Background research is an important step for your research. Background research helps you find important people, important places, important events, and important dates that are related to the topic you are researching. It also allows you to get an overview of the topic so you can see where your research would fit in the big picture.
These are some of the print sources that the library has available for background research. This isn't an exhaustive list, but an example of some of the sources that are available.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life by 
Great Events from History: the 17Th Century (2 Vol Set)
The 18th Century, 1701-1800 by These are electronic resources that you can access to find background information on a variety of topics.
