History 2.0: Google Timelines

Over the years, Google has introduced many useful applications, but just recently I found one that I consider really awesome. I was reading a blog the other day that introduced me to Google timelines. In the past when performing some searches, I had noticed timelines within the results, but I don’t think I ever paid much attention to them. That has changed.

Google timelines uses a chronological graph to provide a gateway to search and explore historical archives of digital content. For example, if you search under “New Hampshire” using Google, you can scroll down the bar graph. This represents the number of online sources about “New Hampshire” for a specified period.  The height of the graph is directly proportional to the number searchable stories available for that time period. 

There are a couple of ways to bore down for more information. You can click on a specific year or month to uncover results. Once you click on the timeline, you can also refine searches. For example, you can go beyond “New Hampshire” to create a historical timeline for “Dover, New Hampshire.”

To generate your own timelines, you can go directly to the Google News Archives search: http://news.google.com/archivesearch. For example, by typing “Liberia” into the search box you can create a timeline to cumulate related  digital content. And your searches are not limited to geographic regions. For example, if you are research modern Poland, you can generate a timeline on the life of former Polish President Lech Walesa. Or, if looking for digital content about the Great Depression…well, you guessed it.

Some might flinch at links to Wikipedia, but you’ll also find pdfs of articles from the New York Times or Christian Science Monitor, as well as appropriate excerpts from digitized monographs. The timelines feature is a tool, not a panacea, but it certainly represents a good way to begin your research.

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Serial Set Maps, 1817-

Serial Set Maps

The folks at Readex have been digitally pulling historic maps from the nearly 14,000 volumes that make up the U.S. Congressional Serials Set. Currently, they have extracted thousands of maps through 1899 and the work continues.

But to this point, they have not made them very easy to find. I have discussed this with Jen Carroll, our electronic resources librarian, and we’ll be making a direct link to the Serial Set Maps on our databases pages. In the meantime, we have set up a link through our proxy server, so that you can have direct access to this resource: Serial Set Maps.

As with other parts of the Serials Set, this page allows you to search for maps by location, subject, personal name, issuing agency, and date. The other thing to keep in mind: even though the Serials Set had its origins in 19th Century , the Smithsonian and other agencies frequently reprinted historic maps dating back to the Age of Discovery. Hence, you can find maps on the extent of Portuguese colonization in the New World from 1520 or the earliest map to show the territory occupied by the Cherokee (1597). And, as with other parts of the Serials Set, you can save, print, and convert to pdf format. Have fun.

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The Easy Button: Digitized Documents and PDF

Portable Document Format or PDF is a widely accepted file format for exchanging, displaying, and printing documents. Most of the collections of digital documents that we have purchased in recent years feature a PDF function to permit researchers to print or save items. In addition, I have found that it is often faster to save and work with documents as PDFs, rather than to use them online. This is especially true when navigating large files, accessing databases of such documents from home, or using a wireless internet connection. So, the next time you are using Early English Books, America’s Historical Newspapers, or similar products, and response time seems a bit slow, hit the PDF button and see if you can’t make your work go a little faster.

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