A Research Guide for History
Steely Library's Special Collections & University Archives
Special Collections and University Archives supports research in the history of the northern Kentucky-Greater Cincinnati region. University records document the 55 year growth and evolution of NKU as a representative model of an academic institution. The department is especially rich in resources for regional and local history including both archival materials and secondary sources for education; African-American history; military, social and business history; politics and Appalachia. Digital collections can be viewed in our Digital Repository.
Please visit Special Collections & University Archives' webpage for additional information, including hours to visit the collection.
Additional resources
Here's an additional database with specific Kentucky and Ohio county history that may be relevant for any local research you're conducting.
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Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
Full text historical collections including period newspapers and magazines from the 18th century to the early 20th century in the United States. Collections include African American Newspapers, Colonial Newspapers, Kentucky County Histories, Ohio County Histories, Civil War Collection, Godey’s Lady’s Book, Anatomy of Protest in America, Invention and Technology in America, National Anti-Slavery Standard, Native Americans in History, Quarantine & Disease Control in America, and Women’s Suffrage Collection.
**Migration Note: On August 30, 2024, the legacy Accessible Archives platform will be retired and all Accessible Archives content will be redirected to History Commons. Existing Accessible Archives links will redirect to History Commons indefinitely.
Below are additional resources that could support your research in history.
- Digital Journals (Cincinnati Museum Center)
- Full text journals and photos.
- EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History
- Links to websites about European History.
- Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
- 60,000+ primary documents from the New York Historical Society, 1493-present.
- Greater Cincinnati Memory Project (PLCH)
- 6,000+ digitized photographs.
- Internet Medieval Sourcebook
- Links to medieval history sites 1996-2011.
- Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies
- Links to medieval history sites.
- List of Museums in Indiana
- Categorized by county.
- List of Museums in Kentucky
- Categorized by county.
- List of Museums in Ohio
- Categorized by county.
- Medieval Europe
- Research website collected by The Francis U. and Mary F. Ritz Library at Dutchess Community College
- Story of Africa (BBC)
- African history from an African perspective.
- US Presidents (UVA Miller Center)
- US Presidential scholarship. Miller Center focuses on public policy and political history.
- Virtual Vietnam Archive
- Documents related to the Vietnam War.
- Voices of the Holocaust (Illinois Institute of Technology)
- Oral histories of the holocaust.
- War of the Rebellion: Original Records of the Civil War
- 128 volumes of the comprehensive, authoritative official records of Civil War operations.
- World War II Records (National Archives)
- Records and links to other resources related to World War II.
Instructional Videos
This Steely Library video playlist (8:00) covers strategies for history students including finding primary resources, using citations to locate other sources and organizing and managing citations utilizing a tool called Zotero.
For additional instructional videos on using library resources and improving your research skills, check out Steely's YouTube channel and our Video@NKU channel.
Additional and Related Guides
Still looking for more information? The guides below are related to History and could be useful for your research.
- Last Updated: Oct 15, 2025 1:21 PM
- URL: https://nku.libguides.com/history
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