The creators of digital collections don't follow many common rules about what they will include. Like conventional archivists, they must work within the limits of what sources are actually available, even though they -- and you -- may really want sources to fall into neat geographical or chronological packages. This page reflects the rough distinctions in use between archival collections that try to capture whole historical eras and those that organize sources by format, place, or theme. Use them as broad starting points. Then use the filters built into each database to locate sources that best fit your needs.
All-at-once searching gives a good idea of what your search terms my pull up, but at the cost of giving you too much information to process at a sitting. Think of these tools as aids of planning where, how -- and when -- you'll search within each vendor's many offerings.
This section is divided into subsections on families & oral histories ; Law, government & globalization, Gender & sexuality; Visual culture; and Place-based collections.
Families, oral history
Law, government, policy
Colonization, globalization, international relations
Science, technology, medicine
Gender, sexuality
Race, ethnicity
Print and visual culture
Advertising, commerce
Place-based collections
Sources from within these regions. See also the "Colonization, globalization, international relations" section for perspectives from outside.