The two-story Randolph Campus library. View more photos of the Randolph Campus.
Library and Research
The Randolph Campus library serves all Middle and Upper School students, faculty, and staff as a resource for learning and research; promotes a culture that values diverse literary and intellectual voices; and encourages reading for pleasure.
Explore our resources below and please contact Kate Brooks, Randolph Campus Librarian, or Vicki Janisch-Tri, Randolph Campus Library Assistant, with questions or to suggest materials for the collection.
- Find a book
- Access audiobooks and ebooks
- Access a database to find an article or web resource
- Movies and videos
- Request materials
- LibGuides Pathfinders
- View citation management tools
- Read a newspaper or magazine
- Primary Sources
Find a book
- Search the SPA Online Catalog to locate a book in the SPA collection.
- Search MNLink to search for materials at local public libraries.
- Search WorldCat to explore books and other materials in libraries across the world.
Access audiobooks and ebooks
for recreational reading
We have a small but growing collection of audiobooks and ebooks available via MackinVia for recreational reading. Click on this link to access our collection and login with your SPA Google credentials. If you have a mobile device you can also download an app (search for MackinVia) and access them on the go.
EBSCO also has a wide selection of fiction, many with unlimited simultaneous users. Here are links to specific subsets:
- Contemporary Literary Fiction
- "Classic" Fiction
- Mystery and Detective Fiction
- Historical Fiction
- Science Fiction
- Comics and Graphic Novels
- Short Stories
- Young Adult Fiction
- Here is a list of 21 award-winning YA books available in this collection.
- Young Adult Fiction with sports themes
Access off campus passwords for these databases here.
If you are looking for scholarly ebooks that will support your research, the following databases have significant ebook collections available
- JSTOR (PW)
- Project Muse (PW)
In order to accommodate distance learning Project Muse has opened up access to thousands of scholarly ebooks.
- EBSCOhost ebook Collection
EBSCO also has a wide selection of scholarly monographs, as well.
Access off campus passwords for these databases here.
for additional ebooks or audiobooks, the following resources are available without any library affiliation.
- Ebooks Minnesota
In this diverse collection of titles, readers will find books on a variety of educational and entertaining topics. Featuring books that were created in the great state of Minnesota, readers will enjoy titles that represent where they come from and support local publishers and writers.
- Indie Minnesota
An assortment of titles from local Minnesota authors in this exciting anthology. In this growing Indie Minnesota collection of great reads, discover mystery, romance, nonfiction, children's and young adult titles from authors right in your own state. Short story collections, serial mysteries, memoirs and fantastic literary fiction await readers of all interests and ages.
- National Emergency Library
This is a collection of books that supports emergency remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation while universities, schools, training centers, and libraries are closed.
- Teaching Books
Explore over 1000 choices of complete books and poems you can listen to from anywhere. Simply narrow your selection by grade level, genre, subject area and more to find titles that work for you. Listen to or watch the book from any device–wherever you are.
your public library is an amazing resource, too!
Links to area libraries:
Access a database to find an article or web resource
SPA's collection includes access to 48 scholarly databases via ELM, a service for citizens of Minnesota, as well as 22 additional databases to which the school subscribes. View database passwords.
General
Provides wide-ranging and hard-to-locate information about the background, geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Included among the 271 geographic entries is one for the "World," which incorporates data and other information summarized where possible from the other 270 country listings.
EBSCO Host (PW)
Portal of several large EBSCO databases covering all subjects and ranging from popular magazine articles to scholarly peer-reviewed journals.
Includes general topical overviews, dictionary and thesaurus tools, and other basic reference resources.
Informe Académico (PW)
Covers most disciplines but with a focus on Latin America
JSTOR(PW)
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that includes full-text content of more than 1,400 academic journals, as well as thousands of primary sources.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
Primary source material including historical documents, maps, photographs and sound collections from The Library of Congress.
Opposing Viewpoints (PW)
Contains more than 700 titles covering some of today's most controversial topics. New reference content is added on an ongoing basis, and new full-text periodical and newspaper articles are added every day.
