Milner Library has over 250 databases available. Below is a list of databases where content focuses on underrepresented populations. All databases are accessible with Illinois State University credentials or by visiting Milner Library.
Primary source information
Accessible Archives: A collection of digitized, full-text replicas of magazines, newspapers, and books covering different aspects of American life from a diverse set of perspectives.
- Highlights: African American Newspapers series, National Anti-Slavery Standard, and the Women’s Suffrage Collection.
Alexander Street: Primary source documents, streaming videos, and other resources grouped into discipline-specific collections.
- Highlights: Ethnographic Video Online, Women and Social Movements, LGBT thought and culture, Asian American Drama, Black Drama, North American Indian Thought and Culture, Jazz Music Online, and Latino Literature.
Alternative Press Index: A database that compiles citations for journals, newspapers, and magazines discussing alternative and radical political and social movements.
- Highlights: Work by prominent authors such as Margaret Atwood, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky, and Angela Davis.
Women Writers Online: A database of works written by female authors between the 16th and 19th centuries. Collected and published by the Women Writers Project, this database disseminates full text versions of predominantly rare or inaccessible writings in English.
- Highlights: Speeches by Elizabeth I, poems by Phillis Wheatley, and essays by Mary Wollstonecraft.
Digital Transgender Archive: An open access database, available to everyone, gathering resources and information about transgender history. This database includes both digitized historical items and born-digital materials, as well as providing information on archival holdings throughout the world.
- Highlights: NYC Trans Oral History Project, the Charlotte McLeod Collection, and the Fantasia Fair collections.
Secondary Source Information
eHRAF World Cultures and Archaeology: Two databases published by Human Relations Area Files Inc. (HRAF). Archaeology collects and indexes descriptions of global archeological traditions. World Cultures makes available ethnographic information, depicting cultural and social descriptions of life around the world.
- Examples of topics: Legal traditions, economic information, language and communication, and religious information from individual cultures around the world.
Asian and European Business Collection: This database collects resources on Asia and Europe business and finance and includes scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, conference papers and proceedings, working papers, reports, newspapers, wire feeds, and books.
- Examples of publications: China & World Economy, Eurasian Geography and Economics, and European Planning Studies.
GenderWatch: Historical and contemporary resources discussing the evolution of gender roles. Scholarly and popular titles examine issues relating to women’s studies, LGBT studies, gender studies, family studies, and other related subjects.
- Examples of publications: Bridges: a Jewish Feminist Journal, National NOW Times, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
Contemporary Women’s Issues: Collects information relating to women’s issues from around the world. This database brings together information from a variety of sources including scholarly, government, and nongovernmental organizations, and popular literature.
- Examples of publications: International Journal of Employment Studies, Lilith: A Feminist History Journal, and Global Media Journal.
Kanopy: A video streaming database collecting documentary and feature films on a large variety of subjects, many focusing on diverse populations. Kanopy also provides accessibility options for visually and hearing-impaired users.
- Examples of film topics: African studies, indigenous studies, mental health issues, Latin American studies, ethnicity, and identity.
All of these primary and secondary sources may be accessed at Milner Library, even if you are not affiliated with Illinois State. For more information and even more Milner Library resources, visit our A-Z Database list and Digital Collections.
