Al Harris Library
Library Instruction for Historical Research
Frederic Murray
MLIS, University of British Columbia
BA, Political Science, University of Iowa
Instructional Services Librarian
frederic.murray@swosu.edu
Center for History & New Media
• Teaching &
Learning
• Providing free
access to primary
sources, building
high-quality online
teaching modules,
and offering
instruction on
critical thinking
skills.
“There are days when the result is so bad that no
fewer than five revisions are required. In contrast,
when I'm greatly inspired, only four revisions are
needed."
--John Kenneth Galbraith
WRITING
is essentially
REWRITING…
Boyer, Paul S., and Stephen
Nissenbaum. Salem Possessed; The
Social Origins of Witchcraft.
Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University
Press, 1974.
Today’s Class
• Research Strategies
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–
–
–
–
–
–
Process
Thesis
Boolean
Keyword
Limiters
Citation Tracking
Works Cited
• Resources
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–
–
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–
–
Catalogs
Bibliographies
Databases
Scholarly Journals
WWW
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Tertiary Sources
Exercise I: Research Puzzle
The Research Process
• GET A TOPIC
• DEVELOP YOUR SEARCH
STRATEGY
• SEARCH AND READ
• WRITE YOUR PAPER, SPEECH
PRESENTATION ETC.
• CITE YOUR SOURCES
Goal: write a paper that…
1. Asks a good historical question
2. Tells how its interpretation connects to
previous work by other historians,
and
3. Offers a well-organized and persuasive
thesis of its own.
Create a Thesis Statement
• Thesis Statements
• Think about
questions your
– Make an assertion
research might help
– Take a stand
you answer.
– Explain what
• State your topic as
you’re going to
a question first,
write about
then revise it to be
– Are narrow and
a statement.
specific
– Have one main
point
Offering a well-organized and
persuasive thesis
• Think of your thesis as answering a
question
• Have your thesis answer a "how" or
"why" question, rather than a "what"
question
• “what” leads to mere description
• “how” & “why” leads to critical analysis
Strong Thesis Statement
(Exercise II)
1. Is specific
2. Addresses a potential contradiction
and is arguable
3. Provides a logical way to structure the
argument
Boolean
• AND = Narrow
• OR = Expand
• NOT = Exclude
Searching for Primary Sources
KEYWORDS
-
Correspondence
Sources
Diaries
Interviews
“Literary collections”
“Personal narratives” “
“Pictorial works”
Posters
Songs/Music
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Treaties
Tell the
Catalog/Database
what you seek:
Specifically!
Keywords & Boolean
Civil War and Diaries
Civil War and Sources
Civil War and Correspondence
WORKS FOR CATALOG/DATABASES/WEB
Class Exercise III: Keywords
Civil War and History
Civil War and ?
Civil War and ?
Al Harris Catalog
• Remember* Catalog defaults to relevance search
• Remember* Use a Keyword search and Boolean
to help limit results
• Remember* Use Limiters to narrow your search.
• Remember* Use Subject links to focus on your
topic.
Ebooks: Accessible through
Library Catalog or Webpage
• Ebrary
• Net Library
• Two separate platforms ( think Xbox & PS3).
• Create Accounts: bookshelf, annotate,
highlight.
Open World Cat
• Meta search engine for online catalogs
of libraries all over the world. Search
for any book using a geographic
location for the closest sources.
• Over 9000 libraries combined.
• If you find it in WorldCat, and it's not
in our library, we can get it through
ILL.
• CREATE A USER ACCOUNT
Searching for Primary Sources
KEYWORDS
-
Correspondence
Sources
Diaries
Interviews
“Literary collections”
“Personal narratives”
“Pictorial works”
Posters
Songs/Music
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Treaties
Tell the
Catalog/Database
what you seek:
Specifically!
Keywords & Boolean
Civil War and Diaries
Civil War and Sources
Civil War and Correspondence
In Open WorldCat this is a Gold Mine!
Exercise IV: Catalog/WorldCat
Topic: Russian Revolution
Try to find a Primary Source
What types of sources will you
use for your research?
• Books/Bibliographies
• Journal Articles
• Primary Documents
– Print documents and manuscripts
– First person accounts in newspapers
– Online digital collections
• CITATIONS
Bibliographies, Indexes & Abstracts
• Bibliographies
– Annotated
– National
– Subject
Traditional Reference Tools
used to find sources.
• Indexes
– An open-end finding guide to the literature of an academic
field or discipline.
• Abstracts
– A brief, objective representation of the essential content of
a book, article, speech, report, dissertation.
Keywords & Boolean
“Civil War” and Bibliographies
“Civil War” and Indexes
“Civil War” and Abstracts
WORKS FOR CATALOG/DATABASES/WEB
Databases: Social Sciences
•
•
•
•
History Resource Center: United States
History Resource Center: World
New York Times, 1851–2004
JSTOR Journal Archive
Use Advanced Search: Boolean/
Keywords/Limiters
• Oklahoma Historical Society
• OSU Library Electronic Publishing Center
Limiters: Database Field
Headings
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Title
Author
Source
Date
Abstract
Full Text
Subject/Keyword
Databases can be
searched using any
combination of
the field headings.
