HST259 Instructional Session
When using the Barber Library site (and conducting research in general), it's important to have a strategy. Let's start off with a question....
You just received a research assignment.....
You were assigned an 7-10 page term paper that requires scholarly sources. What do you do:
- Where do you start searching?
- What type of materials are you finding? How do you determine what you'll use and what you'll ignore?
- How do you determine if a source meets the definition of "scholarly" that your instructor expects? How do you define "scholarly"
Primary Sources
A primary source is any original source of information created by people who lived at the time and place under study. What are some examples of primary sources you might be able to find for this assignment?
To help get you started, I've collected a few links to websites that provide primary sources:
To help get you started, I've collected a few links to websites that provide primary sources:
- Americas Archive --Rice University's special collection of materials from Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America from the beginning of colonization to the present.
- Latin Americanist Research Resources Project (LARRP) --Consortium of research libraries seeking to increase open access to information in support of learning and scholarship in Latin American Studies.
- Early Images of Latin America --Tulane University's archive of over 1800 images from the mid-19th century to c. 1910.
- Latin American Revolutionaries --Digital Public Library of America primary source set.
- Research Guide for Latin American Studies --Johns Hopkins University library guide to primary sources.
Basic Library Search Resources
Let's look at the Barber Library webpage to find additional resources:
Some suggestions on where to get started:
- For books: the Barber Library catalog available on the homepage
- For journal articles: History Reference Center, Academic Search Premier and JSTOR available from the alphabetical list of resources on the Articles & More page
- To get started with reference sources: Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture via Gale Virtual Reference Library available from the Encyclopedias & More page
Library Search Strategies
Protip: Think of a library database like Netflix or Hulu (which both happen to also be databases!) You should avoid combining more than four concepts in one search so that you don't get too specific and narrow your results to 0. For example: I want to watch cooking shows? I would only search for the following: cooking
Protip: You should avoid combining more than four concepts in one search so that you don't get too specific and narrow your results to 0. For example: What factors led to the Mexican American War? My keywords might include the following: Mexican American War, Polk, Thornton Affair.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like benefits, pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
But how do you combine those concepts in a library database? Use advanced search techniques, of course!
Boolean operators: Limit your results using AND, expand your results using OR, eliminate unnecessary results using NOT
Protip: make sure to use all caps when using Boolean operators.
example: (Polk OR "Thornton Affair") AND "Mexican American War" NOT Lincoln
Phrase Searching: If you want your keywords to appear in a specific order, like a phrase, try using quotation marks ""
example: "Thornton Affair"
Title Searches: Too many results? Using the drop-down menu next to the search bar, limit your search keywords to only appearing in article titles.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like benefits, pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
But how do you combine those concepts in a library database? Use advanced search techniques, of course!
Boolean operators: Limit your results using AND, expand your results using OR, eliminate unnecessary results using NOT
Protip: make sure to use all caps when using Boolean operators.
example: (Polk OR "Thornton Affair") AND "Mexican American War" NOT Lincoln
Phrase Searching: If you want your keywords to appear in a specific order, like a phrase, try using quotation marks ""
example: "Thornton Affair"
Title Searches: Too many results? Using the drop-down menu next to the search bar, limit your search keywords to only appearing in article titles.
Using Library resources you can filter your search even further, evaluate the author and--oh yeah--you can even create a fully-formed citation!
Too much? Ask for help!
I know that there's a lot of information here, and you might still have questions, even after this session. That's what librarians are for! You can always contact me, but there are also several other options for you to contact any Barber Library librarian.
Just look for this icon or go directly to Help page and you'll be connected to someone who can help you come up with keywords, cite your sources, choose databases, and help with your general library needs! |