The use of source documents offers learners of all ages a direct glimpse into the past. But without context, these sources can confuse as often as illuminate. SIRS® Decades places these resources into a relevant framework for understanding that enriches both the content and students' experiences with the material. SIRS Decades features approximately 5,000 hand-selected primary and secondary source articles highlighting key events, movements, people, and places in 20th-century America.

SIRS Decades coverage includes documents, letters and memos, editorial cartoons, streaming video, websites, photographs, maps, advertisements, and published articles—some available from the ProQuest microfilm vault for the first time in digital format. Titles include: Atlantic Monthly, Billboard, Current Opinion, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Harper’s, Library of Congress, McClure’s Magazine, Musical America, National Archives and Records Administration, North American Review, Records of War Relocation Authority, Science, Scientific American, Scribner’s Magazine, and Woman Citizen.

SIRS® editorial staff carefully selects material based on its relevancy to the topic, range of viewpoints, authoritativeness, readability, and extent of coverage to ensure that users receive best-of content.

The compilation of these often hard-to-find resources into one integrated source lets students spend more time using content, not finding it. The colorful, user-friendly interface makes it easy to locate information. Users can browse by decade, topic, or timeline, or they can use keyword, subject, and advanced search features to develop targeted queries.

Each decade features an overview essay, spotlighted images, and list of related topics. By selecting a topic, students can access specific primary and secondary sources associated with the topic and further background essays that place the sources into context. All documents include a summary, which provides brief contextual information and description of the source.

In addition, Document-based questions (DBQs) and So What? callouts for every topic help students work with the sources and better understand the modern implications of historical events.

With SIRS Decades, your students can:

• Access nearly 5,000 relevant primary and secondary source documents related to key topics in 20th-century American history.
• Save time by exploring thousands of key sources in one integrated, user-friendly resource.
• Understand original source material in the context of events, people, and influences of the times.
• Use editorial cartoons, advertisements, posters, and images to understand how historical events affected politics, popular culture, and the media.
• Compare and contrast viewpoints and biases across multiple sources relevant to a topic.
• Find resources that support additional coursework in the arts, literature, and sciences.
• Incorporate multimedia information such as photos and websites to enrich projects and research.
• Use decade, topic, or timeline search to locate materials easily by typical textbook and coursework scope and sequence.
• Navigate an easy-to-use interface that engages and motivates learners.