Oxford Research Encyclopedias (PW)
Developed in collaboration with international communities of scholars across all fields of study, Oxford University Press has developed new comprehensive collections of in-depth, peer-reviewed summaries on an ever-growing range of topics.
Statista (PW)
Statista is a statistics/infographics portal that allows access to quantitative data, market reports, statistics and studies from a wide range of sources.
Student Resources in Context (PW)
Provides holistic topic perspectives by integrating a multitude of content, including: Reference articles; periodical and newspaper articles; primary sources; multimedia records, including charts, graphs, maps and tables; and video and audio content from NBC, NPR and many other respected sources.
University of Minnesota Libraries
Search the University of Minnesota Libraries to identify articles and books related to your topic. Most resources can be requested via interlibrary loan.
The WDL makes it possible to discover, study, and enjoy cultural treasures and significant historical documents on one site, in a variety of ways. Content on the WDL includes books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, journals, prints and photographs, sound recordings, and films.
English
Project MUSE (only available at SPA)
Project MUSE is a leading provider of digital humanities and social science content for the scholarly community. MUSE is the trusted source of complete, full-text versions of scholarly journals from many of the world's leading university presses and scholarly societies, with over 120 publishers currently participating. UPCC Book Collections on Project MUSE, launched in January 2012, offer top quality book-length scholarship, fully integrated with MUSE's scholarly journal content.
World Religions: Belief, Culture and Controversy (PW)
Covers religion around the globe, from prehistory to the present. Includes articles, media, visuals, statistics and timelines.
The OED is the definitive guide to the English language. Look up the meaning of over 600,000 words, discover when a word was first used, and track how its meaning may have changed over time.
History
Accessible Archives (PW)
Search 18th and 19th Century newspaper and periodical collections, including eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical record. Specific collections include material related to the Civil War, slavery, women's suffrage, early American county histories and more.
American History (PW)
From the explorers of the Americas to the issues of today’s headlines, investigates the people, events, and stories of the United States' evolution.
American History in Video (PW)
Includes newsreel footage, including the complete series of United Newsreel and Universal Newsreel as well as award-winning documentaries.
Daily Life Through History (PW)
International in scope, enables students and researchers to discover the everyday details about past eras that make historical accounts relevant and meaningful.
Great Events from History and Great Lives from History
Great Events and Great Lives offer far-reaching view of history, and include worldwide coverage of important events, men and women in all areas of achievement from ancient times to the modern era.
History Study Center(PW)
Covers global history from ancient times to the present day. Contents include reference books, essays, journal articles, historical newspaper and magazine articles, maps, rare books, government documents, transcripts of historical speeches, images and video clips. Study Units offer editorially selected material on over 500 historical topics.
Modern History Sourcebook
Historical primary source texts in the public domain. Sponsered by Fordham University.
National Journal (PW)
Includes access to:
National Journal Daily - journalism on congressional activity, also available in print or via email newsletter
The Hotline - daily journalism on House, Senate and Gubernatorial races
The Racetracker - one-stop shop for elections. Track House, Senate and Gubernatorial races through custom dashboards. Easily pull relevant information from tracked campaigns--from polling data to campaign contributions and much more
The Almanac - congressional, federal agencies, cabinet departments and White House staff directory, profiles of elected officials, election results, committee and subcommittee information
Daybook - exportable listing of important events on and around Capitol Hill, submit your own events to be promoted, add to your calendar.
Project MUSE (only available at SPA)
Project MUSE is a leading provider of digital humanities and social science content for the scholarly community. MUSE is the trusted source of complete, full-text versions of scholarly journals from many of the world's leading university presses and scholarly societies, with over 120 publishers currently participating. UPCC Book Collections on Project MUSE, launched in January 2012, offer top quality book-length scholarship, fully integrated with MUSE's scholarly journal content.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers (PW)
Includes: Chicago Defender (1910-1975); The Guardian (1821-2003); The Observer (1791-2003); Los Angeles Times (1881-1988); Minneapolis Tribune (1867-1922); The New York Times (1851-2008) with Index (1851-1993).
