Regardless if you are using the the Library's General Search option in the main webpage or the many Databases by subjects that we own, using the right keyword is the key for getting good results. Here are some tips for searching "Asian Americans":
Using keywords such as "Asian", "Asian American" or "South Asian Americans" are not enough to search your topic. You need to also be specific about which group you want to research, e.g. Chinese, Japanese, East Indians (for people from India--not be confused with Native American which are still described as "Indians" in many catalogs and databases), Korean, Vietnamese, Nepalese, etc. Other terms that you can used for historical research are Coolies or Indentured Labor + [Asian Group], e.g. Chinese Coolies
In the case of Japanese people, you can also identify which generation you want to work with and try the following terms to search for them: Issei (original from Japan), Nisei (second generation), Nikkei (Japanese Diaspora), etc.
Use geographical locations to narrow down results, e.g. Chinese + California; Japanese + "San Francisco"; "East Indian American" + Maryland
Find other terms from the readings provide by your professor for other terminology and try different synonyms to make sure you are finding all possible sources.
Includes articles from scholarly journals and popular magazines covering a wide variety of disciplines with the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Full text access to journals and ebooks in classics, education, history, literature, math, philosophy, politics, religion, and visual and performing arts.
Great newspapers database to search the historical presence of different Asian groups in the United States e.g. Japanese, Chinese, etc. Do some background research to find out terms used to describe these groups in the 19th and early 20th century which may differs on how they are described today.
Includes: Arizona Republican (1870-2007)*, Atlantic Constitution (1868-1984), Atlanta Daily World (1931-2010), Baltimore Afro-American (1893-2010), Baltimore Sun (1837-1997)*, Boston Globe (1872-1991), Chicago Defender (1909-2010), Chicago Tribune (1849-2013), Chinese Newspapers Collection (1832-1953), Christian Science Monitor (1908-2009)*, Cleveland Call & Post (1934-2010), Detroit Free Press (1831-1999)*, The Globe and Mail (1844-2019)*, The Guardian and the Observer (1791-2003)*, Hartford Courant (1764-1997), Irish Times and the Weekly Irish Times (1859-2021)*, Jerusalem Post (1932-2008)*, Jewish Advocate (1905-1990)*, Korea Times (1956-2016)*, Leftist Newspapers and Periodicals (1845-2015)*, Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2010), Los Angeles Times (1881-1999), Louisville Defender (1951-2010), Michigan Chronicle (1939-2010), Minneapolis Star Tribune (1867-2001)*, New York Amsterdam News (1922-2010), New York Times (1851-2019), New York Tribune / Herald Times (1841-1962), Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2010), Philadelphia Inquirer (1860-2001)*, Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2010), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2010), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1786-2003)*, The Scotsman (1817-1950), Times of India (1838-2010), Vermont Collection, Wall Street Journal (1889-2011), Washington Post (1877-2007)
*=available through June 30, 2024, unlimited users have access to this material. Continued access beyond that date is not guaranteed and is subject to a purchase decision by the UConn Library.
Digitally scanned newspapers from all 50 states. 1690-1922.
Getting Full Text Articles and Chapters
In a database, look for
UConn Full Text will help you
1. Get the full text online if UConn subscribes to it
2. Request what we do not own through Interlibrary Services
3. Request scans of articles and chapters we own in print through Interlibrary Services
Check to see if we own the journal in print. Request a scan using Scan on Demand