Title Text
HIST 2P75
Library Workshop
Me, your librarian
Finding and evaluating information
John Dingle
Help with....
Refining a research topic
Managing and citing sources
- 2000-2500 words
-
8+ sources
- Book, journal article, primary source
- Be judicious in the use of web resources
Research Paper
- Library search tools
- Search strategy and techniques
- Primary sources
- Evaluating and navigating web resources
- Managing your sources
Today:
Library Search Tools
Broadest search
Filters to narrow results
1. Find the book Colonial Botany: Science, Commerce, and Politics in the Early Modern World. Is it available? How would you get it?
2. What is the name of a peer-reviewed journal article written by Steven Shapin in the last five years? What journal was it published in?
Learn more about Omni
Interactive Tutorial
Search Tips
Subject-specific search engines
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Journal articles
Books
Book chapters
Dissertations
Conferences
Coverage: all time periods
Limited to:
2 simultaneous users
Other Databases
-
Historical Abstracts
- world history
-
America: History and Life
- history of North America
-
JSTOR
- multidisciplinary
-
Early English Books Online (EEBO)
- digitized printed works from 1473 - 1700
-
ARTStor
- digitized images
Search Strategy
1. Search techniques and keywords
2. Finding related items with subject headings
Activity
Go to JSTOR (hint: it's a "database")
With a partner, compare the results of each pair of searches.
Which returns more results? Can you explain the difference?
1. middle ages VS "middle ages"
2. islam VS islam*
3. indigenous OR native VS indigenous AND native
Techniques
- Use quotation marks for phrase searches: “early modern”
-
Use truncation for variant word endings: arab* retrieves arab, arabs, arabic, arabian
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Use OR for synonyms: indigenous OR native
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Use AND to combine two different concepts: slaves AND missionaries
Subject Headings
Subject headings are a powerful way to find related items
Primary sources
- Published collections
- Primary source databases
Primary sources
Add one of the following terms to your search in Omni. They work best when you add them to a "subject" box:
- personal narratives
- sources ***
- diaries
- letters
- correspondence
- interviews
Primary sources
Primary Source Databases
Digitized copies of English-language print books from Britain, Ireland, and North America 1473-1700
Title Text
HIST 2P75
Library Tutorial
Digitized copies of English-language print books from Britain, Ireland, and North America 1473-1700
- 146,000 works
- 17 million pages
- 70 years to scan and produce metadata
- All full-text searchable and scanned images
How to:
- Navigate the interface
- Find specific works
- Search across the entire collection and within works
Early English Books Online
- 146,000 titles
- 17 million pages
- 70 years to scan and produce metadata
- All full-text searchable and scanned images
Activity
Go to EEBO
Find this book: Edward Topsell, The history of four-footed beasts and serpents…
Find an animal mentioned in Topsell
Find another book which mentions the same animal published AFTER Topsell's book
EEBO - learn more
Break
Please be back in 10 minutes
Evaluating Websites
Purpose
Why does this resource exist?
Authority
Who wrote/produced/published it?
Currency
How current is it?
Evidence
Are the author’s claims supported by evidence?
Based on York University SPARK handout: yorku.ca/spark/books_journals_more/PARCA%20Test_Final.pdf
Evaluating Websites - samples
Activity
Download the website evaluation activity here:
bit.ly/2Sd9POj
Complete individually, then compare with a partner. Discuss any differences in your analysis.
Navigating Websites
- Look for navigation cues - edges of screen
- Search on large pages - CTRL-F, Command-F
- Be flexible
- Use the browser URL, especially for older sites
Activity
Follow the instructions for your group here:
1 - bit.ly/2RqQzsk
2 - bit.ly/2RTwvnl
3 - bit.ly/2CL0zac
Be prepared to demonstrate your process in front of the class.
Managing your sources
Zotero
- Add sources as you find them
- Store, organize, take notes on them
- Generate and format citations in Chicago style
Research Guide
Research Help
Thank you!
Questions?