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 (PW)
Organized around the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000, this collection includes 110 document projects and archives with almost 4,200 documents and 56,000 pages of additional full-text documents. It also includes book, film, and website reviews, news from the archives, and teaching tools.
World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras (PW)
Covers early human history around the globe—from prehistoric times to the beginnings of the Renaissance. In addition to articles, includes media, visuals and maps.
World History: The Modern Era (PW)
Covering history from the Renaissance to today. In addition to articles, includes media, visuals and maps.
World History in Video (PW)
A wide-ranging collection of critically acclaimed documentaries that explore human history from the earliest civilizations to the late twentieth century. The video content is global in scope, covering Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania, with coverage that captures longer-term and multiple perspectives.
World Religions: Belief, Culture and Controversy (PW)
Covers religion around the globe, from prehistory to the present. Includes articles, media, visuals, statistics and timelines.
Science
The Nature Research portfolio includes journals, online databases, and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences and clinical medicine. Focusing on the needs of scientists, Nature (founded in 1869) is the leading weekly, international scientific journal. In addition, for this audience, Nature Research publishes the Nature research journals and Nature Reviews journals, plus a range of prestigious academic journals including society-owned publications. Online, nature.com provides over 6 million visitors per month with access to Nature Research publications and online databases and services, including news and comment from Nature, NatureJobs plus access to Nature Education's Scitable.com. For information on Nature Research publications, online databases and services, visit the A-Z index or go to the catalog.
Many of the articles are open access but you will most likely also need to interlibrary loan items.
PubMed Central® (PMC) is a free archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). In keeping with NLM’s legislative mandate to collect and preserve the biomedical literature, PMC serves as a digital counterpart to NLM’s extensive print journal collection. Launched in February 2000, PMC was developed and is managed by NLM’s National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Medicine
Alt Healthwatch (PW)
This database focuses on the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. It offers libraries full text articles for more than 180 international, and often peer-reviewed journals and reports. In addition, there are hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts. Alt HealthWatch provides in-depth coverage across the full spectrum of subject areas covered by complementary and alternative medicine. This database features indexing and abstracts going back as far as 1984, and full text going back as far as 1990.
Consumer Health Complete is a comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health content. It is designed to support patients' information needs and foster an overall understanding of health-related topics. Consumer Health Completeprovides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine. In addition, Consumer Health Complete includes the Clinical Reference System and the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide, which provides access to up-to-date, concise and clinically relevant drug monographs. The database is updated on a weekly basis.
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition (PW)
This database provides nearly 550 scholarly full text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition also features the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide, which covers 1,300 generic drug patient education sheets with more than 4,700 brand names.
PubMed Central PubMed Central® (PMC) is a free archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). In keeping with NLM’s legislative mandate to collect and preserve the biomedical literature, PMC serves as a digital counterpart to NLM’s extensive print journal collection. Launched in February 2000, PMC was developed and is managed by NLM’s National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Business
Provides full text for more than 2,300 journals, including full text for more than 1,100
peer-reviewed business publications. This database provides full text back to 1886, and searchable cited references back to 1998, covering the areas of marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. The database also includes other sources of full text information such as country economic reports from the EIU, Global Insight, ICON Group and CountryWatch and detailed company profiles for the world's 10,000 largest companies. Additional full text, non-journal content includes market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles and SWOT analyses.
eBooks
Movies and videos
The SPA library provides access to a variety of movies and video content, both in its DVD collection as well as select streaming services.
DVDs in the library can be browsed online in our catalog by selecting "Video" from the drop down menu under "Material Type." Or come into the library and just browse.
We subscribe to two streaming services:
- Kanopy streams over 80 different subject categories and includes over 30,000 films. Access is currently limited to to our adult community and information and credentials can be accessed here.
- Alexander Street Press offers a variety of video content related to both United States and World History. Passwords to use these databases off campus can be found with our general password list.
- American History in Video includes newsreel footage, including the complete series of United Newsreel and Universal Newsreel as well as award-winning documentaries.
