Dennis A. Trinkle - The European History Highway: A Guide to Internet Resources

A GUIDE TO INTERNET RESOURCES

Dennis A. Trinkle and Scott A. Merriman
Editors

First published 2002 by M.E. Sharpe

Published 2015 by Routledge
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Notices
No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use of operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

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For Kristi, Keith, and Gayle Trinkle.

We cannot possibly thank everyone who has played a small or large role in the writing of this book, so we hope that you know that your efforts and support are recognized and appreciated.

Dennis A. Trinkle would like to thank the faculty, staff, and students of DePauw University for their many tangible and intangible contributions to The European History Highway. DePauw is a lively learning community, and I want to thank President Robert Bottoms and Vice President Neal Abraham for their support and encouragement of my many activities. I also want to especially thank several faculty and staff colleagues who daily make my teaching, research, and work better and more successful: John Schlotterbeck, Barbara Steinson, John Dittmer, Julia Bruggemann, Glen Kuecker, Aaron Dzuibinskyi, Lou Miller, Sue Balter, Bob Hershberger, Carol Smith, Julianne Miranda, Dan Pfeifer, Scott Cooper, Ken Owen, and Bob Bruce. I would also like to thank the members of my other professional familythe American Association for History and Computing. In particular, my sincere appreciation is extended to Ken Dvorak, Charles Mackay, Jeffrey Barlow, Kelly Robison, Jessica LacherFeldman, Steve Hoffman, and Deborah Anderson. It is a genuine pleasure to work with so many creative and passionate teachers and scholars. Finally, but certainly not least, special thanks to my wife, Kristi, my brother, Keith, my mother, Gayle, and all the members of my extended family. Your constant energy and care are a great inspiration.

Scott A. Merriman would like to thank his family, friends, and teachers, both past and present, for their support and guidance. Special thanks to my wife, Jessie, for her assistance, both in this writing effort and many others. I would also like to recognize the History Department of the University of Kentucky, faculty, staff, and fellow graduate students alike, for their support and encouragement. Especially deserving of gratitude for serving as mentors are Robert Ireland, Eric Christianson, David Hamilton, and Robert Olson. My years at UK have been enriched by my friendships with Holly Grout, John Patrick Mullins, Tom Riley, Erin Shelor, Jules Sweet, and Jennifer Walton. In my larger travels, I have been ably assisted by many people, far too many to mention, and I would be remiss if I did not thank at least some of them here. I am truly grateful for my continuing friendships and professional relationships with Jeffrey Barlow, Rowly Brucken, Randal Horobik, Charles Mackay, Jen McGee, Kelly Robison, David Staley, Amy Staples, and Paul Wexler. I am thankful to my family for their perpetual support. Finally, for all those who have supported me, but who are not specifically mentioned, thanks!

More than 60 percent of American households now report that they regularly access the Internet. This figure represents a stunning historical transformation. The number of Web pages is increasing so rapidly that no reliable estimate exists, though best guesses suggest more than a billion pages and climbing. The growth rate and proliferation are staggering and is historically unprecedented. Radio, television, and the telephone became part of American daily life at a comparatively glacial pace. Such dizzying expansion and alteration make the Internet a tremendously exciting phenomenon, but also unsettling and unwieldy.

To novices and even seasoned users, the Information Superhighway can be information overload at its worst, often more intimidating and frustrating than exciting. For anyone interested in history, however, the Internet simply cannot be ignored. The resources are richer and more valuable than ever. There are nearly fifty thousand sites dedicated to World War II alone. Students can find the complete texts of hundreds of thousands of books, work with previously inaccessible primary documents, and explore thousands of first-rate sites dedicated to historical topics. Publishers can advertise their wares, and professors can find enormous databases devoted to teaching suggestions, online versions of historical journals, and active scholarly discussions on a wide variety of research topics. The Internet is quite simply the most revolutionary storehouse of human knowledge in history.

For most of us, however, whether we are students, professors, librarians, editors, or just lovers of history, there are not enough hours in our already busy days to go chasing information down an infinite number of alleyways, no matter how useful or interesting that information might be. This is especially true for those of us who have never logged on to a computer network or who have only a basic acquaintance with the Internet. The aim of this book is to provide a general introduction to the skills and tools necessary to navigate the Information Superhighway and to offer detailed information about the thousands of quality resources that are out there and how to find them.

Part I is a short primer for those with little or no experience using the Internet. It discusses what exists and what you can do with it. It explains how to gain access to the Internet and outlines what types of software are necessary. There is also an important section on the manners and rules that govern the Internet netiquette, as seasoned users call it. A valuable new section on evaluating Internet resources has been added to the chapter as well.

Part II is the heart of the book. It lists hundreds of sites that will appeal to anyone interested in history and that our specialist section authors have determined to be reliable and useful for the serious study of history. This section will allow you to avoid the helter-skelter databases, such as Yahoo!, Excite, and DogPile, that take you to information regardless of quality and utility. You will not find sites created by first graders in Indianapolis or by biased, ahistorical groups like the Holocaust Deniers of America. Bon Voyage!