Databases

EEBO contains page images of almost every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1470-1700.  From the first book printed in English through to the ages of Spenser, Shakespeare and of the English Civil War, EEBO's content draws on authoritative and respected short-title catalogues of the period and features a substantial number of text transcriptions. 

The Text Creation Partnership, which provides highly searchable versions of the texts, made the first 25,000 works freely available in 2015.  This interface, at the University of Michigan, allows proximity and boolean searching within the available works, but does not search the full EEBO database.  

Provides access to works printed in Europe before 1701, bringing together a diverse array of printed sources, regardless of language, as well as works published further afield. Full-color, high-resolution facsimile images of some of the world's most significant collections of early printed books in Europe are included. McMaster has access to Collection 3, 5, 6, 10 and 12 of Early European Books.

For over 170 years, The Economist has published timely reporting, concise commentary and comprehensive analysis of global news every week. It covers the world's political, business, scientific, technological and cultural developments and the connections between them. Included in the archive are full-colour images, covers, advertisements, multiple search indexes, and the facility to browse each and every issue from 1843 to 2020.

The most current issues of The Economist are available in print and online via several databases. 

Brings together rare journals printed between c1680 and 1816, illuminating all aspects of eighteenth-century social, political and literary life. Many are ephemeral, lasting only for a handful of issues, others run for several years. Topics covered are extremely wide-ranging and include: the writings of Sir Isaac Newton; the French Revolution; reviews of literature and fashion throughout Europe; political debates; and coffee house gossip and discussion.

Covers the political, policy, business and economic outlook for nearly 200 countries and 26 sectors across six major industries, focusing on dynamics that could impact an organization.

A multi-disciplinary database that provides access to current and archived news, business and company information worldwide. The database contains content from more than 30,000 sources from 200 countries in 32 languages.

Search or browse issues (full page and article images in PDF) of the Financial Times. The archive covers the complete run of the London edition of this internationally known daily business newspaper, from its first issue in 1888 through 2021. Every article, advertisement, and market listing is included—shown both individually and in the context of the full page and issue of the day.

The most current issues of the Financial Times are available in print and online via several databases (with most current month embargoed).

Provides country risk, industry and competitive intelligence for almost 200 countries. 

A database of almost 80 encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.

Includes coverage of 180 issues, topics, and events from the late 1890s to the present that are key to understanding today’s world including border and migration, atrocities and human rights violations, peacekeeping, climate change, terrorism, revolutions, and human trafficking. Specific events explored include the U.S. and Mexico Border, the Rwandan Genocide, the Arab Spring, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and climate migrants in Asia Pacific.

The U.S. GPO (Government Printing Office) Monthly Catalog of Publications consists of references to 507,000+ publications that deal with all subjects of interest to the U.S. government. Covers all types of U.S. government publications, including: Congressional reports, hearings, debates and records.

Originally published as Istoriia Velikoi Otechestvennoi Voiny Sovetskogo Soiuza (История Великой Отечественной войны Советского Союза) 1941-1945, published in Moscow in 1960 in six volumes by the USSR Ministry of Defense. This work was translated by the U.S. Army Center of Military History and the Foreign Technology Division, Air Force Systems Command. The complete official Soviet history of World War II, a monumental work of over 9,000 pages, this collection provides Western scholars with an opportunity to study what is considered one of the most significant historical documents produced in the Soviet Union. In addition to its importance in the war's historiography, this work is a valuable exposition of the development of a widely influential military doctrine.

The Guardian (1821-2003) and its sister newspaper, The Observer (1791-2003) provide facts, firsthand accounts, and opinions of the day about the most significant political, business, sports, literary, and entertainment events from the past two centuries.

The most current issues of The Gluardian are available online (plain-text) via  Factiva, Nexis Uni and other databases 

The most current issues of The Observer are available online (plain-text) via  Factiva, Nexis Uni and other databases

HeinOnline: Government, Politics and Law for Canada is a fully-searchable, image-based government document and legal research database with a focus on the Canadian context.

Indexes and abstracts journal articles, books and dissertations. Covers the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life). Over 2,300 academic historical journals from every major country, and selective coverage of hundreds of journals in the social sciences and humanities that are of interest to researchers and students of history.

Includes primary source, cross-searchable, full-text/full-image documents on some of the most widely studied topics in American history.