- World History in Video is a wide-ranging collection of critically acclaimed documentaries that explore human history from the earliest civilizations to the late twentieth century. The video content is global in scope, covering Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania, with coverage that captures longer-term and multiple perspectives.
Request materials
LibGuides Pathfinders
View citation management tools
Check out this guide to understanding plagiarism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center.
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is an excellent online resource for multiple citation styles, including APA, Chicago, and MLA. This resource also offers guides to writing in specific subject areas such as writing in the sciences, writing in literature, and creative writing.
SPA subscribes to Noodle Tools, a program that offers integrated tools for note-taking, outlining, citation, document archiving/annotation, and collaborative research and writing. Includes MLA, Chicago, and APA styles. Users must create an account.
Zotero is a free Mozilla Firefox plug-in that provides full citation manager functionality.
Read a newspaper or magazine
Newspapers
SPA provides digital access to the New York Times Online. Here is a link to instructions to set up your individual account.
Additionally, we have electronic access to the following newspapers via ProQuest Newstand. While this access is not the same as a direct subscription to the publications, articles are indexed and full-text is available. You will need a username and password to access this database at home.
- Star Tribune
- Wall Street Journal
- Washington Post
- USA Today
- New York Times
Click here to access ProQuest Newstand.
Magazines
We subscribe to many print magazines, ranging from the Economist, to Harpers, The New Yorker, Film Comment and Poetry Magazine.
Primary Sources
Are you wondering what a primary source is and how it's different from a secondary, or even a tertiary source? Here's a great explanation from the University of Minnesota Libraries to get you started.
Our Primary Sources Portal, below, can help you find online primary source material organized according to discipline.
Legal Documents
Digital Collections from the Library of Congress Primary source material including maps, photos, sheet music, sound collections all from Library of Congress. Focus is on United States history, but includes international topics, as well.
Selected Historic Decisions from the US Supreme Court Full-text of select Supreme Court decisions
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School – Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy Full-text documents related to US History, law, economics, politics, diplomacy & government. Provides links to supporting documents
FedWorld/FLITE U.S. Supreme Court Decisions Home Page Full-text of Supreme Court decisions between 1937 and 1975
Foreign Governments: Constitutions, Laws and Treaties Links to world government documents and other general information and other countries
Supreme Court of the United States Gives definitions of and calendars for Supreme Court proceedings
World Events
WORLD
Eurodocs Primary source material about Western Europe
EyeWitness: History Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It Material (journals, maps, newspapers, photos) alongside brief summaries and commentaries about World History
German Propaganda Archive German propaganda (essays, posters) and materials produced for propagandists. Also provides background info about the authors
Hanover Historical Texts Project
Historical Atlas of the 20th Century Maps showing trends in government, economics, etc. Some text summaries of info are displayed in the maps
History of the United Kingdom Primary Documents History of the UK through links to primary documents. Links provide commentary, forum discussions, maps and photos
Internet Medieval Sourcebook Full-text medieval sources and links to Ancient, Medieval and Byzantine sources about Saints' lives
Middle East Peace Process Documents Middle East sources, including books, links, maps and newsletter
National Archives (UK) Teaching/learning resource tool with links to British National Archives sources
United Nations Treaty Collection
University of Texas Historical Maps Links to historical map web sites
EVENT
American Slave Narratives From the Federal Writers' Project 1936-1938
Avalon Project: World War II Documents
Civil War Women--Primary Sources
Dr. Seuss Went to War (political cartoons)
Historic Government Publications of World War II
Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive
Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties
North American Slave Narratives
Personal experiences of World War I
Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art of World War II
Private Art (Letters to and from the homefront--WWII)
Oral History Archive of World War II (from Rutgers University)
Suffragists Oral History Project
They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II
War Relocation Authority: Photographs of Japanese-American Relocation and Resettlement
Speeches
American Rhetoric: Online Speech Bank 5000+ full-text, audio and video(streaming) versions of public speeches, lectures and debates.
