WPI Library Search (the main search box on the library homepage) searches across most of the library's resources at once and can be used to find books, articles, and more. Enter your keywords to get started. Then use the tips below to refine your search results.
Search Tips for WPI Library Search:
Use these search terms to narrow or broaden your search:
|
Term |
Example |
Result |
|
AND |
lesbian AND bars |
Narrows the search to entries containing both terms. |
|
OR |
trans OR transgender |
Broadens the search to entries containing either term. |
|
NOT |
Stonewall NOT Jackson |
Excludes entries containing the second term. |
|
“ ” |
"gender identity” |
Retrieves results containing the exact phrase in quotes. |
|
? |
wom?n |
Wildcard: Retrieves both woman and women. |
|
* |
feminis* |
Truncation: Retrieves feminism, feminist, feminists, etc. |
After you search, refine your search results using the filters on the left. Filter by availability, resource type, publication date, and more.
Use the databases listed below to find journal articles, books, and book chapters related to your research topic.
Online archive of eBooks and complete backruns of scholarly journals in a variety of academic fields.
Full text access to scholarly humanities, social sciences, and mathematics journals.
Indexing and full text of hundreds of journals, books and other published sources from around the world on various humanities topics.
Historical abstracts of North American and global history research journals, covering 1450 to the present.
A powerful search tool to streamline your library research. Entering terms into a single search box yields results that include: books and e-books, research and news articles, project reports, electronic theses and dissertations, archival materials, patents, open access collections and more.
Google search for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports on all topic areas. Use to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, prepublication repositories and universities.
Books are a vital sources of historical scholarship. To find books at the Gordon Library, type your keywords into the WPI Library Search. Use the drop-down menu to the right of the search box to select "Books & Media."
To limit your search to online books, go to the Availability filter on the left and select Available online.
To limit your search to print books, go to the Availability filter on the left and select Available on shelf.
Listed below are examples of books about queer history. When you find a book for your research, remember to check the credentials of the authors/editors and to research the reputation of the publisher in order to evaluate the credibility of the book.
British Queer History: New approaches and perspectives by 
Camp TV: Trans Gender Queer Sitcom History by 
Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America by 
Race, Sexuality and Identity in Britain and Jamaica: The biography of Patrick Nelson, 1916-1963 by 
Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco To 1965 by 
Work! A Queer History of Modeling by To find films in the WPI Library Search, enter your search terms. On the search results page, go to the Resource Type filter on the left and select Videos. 
Academic Video Online makes video material available with curricular relevance: documentaries, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, and more. Search for award-winning films including Academy®, Emmy®, and Peabody® winners and access content from PBS, BBC, 60 MINUTES, National Geographic, Annenberg Learner, BroadwayHD™, A+E Networks’ HISTORY® and more. Academic Video Online: Premium covers all disciplines and subject areas, with specific strengths in: Anthropology; Counseling & Therapy; Art, Fashion & Design; Business & Economics; Diversity Studies; Documentary Film; Feature Film; Education; History; Music & Dance; News & Current Events; Theatre & Drama. It also provides content in nursing; allied health; criminal justice; engineering; and science.
Read the book the film was based on:
The Boys in the Band by The 1969 version of this film is currently unavailable for streaming online.
The 2011 television adaption is available online through the library:
Read the book on which the film was based:
A peer-reviewed journal is a respected publication. Before articles are published within these types of journals, they are sent by the editors of the journal to other scholars in the field ("peers"), often anonymously, to get feedback on the quality of the scholarship, review research methods, as well as relevance or importance to the field. The article may be accepted, often with revisions suggested, or rejected for publication. Many peer-reviewed journals have low acceptance rates.
Peer-reviewed articles are typically substantial in length (often 10 pages or more) and typically have many citations.
To find peer reviewed articles in WPI Library Search, enter your keywords and then choose the Peer-Reviewed Journals filter on the left.
Use BrowZine to find additional journals available at WPI. Search by journal title or browse by subject to find relevant journals.
Primary sources are materials that provide firsthand testimony to a subject under investigation. Researchers often use these firsthand accounts of specific events to understand events from the viewpoint of people living during that time period. Primary sources include letters, diaries, photographs, newspaper articles, and pamphlets. Primary sources also include writings and recordings by witnesses who experienced the events or conditions being documented. For example, oral histories, autobiographies, and memoirs are primary sources.
Search full text and images 1851-2020 including news, illustrations, editorials, and advertisements.
Online archive of eBooks and complete backruns of scholarly journals in a variety of academic fields.
To find primary sources via Google, try adding keywords like primary sources, documents, archives, journals, papers, letters, or documentary history to your search terms.
Here are some examples of websites that have primary sources for Queer History:
Sometimes collections of primary source documents are republished in books. To find books like these, search WPI Library Search for books about your topic and add keywords like sourcebook, documents, primary sources, documentary history, papers, letters, journal, diary, memoir, or autobiography to your search terms.
Here are some examples of books containing primary sources:
First Queer Voices from Thailand by 
Homoeroticism in Imperial China: A Sourcebook by 
Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents by 
Nineteenth-Century Writings on Homosexuality by 
Same-Sex Desire in the English Renaissance by 
Sexuality and Gender in the Classical World: Readings and Sources by When searching in the library's databases, you may find an abstract for an article but not the full-text. When this happens, click on the FullTextFinder icon.
The FullTextFinder will either redirect you to another database that has the full-text of the article or it will tell you that we don't have this article in our collections. If we don't have an article that you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service that allows WPI students and faculty to request items from other libraries free of charge.
Is there something you need that the WPI library doesn't have? Our Interlibrary Loan service allows WPI students and faculty to request items from other libraries free of charge.
Use WorldCat.org to search for books, articles, and more at libraries around the world. Request materials from other libraries via Interlibrary Loan.
The Academic and Research Collaborative (ARC) allows member users to borrow directly from Worcester area libraries. Before you can borrow materials directly from participating libraries, you need to sign up for an ARC card in person at the Gordon Library's Information Desk. Pick up your ARC card today!
As a resident of Massachusetts, you can sign up for a library card at the Worcester Public Library (WPL). WPI students with a college ID can are eligible for WPL cards. You can also sign up for an ecard, which allows you to access the WPL's online resources.
As a resident of Massachusetts, you can also sign up for a library card at the Boston Public Library (BPL). Students who live in Massachusetts while attending school are eligible for a BPL card. The BPL also has an option for an ecard, which allows you to access the BPL's online resources.
