Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.
Ray Bradbury
"Old letter" by Umbrella Shot is licensed by CC BY 2.0
The library has many reference books that could be consulted for historical research. Use the library's catalog to find references useful to your topic.
Here are a few print reference materials that could provide general background information on your topic:
New Dictionary of American History by 
Dictionary of National Biography
Encyclopedia of American History by 
An Encyclopedia of World History by 
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences by 