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Introduction
Welcome to Special Collections! We have developed this guide to help students of HIST 3000W find primary sources to write a biographical essay.
Writing a biographical essay requires both background research on your subject and the use of primary source documents. This guide provides some guidelines for approaching biographical research and offers some annotated descriptions of collections available in Special Collections.
For additional assistance with history databases and background research, take a look at these additional guides:
HIST 3000W: The History Workshop
History Resources: Start
Need help? Call or e-mail me to set up a research consultation appointment.
Finding a Topic
Settling on a topic can be the hardest part of your essay assignment. Here are some suggestions to help get you started:
1. Make a list of your hobbies or interests. Then check the Collections Guides database for possible matches.
Love movies? Check out the personal papers of Vanderbilt alumnus and film director, Delbert Mann.
Interested in Brazil? Check out the Mary Helen Clark Papers for a glimpse at life in Brazil in 1932.
Interested in women's rights? Check out Sue Kirtland Green, an associate of Margaret Sanger and founder of Tennessee's first birth control clinic.
2. Browse the subject list and descriptions of available collections in Collections Guides database.
3. Still stuck? Contact Teresa to set up a consultation appointment.
