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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 had a special role in acquiring and preserving much of this material. Below is a sampling of items relating to September 11th available at the Library. Other materials may be added to the collections as they are published.

For additional information, please see the online catalog or contact the Library's reference staff at 518-474-5355.

Books

  • 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)

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)

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.

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, indomitablespirit. (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.

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 eleventh floor of the Cultural Education Center. For more information, contact the Manuscripts and Special Collections Unit at 518-474-6282.

  • Robert Strachan. World Trade Center Art Collection Photograph Album, 2001-2002. This collection contains 117 photographs of the World Trade Center public artwork, most taken before September 11, 2001. Each collection of images of a particular work includes a description of the work, the artist, the artwork's location, and the artwork's post-9/11 fate. Finding aid to the Robert Strachan collection.

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 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:

(9/11/02) Reference Services

Last Updated: February 7, 2024