September 11:

Library Resources

This guide lists library resources that can help you research issues related to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. In addition to the reference books described here, the Pace Library may have circulating books on your topic. Please see the section below on finding books in the Pace Library for help in locating circulating books.


The events of September 11, 2001   

The following web sites are good starting points for your research.  You can also find concurrent and current news and analysis in many of the library's databases.  See the section below on finding articles.

Web Archives and Primary Sources

Minerva (Library of Congress) September 11 - Web Archive http://www.loc.gov/minerva/collect/sept11
The September 11 Web Archive consists of over 30,000 selected Web sites archived from September 11, 2001 through December 1, 2001. The archives are browsable by Subject, Type of Producer, and National Origin.


September11.archive.org http:september11.archive.org
The September11.archive.org. comprises archived web sites from the days and months immediately following the 9/11/2001 attacks. Best feautures include randomly selected web sites - from MichaelMoore.com to FEMA.gov - and a link to the Library Of Congress' web archives.

The September 11 Digital Archive http://911digitalarchive.org/
Not a Web Archive. The September 11 Digital Archive is a source of personal narratives, photos, art work, and other means of self-expression concerning the terrorist attacks.


Wayback Machine - September 11, 2001 Web Archive http://web.archive.org/collections/sep11.html
Use the Wayback Machine's search engine to look up specific sites, or the Full Index of Sites on the lower right-hand side of the page to browse archived 9/11 web pages. Please note: Use our periodical databases to find headlines from major newspapers as many of their websites have blocked access by the Wayback Machine.


Overview, Aftermath, and Current Perspectives

Central Intelligence Agency - The War on Terrorism http://www.cia.gov/terrorism/index.html
Read CIA statements on the current conflict and access online versions of the World Factbook and the Factbook on Intelligence.

The Department of Homeland Security http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/
The official page of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created in response to the events of September 11, 2001.

The Department of State http://www.state.gov/
The official site of the State Department, which deals with Foreign Policy matters.

Human Rights Watch: Aftermath of September 11 Attacks, Human Rights Implications    http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/september11/
Articles on the human rights issues involved in the current situation.

National Commission on the Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (AKA 9-11 Commission) http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/index.htm
The official web site of the National Commission on the Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Includes the full-text of the 9-11 Commission Report.


9-11 Commission - An Audio Chronicle  http://www.npr.org/911hearings/voices.html
National Public Radio coverage of the 9-11 Commission hearings, including the testimony of Richard Clarke and Condaleeza Rice.


Political Science Resources -- Think Tanks http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/psthink.html
Find out what the lobbist and policy makers are proposing with regard to anti-terrorism messures, national security, and foreign policy. This list from the University of Michigan Library provides access to Think Tanks, including the big three: Brookings Institute, Heritage Foundation, and Cato Institute.


Public Agenda Special Report: Terrorism    http://www.publicagenda.com/specials/terrorism/terror.htm
Find out what Americans really think about the current situation, and access policy documents and a terrorism "fact file."


USA Patriot Act (H.R. 3162) from the Library of Congress http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03162:
The complete text of the USA Patriot act, including bill summary and status.

Top of Page

Background Sources

The following sources provide substantive background information on issues related to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the resulting international conflict.

Historical Context

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica    Birnbaum Ref AE5 .E5 1998
Lengthy articles with bibliographies make this an excellent place to start your research. Consult the index to find information on your topic. See also Britannica Online, accessible from the library's Databases page.

Chronology of World History    Birnbaum Ref D11.M39 1999 (vols. 1-4)
A chronology of world history in four volumes: The Ancient and Medieval World (Prehistory-AD 1491), The Expanding World (1492-1775), The Changing World (1776-1900), and the Modern World (1901-1998).


CQ Press: Recent Terrorism Events    http://www.cqpress.com/context/default.htm
The Congressional Quarterly web site has compiled articles from past issues of CQ Researcher that relate to the September 11th attacks.

Top of Page

Area and Country Studies

Background Notes    http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/
Country Information from the U.S. State Department.  Note that the Afghanistan profile was updated in October 2001.

Country Studies: Area Handbook Series    http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
Detailed discussion of the history, culture and social traditions of the countries of the world.

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa   
Birnbaum Ref DS43 .E53 2004 (vols. 1-4)
Covers the Middle East and North Africa.

Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem   
Birnbaum  Ref DS119.7 .N2928 1991 (vols. 1-2)
Two-volume encyclopedia giving a modern history of Palestine seen from a Palestinian viewpoint.

Political Handbook of the World   
Birnbaum Reserve JF37.P6
Gives information on the history, government and politics, and politics and news media of the world's countries.

Taliban: militant Islam, oil, and fundamentalism in Central Asia     Birnbaum Reserve DS371.2 .R367 2000
A history of the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Taliban Phenomenon    Birnbaum Reserve DS371.3 .M38 1999 
Covers Afghan history from 1994 to 1997, with an afterword listing major events from 1997 to 1999.

Top of Page

Politics and Nationalism

Encyclopedia of Human Rights    Birnbaum  Ref JC 571 .E67 1996
Single-volume encyclopedia arranged in dictionary fashion covering many human rights instruments and documents. There are many entries on individual countries and related topics such as the environment. See also the entries on terrorism.

