American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society, VII

CONTENT The American Antiquarian Society has partnered with Gale to offer its American Historical Collections on the Gale platform. With over six million documents of primary materials from the American Colonial period to the early 20th century, the archive is considered one of the most important and comprehensive resources of American history. Parts I–V contain 6,500 periodicals from 1693 to 1877. Series VI added 2,500 titles covering 1866–77. Part VII includes 190 brand new collections with backfiles to 100 titles, filling in gaps from Series I–V. It brings coverage in the archive up to 1923. In total, Part VII has 650,000 pages of content primarily from the pre–Civil War period, with a major emphasis on abolition, emancipation, and the relationship between Union and Confederate states, although all subjects and topics of the era are addressed, including business, politics, and social life issues.

USABILITY The landing page is attractive, featuring a large basic search box with an advanced search option just below the box at the top of the page. Additional links provide opportunities for browsing and learning more about the archive. The homepage also has two helpful tools called “Topic Finder” and “Term Frequency” that connect search terms and map out their frequency of use. A “Learning Center” feature is especially handy, as it explains in detail how to refine search questions, employ effective search/browse strategies, understand key terms in documents, and correctly cite documents.

Search options are a strength. Terms can be entered in the basic search box with excellent, quick, and comprehensive results. The advanced search offers 10 different search fields, such as keyword and publication, in addition to 10 search limiters like document type and publication title. The illustrated-works limiter enables users to find cartoons, maps, and photographs—always a source of interest for researchers. Seven different languages can be used, including Norwegian, Romanian, and Welsh. Clicking on the homepage’s “Browse” tab opens another page that facilitates searching either by publication or date. If publication is selected, publications are listed in alphabetical order. All issues of a publication display once a title is selected.

The visual quality of the materials is excellent, although it can be challenging to find a term in lengthy documents. Documents can be downloaded, shared, and sent to personal drives and reference management systems without fuss. Citations can be formatted into APA, Chicago, Harvard, and MLA styles.

Clicking on the Gale header on each screen smoothly returns users back to the homepage for new searches and access to help tools.

PRICING Pricing for Part VII of American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society starts at $6,510 with a hosting fee that starts at $53 annually. Public library pricing is based on population served and starts at $4,557 for the collection, with a hosting fee that starts at $37 annually. Academic library pricing is based on an institution’s full-time enrollment and other institutional variables. Subscriptions are available upon request. Institutions holding two or more Gale Primary Source collections receive complimentary access to the Gale Primary Sources cross-search platform which allows users to discover connections between other archival collections published by Gale. A free trial for the product can be requested at https://bit.ly/3fajRN8.

VERDICT For libraries that already have access to the series, subscribing to Part VII is a logical consideration. It adds more primary content to a pivotal resource that researchers consider a core reference for the study of American history. The quality and quantity of the documents in Part VII, the user-friendly features, and the flawless searchability on the Gale platform make this a winner.