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UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

National History Day: South Carolina

guide to aid local students in locating free digital primary sources on South Carolina history.

Discus – South Carolina’s Virtual Library

Discus – South Carolina’s Virtual Library is the “information place” for all South Carolinians. It is a collection of subscription databases with an array of resources ranging from books and magazines to maps and videos.

Discus is available at no cost to South Carolina residents. If you are a K-12 student, ask your school library media specialist for assistance.

Discus provides access to:

  • Academic Search Premier
  • Biography in Context
  • Britannica Library
  • Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
  • History Reference Center
  • Newspaper Source Plus
  • and many other resources...

South Carolina History Journals: available online

Ask the Library

National History Day Guide Information

This guide focuses on primary sources from digital archives, online newspapers, and digital books on South Carolina history from discovery to the present for use by students participating in the National History Day project.

Before you begin research, you need to know:

  • Date(s) of event or person.
  • Correct spellings of your person, event, or place.
  • Alternate spellings that might have been used at the time of your event.
  • Basic information on the person or event for keyword searching.

People in the 17th, 18th, and 19th century used many different words than we do.  If you can't find your topic, try using an "old fashioned" word or concept as your search term.

Example:  We now call it the "Stono Rebellion", but at the time it was an "insurrection" or "murder" and was not reported nationally until early November.

 

Getting Started at the Public Library

Begin your search at the Horry County Public Library (HCPL) or Georgetown Public Library (GPL). These materials are available to you as a county resident. Library cards are free and provide access to books and databases.

Horry County Public Library

Chapin Public Library (Myrtle Beach)

Georgetown County Library

HCPL and GPL own books on almost all the topics that can be used for the National History Day project. For books you need that are not owned by the local library, ask them about an Interlibrary Loan for the books needed.

Start here and learn all you can about your topic before searching the archives and newspapers.The more you know about your topic, the more effective your searches will be.

Academic Search Premier (database), available through HCPL, Chapin,  GPL, and Georgetown, and Horry County Schools, provides access to articles about your topic.

Biography in Context (database) available through HCPL, Chapin, GCL, and Georgetown, and Horry County Schools,  provides access to articles about people.

History Reference Center (database) available through HCPL, Chapin, GCL, and Georgetown, and Horry County Schools, provides basic information on historical topics.

Heritage Quest Online (database) available through HCPL, Chapin, GCL, and Georgetown, and Horry County Schools, access to genealogy records.

South Carolina State Library

The South Carolina State Library provides access to digital collections and databases that can be used in history research. To access their online databases, parents or guardians should apply for a free SC State Library Card.