Ebsco Demonstration
Citations
• We think of citation patterns as the
flow of information," says Carl
Bergstrom, a biologist at the University
of Washington. "That's what a citation
is — the trace that an idea flowed
from one place to another."
Tracking Citations begins by
finding the Journal
Tracking Citations
Rosenzweig, Roy. "Can History Be Open
Source? Wikipedia and the Future of
the Past." Journal of American History
93, no. 1 (June 2006): 117-146.
Education Research Complete,
EBSCOhost (accessed December 11,
2008).
The Citation Video
Exercise V & VI:
Periodical/Database
Topic: Soviet Labor Camps
Peer-Reviewed Articles
POPULAR MAGAZINES
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS
COME IN MANY FORMATS, BUT
USUALLY SOMEWHAT SLICK
AND ATTRACTIVE IN
APPEARANCE
RARELY CITE SOURCES. INFO. IS
USUALLY SECONDARY,
REPORTED FROM SOURCE
ARTICLES SHORT, WRITTEN IN
SIMPLE LANGUAGE AND FOR A
MINIMAL EDUCATION LEVEL
USUALLY LOT OF ADVERTISING
AND PICTURES
PAGINATION RESTARTS IN EVERY
ISSUE
HAVE A SOBER, SERIOUS LOOK
ALWAYS CITE THEIR SOURCES IN
FOOTNOTES/BIBLIOGRAPHIES
ARTICLES WRITTEN BY A
SCHOLAR OR RESEARCHER
“HORSE’S MOUTH”
PEER-REVIEWED BY SCHOLARS
LANGUAGE OF JOURNAL ASSUMES
SOME SCHOLARLY
BACKGROUND ON THE PART
OF READER
ADVERTISING IS SPECIALIZED TO
THAT DISCIPLINE
PAGINATION IS CUMULATIVE
Ulrichsweb: Ulrich’s Periodicals
Directory
• Global source for periodicals since 1932.
• Bibliographic database providing
authoritative information on serials published
throughout the world.
Exercise VII:
What Makes a Journal Scholarly
?
Primary Sources
• Primary sources are
original records
created at the time
historical events
occurred or well
after events in the
form of memoirs
and oral histories.
– Print documents and
manuscripts
– First person accounts
in newspapers
– Online digital
collections
National Archives &
Records Administration
PRIMARY
DEFINITIONS
TIMING OF PUBLICATION
CYCLE
FORMATS--depends on the
kind of analysis being
conducted.
EXAMPLE: Historian (studying
the Vietnam War)
SECONDARY
TERTIARY
Sources that contain raw,
original, non interpreted
and unevaluated
information.
Sources that digest,
analyze, evaluate and
interpret the information
contained within primary
sources. They tend to be
argumentative.
Sources that compile,
analyze, and digest
secondary sources. They
tend to be factual.
Primary sources tend to
come first in the
publication cycle.
Secondary sources tend to
come second in the
publication cycle.
Often newspapers, weekly
and monthly-produced
magazines; letters, diaries.
Often scholarly periodicals
and books. (Professors like
these.)
Often reference books.
Newspaper articles, weekly
news magazines, monthly
magazines, diaries,
correspondence, diplomatic
records.
Articles in scholarly
journals analyzing the war,
possibly footnoting primary
documents; books
analyzing the war.
Historical Dictionary of
Vietnam ; The Vietnam
War, An Almanac
Tertiary sources tend to
come last in the publication
cycle.
Works Cited Page
• TWO PARTS
• Primary
• Secondary
• Be sure to divide your sources into
primary and secondary.
Finding Primary Sources: WWW
•
•
Library of Congress
An outstanding and invaluable site for American history
and general studies. Contains primary and secondary
documents, exhibits, map collections, prints and
photographs, sound recordings, and motion pictures.
The LOC's American Memory Historical Collections, a
must-see, contain the bulk of digitalized materials, but
the Exhibitions Gallery is enticing and informative as
well.
National Archives and Records Administration
The NARA offers federal archives, exhibits, classroom
resources, census records, Hot Topics, and more. The
Online Exhibit Hall has features on the New Deal, WWII,
and photographs from 1864 to 1921.
Finding Primary Sources: WWW
• American Memory: Historical Collections
for the National Digital Library
• Avalon Project: Documents in Law,
History and Diplomacy
• Making of America: 19th c. books and
magazines
Finding Primary Sources on the
Web II
• The Internet History Sourcebooks
– The Internet History Sourcebooks are
collections of public domain and copypermitted historical texts. The Sourcebooks
include an Ancient History Sourcebook, a
Medieval Sourcebook, and a Modern
History Sourcebook, as well as assorted
other Sourcebooks on topics such as
Women's history, Islamic history, and East
Asian history.