Encyclopedia of Nationalism    Birnbaum  Ref JC311 S5484 1990
Includes history of Nationalism, in several countries as well as origins, theories, movements.

Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion    Birnbaum Ref BL65.P7 E53 1998 (vols. 1-2)
Covers the interplay of politics and religion in the modern world.

Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations    Birnbaum Ref JX1407.E55 1997 (vols. 1-4)
Short articles on topics in the history of U.S. foreign relations.

Survey of Social Science, Government and Politics Series    Birnbaum Ref JA61 .S88 1995 (vols. 1-5)
Short articles on topics related to government and politics.

Top of Page

Terrorism

Encyclopedia of Terrorism   Birnbaum Ref HV 6431 .T56 2003
Arranged like a dictionary, this one volume work. One and two page entries are given for theories, concepts, and measures connected with terrorism. Major terrorist events are also included.

Encyclopedia of World Terrorism    Birnbaum  Ref HV 6431 .E53 2003
Two volume set covering terrorism throughout history all over the world, types of terrorism, terrorist techniques, psychology, responses, and many other topics.

Top of Page

Religion and Culture

Encyclopaedia of Islam    Birnbaum Ref DS37 .E523 (vols. 1-10)
Scholarly encyclopedia of Islam and the Islamic world.

Encyclopedia of Religion    Birnbaum Ref BL31 .E46 1987 (vols. 1-16)
Extensive treatment of the Islam and other religious traditions.

Encyclopedia of World Religions    Birnbaum Ref BL31 .M47 1999
Single-volume encyclopedia covering the world's major religions.

Islam - Religious Movements Webpage Project @ the University of Virginia http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/islam.html
Provides a concise overview of the history and beliefs of Islam. Includes a bibliography and list of references.

Islam and Islamic Groups    Birnbaum Ref BP10 .I73 1992
Country-by-country discussion of Islam and Islamic groups throughout the world.

Muslim Almanac    Birnbaum Ref BP40 .M83 1996 
Short articles on various aspects of Islamic history and culture.

Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World    Birnbaum Ref DS35.53 .O95 1995 (vols. 1-4)
Four volumes of articles on Islam and the Islamic world.

Top of Page

Finding Books in the Pace University Library

You can find other books on your topic by searching the online Pace Library Catalog by subject or keyword.

Subject searches target the specific Library of Congress Subject Headings that have been assigned to the books that the Pace Library owns. 

Unless you know the subject headings that pertain to your topic, you may want to begin with a Keyword (keyword) search.

For additional tips on searching the catalog, see the library's guide to Using the Pace Library Catalog.

Finding Articles

To access databases through the Pace Library, go to the library home page (http://library.pace.edu), click on Articles via Databases, and use the pull-down menu labeled "Subject Research Area" to select History, Social Sciences, or General.  You may also choose a specific database from an alphabetical list.  Use the databases listed below to find citations and abstracts, and full-text journal articles.

Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life
Annotated references to historical writings (journals, dissertations & books) covering the years 1450 to the present. Over 499,000 entries from more than 50 languages.  These databases do not provide full-text access to articles.  To find articles, search for the Journal Title in the Pace Library Catalog.

Sociological Abstracts
English-language journals in sociology, social work, and other social sciences. Covers 1963 to the present. This database now also searches Social Services Abstracts.

Academic Search Premier
A periodical index covering magazines and journals in the humanities, social sciences, non-technical general sciences and current events. Includes full-text. 

Research Library
A multidisplinary index of journals, magazines, and newspapers covering a range of disciplines and current events. Includes full-text.
 
Lexis-Nexis Universe
Lexis-Nexis Universe offers full-text publication of news, business, legal, and medical information.  See especially the World News section under Guided News Search

Top of Page

Finding Web Sites

The Pace Library maintains lists of high-quality resources in various subject areas.  To find these topical lists, go to the Pace Library home page (http://library.pace.edu), then click on Internet Resources.  Use the pull-down menu to select a subject research area. 

Suggestion categories:


For more information, see the library's page on Using the Internet for Research. A list of search engines that you might find useful is available on the library's web site at http://www.pace.edu/library/links/search.html.

If you are using resources from the World Wide Web, it is especially important that you evaluate their accuracy, authority, currency and objectivity. For more information, see our page on Evaluating Resources.

Top of Page

Citing Your Sources

Once you have finished your research and written your paper, you will need to prepare your bibliography and cite any sources you have referenced within the text.

The library has prepared some information on citation styles for print and electronic resources. You can access it on the Pace Library web site at http://www.pace.edu/library/instruct/citing.html.  Please check with your instructor if you are unsure of which citation style to use.

Still Need Help? Ask a Librarian!

Birnbaum Library Reference

(212) 346-1331
Mortola Library Reference (914) 773-3505
Graduate Center Library Reference (914) 422-4384

Subject Research Guides | Research Help | Library Home


Created by Pace University Library
Last Revised 12/23/04
Helen Lane
hlane@pace.edu