts, maps, newspapers, Alabamiana, photographs, and manuscripts.  The A.S. Williams III Americana Collection located on the third floor of Gorgas Library, is "a rich collection of Americana assembled over some forty years by insurance executive and bibliophile A. S. Williams III of Birmingham, Alabama."  You can also access a wealth of historical information from your home computer.

Important Links:

History Department

University of Alabama Libraries

Writing Center

Why Study History?

Careers for History Students

The Gorgas Library is named after Amelia Gayle Gorgas. Mrs. Gorgas "was the first female librarian on the campus, and the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library was the first academic building at the University named for a woman."  In its namesake, the Gorgas Library reflects the history of the campus, while its technology and services reflect the New South.

The Gorgas House, pictured below, is a Southern history landmark located next to Morgan Hall.  Built in 1829, the house was the first building on the UA campus, and served as a hotel, dining hall, infirmary, and post office. It was later occupied by the Gorgas family, a family that included Civil War General Josiah Gorgas and Amelia Gayle Gorgas.  The Gorgas House, as it is now called, has become a museum.

Welcome! This site provides a gateway to library resources for students doing historical research at the University of Alabama. 

Throughout this site, you can find resources, tips, and information to help with research papers.  

At any time please contact me, Brett Spencer, History Librarian, (205) 348-1200, dbspence@ua.edu for questions or research appointments.

Historical research is an adventure, and I hope you find it rewarding and fun.  Please let me know however I can help!

Best Wishes,

Brett Spencer

History Librarian