HCPP provides a vital historical record of Britain, its former Colonies and the wider world, providing detailed primary sources for the history of the past two centuries.  The database includes House of Commons parliamentary papers from 1803 onwards, Hansard (Commons and Lords), Diplomatic and Consular Reports (1887-1916), and more.

Provides comparative documentation, analysis, and interpretation of major human rights violations and atrocity crimes worldwide from 1900 to 2010. The collection includes primary and secondary materials across multiple media formats and content types for each selected event, including Armenia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Darfur, and more than thirty additional subjects.

The IMF provides open access to four key statistical databases -  International Financial Statistics (IFS), Balance of Payments Statistics (BPS), Government Finance Statistics (GFS) and Direction of Trade Statistics (DOT) - plus a selection of other datasets and free reports.

This primary source database chronicles human migration in the latter half of the 20th-century. News and analysis comes from reports gathered daily between the early 1940s and 1996 by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, a U.S. government organization that became part of the CIA.  These include translated and English-language radio and television broadcasts (transcripts), newspapers, periodicals and government documents.

Covers social science and interdisciplinary research; includes nearly two million bibliographic references to journal articles, books, reviews and selected chapters dating back to 1951. It is unique in its broad coverage of international material and incorporates over 100 languages and countries. Over 2,700 journals are regularly indexed and some 7,000 books included each year. Abstracts are provided for half of all current journal articles and full text availability is continually increasing.

Abstracts of articles in the field of political science published in journals (and yearbooks) all over the world. The scope of the discipline is that of the major political science journals.

JSTOR provides access to a digital archive of journals in the areas of Arts, Business, Economics, and Sciences. JSTOR includes the entire runs of these journals, from the very first issue to the volumes published a few years ago. With a small number of exceptions - the "Current Scholarship" titles - JSTOR is a backfile collection and excludes the most recent issues (as part of the terms of the agreement with the journal publishers).

JSTOR Sustainability is a collection of academic and policy research on environmental stresses and their impact on society. This thematic database includes 115 journals and over 5,400 research reports from more than 30 international policy institutes.

McMaster's subscription to  Kanopy provides online access to over 7,000 documentary films from a range of major producers, including PBS, California Newsreel, Kino Lober, Documentary Educational Resources, and many more.  Videos can be integrated with Avenue to Learn and accessed remotely by students.  The majority of the videos are closed captioned, and clip-making is allowed.  Transcripts are also available by clicking on the 'More' tab.

Full screen mode and playback speeds can be adjusted upon clicking the "Play" button of the video.

To access additional features such as creating a Clip/Playlist, Adding comments or sharing via social media, a personal login  (eg. Google) is recommended.

Further information is available at the Kanopy Help page

Full page and article images with searchable full text back to 1944 of this French language newspaper from France covering leading issues and events, like World War II and the Fifth Republic, to French, European and international politics, society and business.

ProQuest Leftist Newspapers and periodicals is a collection of English-language publications spanning beyond the 20th century (1845-2015) covering Communist, Socialist and Marxist thought, theory and practice. Issues covered include workers’ rights, organized labor, labor strikes, Nazi atrocities, McCarthyism’s rise after WWII, Civil Rights, and modern-day class struggles which give rise to renewed interest in alternative social organizations. This collection includes 145 titles with over 150,000 digitized pages.

Archival runs of 26 of the most influential, longest-running serial publications covering LGBT interests. Includes the pre-eminent US and UK titles – The Advocate and Gay Times, respectively. Chronicles more than six decades of the history and culture of the LGBT community. In addition to LGBT/gender/sexuality studies, this material also serves related disciplines such as sociology, political science, psychology, health, and the arts.Subject coverage includes gay rights, gay culture, gay literature/art, gay rights movement, gender identity, gender studies, lesbianism, LGBT activism, LGBT studies, social history and transgender community.

Includes materials ranging from texts, letters, periodicals, speeches, interviews, and ephemera covering LGBT political, social and cultural movements to memoirs, biographies, poetry, and works of fiction that provide insight into the lives of lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual individuals and the community. Content partners include the Kinsey Institute Archive and Library, Windy City Media Group, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archive, and notable LGBT publishers Alyson Books, Cleis Press, and Firebrand Books as well as mainstream trade and university publishers.