Preliminary Research

When defining the scope of your History Day project, it is best to begin with general reference resources, like encyclopedias, that can provide background information for your chosen topic.

To access these websites, you will need to login using your DBRL library card number. Your PIN is your birthdate (MMDDYYYY). If you have questions or encounter difficulties logging in, please call (573) 443-3161 or (800) 324-4806.

Don’t have a DBRL library card? If you live in Boone or Callaway Counties, you can get a free card at any age, but applications for those under 18 require a parent or guardian’s signature. Learn more.

World Book Online Reference Center
Every article from the print encyclopedia enhanced with state-of-the-art multimedia, maps, editor-reviewed web sites, and more.

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Indexes over 25,000 records, covering an array of topics. The database also contains various images and brief biographies.

EBSCO MasterFILE Premier
Provides full text for nearly 1,750 general reference publications with full text information dating as far back as 1975. It also includes nearly 500 full text reference books, 86,017 biographies, 105,786 primary source documents, and an image collection of 341,655 photos, maps and flags.

Getting Started | Online Primary Sources | Print Primary Sources