Library Guides

Description The North American Women's Letters and Diaries is intended to be the largest collection of North American women's correspondence and diaries. This searchable database spans 300 years, from colonial times to 1950 and will include the personal experiences of 1,500 women in over 500,000 pages of previously published material and 7,000 pages of unpublished material. The file currently contains over 150,000 pages from over 1,300 women.

Search Options TABLE OF CONTENTS Select the “Table of Contents” to check whether an author, source, or date is included in the database. This is also the best way to examine what personal or historical events are covered in the database.

The “Table of Contents: Author” lists the authors included and indicates the number and kind and number of documents available for each author, and whether there is basic biographical information on the author available. Access the documents by clicking on the number or on "All Docs."

Select another choice from "Table of Contents" menu to retrieve an alphabetical list of items in those categories. "Personal event" category includes graduations, illness, inheritance, loss of job, mental illness, etc.
FIND Select "FIND: Sources” to search for sources included in the database by specific criteria, including author, editor, title, publisher, year of publication, and subject term. Select “FIND: Authors” to search by specific criteria, including author (last name first name), year or place of birth, year or place of death, nationality, and race.

SEARCH TEXTS Select one of the search options “Simple,” “Letters Only,” "Diaries Only," or “Advanced” to search for specific words or phrases within a text. Search results are documents, bibliographic citations, or a combination.
SIMPLE Search Type in terms of choice in the text box; these terms can be limited by use of additional search text boxes for author, document type, year written, or additional subject terms from the controlled vocabularly provided. FULL TEXT SEARCHING will take the user to the SIMPLE Search screen.
LETTERS, DIARIES, or ADVANCED Search Type in terms of choice in the text box; these terms can be limited by use of the additional search options for author (name, age, marital status, race, religion, occupation, etc.), year/month written, where written (geographic or setting), historic or personal event categories, or other additional subject terms, from the list of TERMS provided.
The results list can be sorted by Line by Line Display, Author, Source, or Year.

SHOWCASE features items of special interest from the collection. The original manuscript may be available as well as its transcription.

Search Tips Characters to use in full-text searching:
* (asterisk) use to retrieve word variants (truncation); for example, *habit will retrieve habit, cohabit, and inhabit; cigar* will retrieve cigar, cigars, cigarette
. (period) use to retrieve words with variant single letters; for example, gentlem.n will retrieve gentleman or gentlemen
| (vertical line) use as the OR operator; for example, avarice|greed
(a blank space) use as the AND operator
Other tips:
hypenated words should be typed as two words
words with apostrophes should be typed with the apostrophe; for example, God's

Select the "TERMS" button at the end of search limits to see an alphabetical list of terms available for that limit, e.g., subject terms, author names, geographic placenames, historic or personal events.

Print To print the results, select the "Print" icon from the browser bar. Use “Print Preview” to verify that only the pages wanted will be printed. Image full text can be printed only page by page; click on each page to retrieve a full-size image before printing.

Select Help at any time during the search from the menubar at top, or take the offered "Guided Tour" to learn more about the database and how to search it.

Exit Select "Home" on the Web browser.

sm/llb 04/13/2008same

UWM Libraries Home * PantherCat

UWM Libraries Staff
page contact: Linda Brothen

Description	The North American Women's Letters and Diaries is intended to be the largest collection of North American women's correspondence and diaries. This searchable database spans 300 years, from colonial times to 1950 and will include the personal experiences of 1,500 women in over 500,000 pages of previously published material and 7,000 pages of unpublished material. The file currently contains over 150,000 pages from over 1,300 women.
Search Options	TABLE OF CONTENTS Select the “Table of Contents” to check whether an author, source, or date is included in the database. This is also the best way to examine what personal or historical events are covered in the database. The “Table of Contents: Author” lists the authors included and indicates the number and kind and number of documents available for each author, and whether there is basic biographical information on the author available. Access the documents by clicking on the number or on "All Docs." Select another choice from "Table of Contents" menu to retrieve an alphabetical list of items in those categories. "Personal event" category includes graduations, illness, inheritance, loss of job, mental illness, etc. FIND Select "FIND: Sources” to search for sources included in the database by specific criteria, including author, editor, title, publisher, year of publication, and subject term. Select “FIND: Authors” to search by specific criteria, including author (last name first name), year or place of birth, year or place of death, nationality, and race. SEARCH TEXTS Select one of the search options “Simple,” “Letters Only,” "Diaries Only," or “Advanced” to search for specific words or phrases within a text. Search results are documents, bibliographic citations, or a combination. SIMPLE Search Type in terms of choice in the text box; these terms can be limited by use of additional search text boxes for author, document type, year written, or additional subject terms from the controlled vocabularly provided. FULL TEXT SEARCHING will take the user to the SIMPLE Search screen. LETTERS, DIARIES, or ADVANCED Search Type in terms of choice in the text box; these terms can be limited by use of the additional search options for author (name, age, marital status, race, religion, occupation, etc.), year/month written, where written (geographic or setting), historic or personal event categories, or other additional subject terms, from the list of TERMS provided. The results list can be sorted by Line by Line Display, Author, Source, or Year.
	SHOWCASE features items of special interest from the collection. The original manuscript may be available as well as its transcription.
Search Tips	Characters to use in full-text searching: * (asterisk) use to retrieve word variants (truncation); for example, habit will retrieve habit, cohabit, and inhabit; cigar will retrieve cigar, cigars, cigarette . (period) use to retrieve words with variant single letters; for example, gentlem.n will retrieve gentleman or gentlemen \| (vertical line) use as the OR operator; for example, avarice\|greed (a blank space) use as the AND operator Other tips: hypenated words should be typed as two words words with apostrophes should be typed with the apostrophe; for example, God's
	Select the "TERMS" button at the end of search limits to see an alphabetical list of terms available for that limit, e.g., subject terms, author names, geographic placenames, historic or personal events.
Print	To print the results, select the "Print" icon from the browser bar. Use “Print Preview” to verify that only the pages wanted will be printed. Image full text can be printed only page by page; click on each page to retrieve a full-size image before printing.
	Select Help at any time during the search from the menubar at top, or take the offered "Guided Tour" to learn more about the database and how to search it.
Exit	Select "Home" on the Web browser.