1. What is the correct way to cite a resource found using Aquifer American Social History Online in a paper or presentation?
The Library of Congress web site has a guide for citing primary source material.
Example citation for a photograph (MLA-style Citation Format):
O'Sullivan, Timothy H. Incidents of the War. c1865. Selected Civil War Photographs from the Library of Congress, 1861-1865. 12 Jan. 2000. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 2 Aug. 2005 <http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/cwar:@field(NUMBER+@band(cwp+4a40875))>.
Please note - the url of the location of the item should refer to the collection's location, such as the Library of Congress, not the location in the Aquifer American Social History Online.
2. How can I find out more about a particular item?
If you have a question about a collection or an item from a collection that you found through this site, or if would like to see the original, you will need to contact the institution that owns the item. Aquifer hosts these historical documents from U.S. universities, libraries and cultural institutions such as the Library of Congress. The original materials reside in the contributing institution, and have been digitized for viewing online.
3. Do I need permission to use a particular item from Aquifer American Social History Online?
Users may reproduce (print or download) in accordance with fair use materials or link to materials from this web site on the condition they give proper credit of the collection-owning repository (the institution that owns the collection). The Library of Congress has a guide for understanding copyright and fair use. If there is no information in a record about access condition and you would like permission to publish or reproduce an item, please contact the institution that owns the item, since Aquifer does not own these items.
4. Why should I log in to Aquifer American Social History Online if I can search without logging in?
Logging in with your OpenID allows you to save your search histories, set your profile preferences, access a record in its native format, and access metadata transformation tools.
5. What is OpenID?
OpenID is a way to centralize your digital identity by eliminating the need for multiple usernames across different websites. Once you obtain an OpenID, you can use it to organize your online identity at sites that support it.
6. What is Zotero?
Zotero is a free, easy-to-use research tool that helps you gather and organize resources (bibliography or full text of articles), and then lets you to annotate, organize and share the results of your research. You can download the extention at: http://www.zotero.org/. Please note that Zotero works only in Firefox.
