Research Guides: Creative Writing: Inspiration

Library databases for inspiration

EBSCO Discovery Service
Find images, encyclopedic information, and scholarship on a wide ranges of subject matter.

These databases offer a broad look at any number of topics, and for an extra creative spark, they have audio/visual content! For the full list of databases, click here.

ARTSTOR This link opens in a new window
The Artstor Digital Library is an image database featuring an unparalleled range of images from some of the world's leading museums, photo archives, scholars, and artists in one easily-navigated repository. It is the most comprehensive image resource available for educational and scholarly use, with many rare and important collections available nowhere else. All images are accompanied by comprehensive metadata and are rights-cleared for educational use.
Tutorial: http://support.artstor.org/
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress
Newspaper Source (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Newspaper Source provides cover-to-cover full text for hundreds of national (U.S.), international and regional newspapers. In addition, it provides complete television and radio news transcripts from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR and more.
New York Public Library (NYPL) Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
Explore over 700,000 items digitized from The New York Public Library's collections. New materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.

Online Resources

McSweeney's
Description from their website: "McSweeney’s is a publishing company based in San Francisco.
As well as operating a daily humor website, we also publish Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, the Believer, and an ever-growing selection of books under various imprints."
Writer's Guide to Government Information
From the website: "The aim of this site is to point you to government information resources that will help you add realistic details to the stories you write."