Schedule | Descriptions (A-Z) | Classes by Subject | Class Info | Calendar Search
Historical Research
Classes in this subject area:
Digital Gotham [check scheduled dates]
Description: Did you know that you can search thousands of images and photographs of “old” New York City for free from your PC? This class will introduce you to a myriad of online resources, many of which are available from your own desktop. From digitized newspapers, magazines, and books to passenger lists, menus, and maps, come discover New York City history through a computer.
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Prerequisite: Participation in all classes assumes a basic level of computer skill and experience.
Engineering Research with Compendex [check scheduled dates]
Description: Compendex® is the most comprehensive interdisciplinary engineering database in the world. Special features and search strategies will be highlighted. Compendex has over 9 million records and references over 5,000 engineering journals, conferences and technical reports. Subjects include chemical and process engineering, computers and data processing, applied physics, electronics and communications, civil, mechanical and materials engineering, as well as narrower subtopics. With the addition of the historical backfile, online coverage is from 1884 to the present. Approximately 250,000 new records are added to the database annually. Compendex is updated weekly.
Location: Science, Industry and Business Library
Investigating New York City Architecture [check scheduled dates]
Description: Researching the architecture of a building in New York City can be difficult and bewildering. This class will introduce print and online resources that can make this process less daunting and more productive. The collections of The New York Public Library will be emphasized, but important resources throughout the metropolitan area will also be introduced.
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Prerequisite: Participation in all classes assumes a basic level of computer skill and experience.
Researching Costume and Fashion History [check scheduled dates]
Description: The collection of fashion, costume, and dress materials at NYPL is one of the richest in the nation. The collection includes long runs of popular fashion magazines, as well as rare copies of prized eighteenth- and nineteenth-century publications. Important examples of plate and pattern books complement the extensive holdings of monographs and serials. This class will highlight the strengths of the collection and introduce research techniques ranging from use of the Research Libraries' online catalog and electronic server to image research.
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Prerequisite: Participation in all classes assumes a basic level of computer skill and experience.
Uncovering Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy Research [check scheduled dates]
Description: The Library boasts one of the country’s largest free public collections of genealogical tools. This introductory class will show you some of the key resources available. With the skills learned here, perhaps you’ll find the name of an ancestor on a passenger list from a ship that sailed into New York Harbor in the nineteenth century. Your search of historical census records may reveal the names of family members. You will acquire the knowledge to begin an engrossing lifelong project of research and exploration.
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Prerequisite: Participation in all classes assumes a basic level of computer skill and experience.
Wanted Dead or Alive: An Introduction to Biographical Research [check scheduled dates]
Description: This hands-on class will introduce you to the wide variety of biographical resources available to New York Public Library users. We will trace the lives of two individuals to contrast ways of researching historical figures and ways of researching contemporary writers and thinkers.
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Prerequisite: Participation in all classes assumes a basic level of computer skill and experience.