Oklahoma History and Culture
•
Chronicles of Oklahoma
•
Eastern Oklahoma County Regional History Center
•
Oklahoma Crossroads
–
–
–
The first 40 volumes of the Oklahoma Historical Society's journal, digitized by
Oklahoma State University.
This project of Rose State College was established to preserve the unique history of
the communities of Eastern Oklahoma County, including Tinker Air Force Base, and
to promote the understanding of the importance of the region to the State of
Oklahoma, the southwestern region of states, and the United States. Collections
include oral histories and historic photographs of Tinker Air Force Base.
Oklahoma Crossroads: Documents and Images consists of selected digital collections
of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries spanning more than 100 years of rich,
vibrant history. These collections include documents, photographs, newspapers,
reports, pamphlets, posters, maps, and an author database ranging in date from the
late 1800s to present.
•
Western History Digital Collections
•
OSU Library Electronic Publishing Center
–
The Western History Collection is a special collection within the University of
Oklahoma Libraries system. Its purpose is to enhance the University Libraries general
collection on the history of the American West; to support the research and teaching
programs of the University of Oklahoma; and to provide opportunities for research
through the acquisition, preservation, and access of materials relating to the
development of the Trans-Mississippi West and Native American cultures.
Searching for Primary Sources
KEYWORDS
-
Correspondence
Sources
Diaries
Interviews
“Literary collections”
“Personal narratives”
“Pictorial works”
Posters
Songs/Music
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Treaties
Tell the Webpage
what you seek:
Specifically!
Google Scholar
• Google Scholar provides a simple way
to broadly search for scholarly
literature. Search across many
disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed
papers, theses, books, abstracts and
articles, from academic publishers,
professional societies, preprint
repositories, universities and other
scholarly organizations.
Google Scholar
• Works best for citations
• Restrictions to Content
– Fee-based
– Often your Library already owns material
– We’re working on improving access
Wikipedia
Wiki:
A Web application that allows users to add
content to a collaborative hypertext Web resource
(coauthoring), as in an Internet forum, and permits
others to edit that content (open editing).
Wikipedia
•
•
•
•
Jimmy Wales January 15, 2001
No Original Research
NPOV (Neutral point of view)
No owners, multiple anonymous
authors
• Anyone with Internet access can create
or edit an entry…Anyone
Wikipedia
• Participation maps popular, not academic
concerns
• It is a working community…but is it a good
historical resource?
• Lack of Critical Analysis
• Problematic as a sole source of information
• Like all encyclopedias…ok to start, terrible
place to stop.
• Benefits are to its active participants, not its
readers.
• Anyone can edit a page…..Anyone
wikirage
• A site listing pages in Wikipedia which
are receiving the most edits per unique
editor over various periods of time.
• Wikipedia is a disruptive tertiary
information source.
PRIMARY
DEFINITIONS
TIMING OF PUBLICATION
CYCLE
FORMATS--depends on the
kind of analysis being
conducted.
EXAMPLE: Historian (studying
the Vietnam War)
SECONDARY
TERTIARY
Sources that contain raw,
original, non interpreted
and unevaluated
information.
Sources that digest,
analyze, evaluate and
interpret the information
contained within primary
sources. They tend to be
argumentative.
Sources that compile,
analyze, and digest
secondary sources. They
tend to be factual.
Primary sources tend to
come first in the
publication cycle.
Secondary sources tend to
come second in the
publication cycle.
Often newspapers, weekly
and monthly-produced
magazines; letters, diaries.
Often scholarly periodicals
and books. (Professors like
these.)
Often reference books.
Newspaper articles, weekly
news magazines, monthly
magazines, diaries,
correspondence, diplomatic
records.
Articles in scholarly
journals analyzing the war,
possibly footnoting primary
documents; books
analyzing the war.
Historical Dictionary of
Vietnam ; The Vietnam
War, An Almanac
Tertiary sources tend to
come last in the publication
cycle.
KEY Elements for Your Paper
• Works Cited Page
• Divide into Primary/Secondary !
• NO ENCYCLOPEDIAS !
• 20% of your grade is based on
critiquing your fellow classmates
KEY Elements for Your Paper
• Stress analysis: Do not simply parrot your
sources i.e. “radical leaders” “Marxist
Professors.”
• Who says they are radical? Marxist?
• Watch your assumptions.
• Do your own analysis.
KEY Elements for Your Paper
• And finally……
• Professor Bromert hates “felt.”
• Example: President Kennedy felt he had no
choice but to invade Cuba.
• How can anyone know what the President
felt & who cares anyway.
Writing Your Paper
• Writing Center
– Located in the basement of the library
– Call for appointment #774-7083
• Turabian Style
– Style Sheets
– Turabian Handbook at Reference &
Circulation Desk
Questions?
• Contact me:
• Frederic Murray
• 774-7113
• frederic.murray@swosu.edu
• http://faculty.swosu.edu/frederic.murray/
•
•
•
•
•
•
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
I: Research Puzzle
II: Thesis
III: Class - Keywords
IV: Catalog/WorldCat
V & VI: Periodical/Database
VII: Scholarly Tutorial