• Google/Wikipedia: Most online options do not provide sources or information suited for academic research. Use these tools instead to find topics or organize your thought process before using other resources to explore your topic in depth.
• .Edu/.Gov/.Org: Know your assignment parameters. Review your syllabus or check with your instructor before using Internet resources.
• Citations: Internet sources need attribution but the format will vary depending on what type of onliune resource you are using. Check the appropriate Style Guide to help cite your source or consult a librarian or your instructor.
Appalachian Center Data Archive: Research and Resources from the Appalachian Studies Pogram at the University of Kentucky
Appalachian Studies Association Resource Page: Online information, syllabi, bibliographies and links to other resources provided by the Appalachian Studies Association and the Journal of Appalachian Studies
Center for Virtual Appalachia: Morehead State University's collection of information, statistics, maps and articles concerning Appalachia
Digital Library of Appalachia: ACAL archival and historical materials related to the culture of the southern and central Appalachian region
Mountain Heritage Center: Online exhibits, educational programs, and publications on the natural and cultural heritage of the Southern Appalachian region.
Digital Collections at Western Carolina University's Hunter Library: Includes the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, Civil War letters, Horace Kephart materials, extensive image collections, and more.
Digital Collections at the North Carolina Department of Archives and History: Includes extensive collections on Black Mountain College, the Civil War, the WPA in North Carolina, World War I materials, digitized editions of the North Carolina Historical Review, and more.
Southern Highlands Research Center Oral History Collection: Two collections of interviews and oral histories featuring a wide spectrum of the populace of Asheville and Western North Carolina; excellent source of firsthand accounts of the history and growth of Asheville and the surrounding areas
Southern Spaces: Interdisciplinary materials relating to Appalachian culture and history courtesy of the peer-reviewed journal, Southern Spaces
UNCA Special Collections: A large collection of books, galleries, manuscripts, video, oral histories and more concerning WNC heritage; includes information and resources of note for Asheville/Buncombe County history
Need primary sources? Online archives can be a great place to find digitized copies of newspapers, letters, diaries, government documents and more. Check out the list below.
American Leaders Speak: 59 sound recordings of speeches by American leaders from 1918-1920. The speeches, by figures such as Warren Harding, focus on issues and events surrounding WWI and the subsequent presidential election of 1920. Speakers include: Warren G. Harding, James Cox, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Samuel Gompers, Henry Cabot Lodge and John J. Pershing.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers: This excellent site, sponsored by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, includes searchable, digitized newspapers from all over the United States, covering 1860-1922.
Digital North Carolina: Materials compiled by the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center from museums, archives, and libraries across the state.
Documenting the American South: An excellent online resource from the UNC-Chapel Hill Library, this site provides access to primary sources in the form of digitized texts, images, and audio files related to Southern history, literature and culture.
Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project: A collection of Eleanor Roosevelt's writing and speeches (including television and radio interviews) on human rights and democracy.
Evolution of the Conservation Movement: Provides an in-depth timeline and chronology of the movement to conserve America's wild spaces and species, with links to documents and more information.
Founders Early Access: Comprising digitized papers of some of the major figures of the Early Republic, such as James Madison, John Adams, and George Washington, this fully searchable online archive contains transcribed copies of hundreds of unpublished documents. Users may also sign up for a free trial of The Founding Era Collection, a more extensive collection featuring documents relating to Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and other important figures.
Freedmen and Southern Society Project: Contains a wealth of transcribed primary documents relating to slavery and emancipation.
Historical Monographs Collection: This extensive collection of digitized books from the Cornell University Library collection (all fragile and damaged copies in danger of being lost) contains excellent sources in American and European History in a fully searchable format.
Primary Documents in American History: This excellent site, from the Library of Congress, offers links to an extensive array of documents housed in the LoC's collection, as well as supplemental materials such as speeches, journal articles, and links to other, related collections.