The databases below are great places to obtain background information on a topic, as the information comes from sources such a dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference books. Keep in mind that, depending on the nurse leader you're looking for, you may not find information on them in every database. If you search for them in one and get zero results, move on the the next database and try again.
A comprehensive collection of subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks. Also included are short reference videos and high-resolution images. Useful background information source.
Some nurse leaders contributed professional literature to the field which can be found in many of our health science databases. This is particularly the case for contemporary leaders.
There are many ways to access their research, but a good strategy is to search a database like the ones below specifically by author name. By default, the database will search for their name within titles, abstracts, or even within the references of an article. This generates a lot of 'false positives', or results that aren't actually what you want to find. Limiting your search only to the author field will reduce the number of false positives.
Sometimes nurse leaders wrote articles of their own that appeared in newspapers or magazines. However, it's more likely that there were articles written about your nurse leader during the time that they were alive and practicing. These are considered primary sources. When looking for articles, narrow the search results to the time when your leader was alive to see what's available.
Tips: Any website can be changed without notice, so be sure to evaluate every site you use. For help evaluating websites, see our evaluating websites page or read Berkeley's very thorough Evaluating Websites: Techniques to Apply.
American Factfinder - http://factfinder.census.gov/
Access historical census data.
American Memory http://memory.loc.gov/ammem
A growing collection of primary resources collected by the Library of Congress.
Google Book Search - http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search
Use the advanced search and limit your search to the years that you are researching.
Google News Archive - http://news.google.com/archivesearch
Contains some digitized historical newspapers. Important note: Do not pay for any articles! If you need an article that is unavailable and you cannot find it through the library's databases, please contact a librarian.
New York Public Library - Digital Gallery- http://digitalgallery.nypl.org
rovides free and open access to over 700,000 images digitized from the The New York Public Library's vast collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, photographs and more.