New York State Library

September 11th: Selected Information Resources at the New York State Library

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are among the most discussed topics in the nation's history. Scores of books, newspaper and magazine articles, government documents, Internet web sites, and other resources have focused on the events of that day and their aftermath. The State Library, one of New York's leading cultural institutions, has a special role in acquiring and preserving much of this material. Below is a sampling of items relating to September 11th already available at the Library. Other materials will be added to the collections as they are published. Many of these items may be borrowed on interlibrary loan through your local library or onsite with a NYS Registered Borrowers card. For additional information, please see the online catalog located on the Library's homepage (http://www.nysl.nysed.gov) or contact the Library's reference staff at (518) 474-5355.

1. Books. Among the books relating to September 11th in the State Library are:
• Berry, F. Clifton. United States Army at war : 9/11 through Iraq , featuring the photography of Dennis Steele. (Naval Institute Press, 2003)
• Brunn, Stanley D. 11 September and its aftermath : the geopolitics of terror (Frank Cass, 2004).
• Chomsky, Noam. 9-11. (Seven Stories Press, 2001)
• Crotty, William. The politics of terror : the U.S. response to 9/11 (Northeastern University Press, 2004)
• Dudziak, Mary L., editor. September 11 in history : a watershed moment? (Duke University Press, 2003)
• Griffin, David Ray. The new Pearl Harbor : disturbing questions about the Bush administration and 9/11 (Olive Branch Press, 2004)
• Halberstam, David. Firehouse. (Hyperion, 2002)
• Halliday, Fred. Two Hours That Shook the World. (Saqi, 2002)
• Hoge, James F. and Gideon Rose, editors. How Did This Happen?:Terrorism and the New War.
  (Public Affairs, 2001)
• Life Magazine Staff. One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001. Introduction by
  Rudolph W. Giuliani. (Little, Brown and Co., 2001)
• Magnum Photographers. New York September 11. (PowerHouse Books, 2001)
• Posner, Gerald L. Why America slept : the failure to prevent 9/11 (Random House, 2003)
• Reeve, Simon. The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama Bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism.
  (Northeastern University Press, 1999)
• Reuters. September 11: A Testimony. (Prentice Hall, 2002)
• Smith, Dennis. Report from Ground Zero: The Story of the Rescue Efforts at the World Trade Center.
  (Viking, 2002)
• Sorkin, Michael and Sharon Zukin, editors. After the World Trade Center: Rethinking New York City.
  (Routledge, 2002)
• Talbott, Strobe and Nayan Chanda. The Age of Terror: America and the World after September 11.
  (Basic Books, 2001)
2. Government Documents. The State Library is the official depository for documents published by New York State government. The Library also serves as a depository for U.S Government documents. Examples of these materials that relate to September 11th include:
• Bush, George W. Our Mission and Our Moment: Speeches since the Attacks of September 11. (The White House, 2001)
• New York State Assembly. Public Hearing on Building the New Lower Manhattan after the Attacks of September 11… (December 10, 2001)
• New York State Assembly. Standing Committee on Insurance. Continuing insurance issues post September 11 : [public hearing] 2004.
• Office of the New York State Comptroller. After the World Trade Center Attack: Fiscal Uncertainties Facing the State and Local Governments. (October 2001)
• Rockefeller Institute of Government, State University of New York, c2004. The role of "home" in homeland security : the role of first responders : the challenge for state and local government.(2004)
• United States Department of Defense. Quadrennial Defense Review Report. Forward by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. (September 30, 2001)
3. Newspaper and Journal Articles. The September 11th attacks prompted unprecedented coverage in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, in popular magazines such as Time and Newsweek, and in scholarly journals such as Foreign Affairs. The State Library makes available to the public a comprehensive collection of New York State and national newspapers as well as hundreds of popular and scholarly journal titles.
   
   
4. Texts in Electronic Format. The State Library's collections include a growing number of books (E-books), documents (E-texts), and newspaper and journal articles (E-journals) in electronic format. E-texts are available directly from the Library's online catalog. E-books and E-journals are available to on-site Library users and to registered borrowers. Contact the Library's reference staff for more information on how to access electronic texts. Many of these books, documents, and journals may also be available at the Library in hard copy. Examples of materials in electronic format relating to September 11th include:
   
• The 9/11 Commission report : final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2004. E-text.
• Berberoglu, Berch. Turmoil in the Middle East: Imperialism, War and Political Instability. (State University of New York Press, 1999) E-book.
• Civil rights implications of post-September 11 law enforcement practices in New York (United States Commission on Civil Rights. New York State Advisory Committee, 2004) E-text.
• Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Those Responsible for the Recent Attacks Launched Against the United States. (Senate Joint Resolution 23/House Joint Resolution 64, September 18, 2001) E-text.
• New York City, three months after : pictorial essays developed during three days in December 2001 capture the city's, and the nation's, indomitable spirit. (United States. Dept. of State. Office of International Information Programs, 2004) E-text
• Transcript of Osama Bin Laden Video Tape (U.S. Department of Defense, 2001) E-text.
• World Trade Center Building Performance Study (U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency,
  May 2002) E-text.
  
  
5. Special Collections. The State Library's Manuscripts and Special Collections Unit accepts donations of personal letters, journals, photographs, posters, pamphlets, special publications and other items that provide unique perspectives on September 11th and its continuing repercussions. These materials will be preserved in a September 11th 2001 Collection and made available in the Unit's research room on the third floor of the Cultural Education Center. For more information, contact the Manuscripts and Special Collections Unit at 518-474-6282.
   
   
6. Internet Resources. Responses to the events of September 11th have challenged even the enormous information carrying capabilities of the Internet. By using any popular search engine (such as www.google.com) one can locate hundreds if not thousands of information sites relating to September 11th. As with all Internet resources, the quality and usefulness of these sites vary greatly. Noteworthy Internet sites include:
   
• The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. September 11, 2001: Attack on America.
  (www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/sept_11/sept_11.htm) makes available thousands of documents from government agencies and others, issued from September 11, 2001 onward.
• September 11th Web Archive (http://web.archive.org/collections/sep11.html) is coordinated by the Library of Congress and contains a massive collection of Internet links gathered around the world from individuals, governments, organizations, and news agencies.
• Teaching 9-11 (www.teaching9-11.org), sponsored by Dickinson College, provides hundreds of useful Internet links relating to September 11th for teachers and others.

(9/11/02) Reference Services

Last modified on September 8, 20042/dvm
Last reviewed on September 7, 2004/mw
URL: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/sept11.htm