All Things Considered Archive (radio transcripts including many interviews) National Public Radio transcripts, including many interviews from 1996 to present
Conversations with History (Interviews) Video interviews from 1982 to present. Interviewees include diplomats, statesmen, and soldiers; economists and political analysts; scientists and historians; writers and foreign correspondents; activists and artists
Gifts of Speech: Women's Speeches from Around the World Women's speeches (text) from 1848 to present
Historical Voices Collection of audio spoken-word materials (also includes some photos) spanning the 20th Century
History and Politics Out Loud Archive of politically significant audio materials
History Channel: Speeches Audio and video speeches (Both International and U.S. speakers)
History Place: Great Speeches Collection Collection of "great" speeches from 1220 to 2005 (commercial site)
"I Do Solemnly Swear . . .": Presidential Inaugurations Collection of presidential inauguration materials from Washington to Bush
Lost and Found Sound (from NPR's All Things Considered) NPR audio collection of speeches, home recordings, etc. (Note: No search feature)
Social Activism: Sound Recording Project Index of sound and video recordings of significant people and events of the 1960's U.S.
Talking History Collection of oral history materials
Vincent Voice Library Collection of spoken word recordings dating back to 1888, over 100,000 people from all walks of life
U.S. History
U.S. History
Repository of Primary Resources Links to 5,000 websites w/manuscripts, archives rare books, photos and other primary sources for research
NARA 100 Milestone Documents 100 milestone documents compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration chronicling U.S.
Ad Access Database (advertisements) Search ads from beauty and hygiene, radio, television, transportation and WW II
American Memory Collection Finder Contains historical docs, photos, maps, film and audio, sheet music, song sheets and other printed text
Census Statistics Census info on people, households, business, industry and geography. Includes features such as: "Newsroom", a special topics section and population clock
Charters of Freedom From the National Archives, includes historical docs, exhibits, presidential libraries, federal records and government docs
Chronology of US Historical Documents (U. Oklahoma) Documents ranging from pre-Colonial to the 21st Century
Conversations with History (interviews with notables) Provided by University of California, includes mix of Google video, podcasts, blogs and a radio library all focused on interviews of distinguished men and women
Emergence of Advertising in America Advertising in the U.S. from 1850-1920. Includes timeline and category search. From Duke University
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence Variety of subjects and special collections such as the U.S. Constitution and Lewis and Clark
Eyewitness to Labor History NYU's libraries' historical image collection, focused on American labor
From Revolution to Reconstruction A hypertext on American history from the colonial period until modern times. Includes docs, essays and biographies
Founders' Constitution Sponsered by the University of Chicago's "Press & Liberty" Fund; includes major themes of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and Amendments
Historical Text Archive Links to historical archives of articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos, and links
Historically Significant Images in American History Over 500 public domain images of American political history
New York Public Library Digital Library Digitized collection of rare and unique photos, manuscripts, music, video and exhibitions
Nineteenth Century Documents Early national politics, slavery and sectionalism, Nebraska Bill, Dred Scott Case, etc. Doesn't extend beyond Civil War time period
Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet Legislative info, bills, resolutions, congressional records, treaties and resources for teachers
U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1873 Congressional docs
Presidents
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum
"I Do Solemnly Swear . . .": Presidential Inaugurations Collection of presidential inauguration materials from Washington to Bush
Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents (Washington to Bush)
Nixon White House Tapes History of Nixon White House tapes, audio-national archives and records administration
Presidential Debates Watch past debates and read old transcripts--can search site by candidate and debate history
Presidential Libraries Website links for all presidents, includes Presidents directory.
Maps and Images
Maps & Images
American Memory Collection (Library of Congress)
NARA ARC Basic Search (select Photographs)
American Memory Maps Collection 1500--1999
Flickr Albums of the Smithsonian Institution
Perry Casteneda Library Map Collection
Editoral Cartoons
Historical
Baldy Editorial Cartoon Database: 1946-82, 1997
America in Caricature 1765-1865
They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II
Modern
Political Cartoonist's Index (contemporary)
For additional resources, the University of Minnesota Libraries has collected the following video, image, and audio resources, most of which are freely accessible to the public.