Doing Research

Workshop for HIST 50:
Healing in the Black Atlantic

Simon Elichko (they/them)

Social Sciences & Data Librarian

Getting a book from the library

1. Take the paper with your book title and call number
2. Scan the QR code to open the tutorial on finding a book in McCabe
3. Use the call number to find your book on the shelf
4. Take your book and bring it back to LibLab

When you exit LibLab, the stairs are to your left. The elevator is to your right.

source: McMaster University Library

Library Book Basics

Example call number:
HQ1163 .H55 2022

H: Social Sciences

Tutorial: How to find a book in McCabe

1. Go to Tripod: swarthmore.edu/libraries

2. Search for your book's title to find its record in Tripod.     

• Choose the result for the book itself, not a book review
• If you see multiple matching titles, choose the physical / paper copy

3. Explore the subjects used to describe your book.

• Scroll down to Details section. Find the section labeled Subject.
• Click on a subject tag. What do you find (if anything)?  (e.g. African Americans -- Medical care)
• What happens if you remove the last term (or terms) from a multi-part subject?
  • e.g. Health and race -- Southern States -- History --> Health and race
• What happens if you change the subject search from "contains exact phrase" to "contains"?
  • e.g.  Subject contains exact phrase African Americans -- Diseases -- History -- 20th century
    -->  Subject contains African Americans -- Diseases -- History -- 20th century
     
• Try using Filters like Region and Subject to explore your Tripod results

Some books in Tripod are available to read online.

You can borrow physical books from the TriCo libraries. Generally you can keep them for the semester.

If you login to Tripod, you'll see the option: Request Physical Copy.

The book will be brought to the library front desk for you, usually the next day. Works for Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford books.

1. Go to Worldcat.org

2. Search for your book in Worldcat. (example)

3. Look for the Subjects under "Show more information"

4. Click around and see what you find.

Worldcat is similar to Tripod, but it lets you search for books owned by libraries across the world.

What if you see a book you'd like to read?

First, check to make sure it's not in Tripod.

If it's not in Tripod, follow the link for Borrow Beyond TriCo.

The fastest way to request a book is through EZBorrow.

TriCo
Login to Tripod to request delivery (arrives 1-2 days)

E-Z Borrow
Borrow from academic libraries in PA, NJ  (arrives in ~1 week)

Worldcat &
Interlibrary Loan

Borrow books, journals, microfilm, DVDs, etc. from all over the world. (arrives in 1-3 weeks)

   Penn      Drexel     Temple     NYU      Rutgers

  Swat          Haverford      Bryn Mawr

 Oxford       Columbia      University of Amsterdam

Harvard       Stanford     Museum of Natural History

You can access materials from TriCo libraries and beyond

You can also request PDFs of articles & book chapters not owned in the TriCo.

Finding history books:
key questions to ask

• Who?  Who is this book about?
  Who wrote it? (Are they a historian?)
   
• When?  What time period does it focus on?
  When was it written?
   
• What?  What aspects of the topic are emphasized?
  What kind of sources did the author use?

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Useful tools for finding
secondary sources:

Library catalogs

• Tripod   (books available from the TriCo Libraries)
• Worldcat  (books available from libraries in the US and beyond)

History-focused databases

• America History & Life   (journal articles about US history)
• Historical Abstracts   (journal articles about history beyond the US)
   

General academic databases

• JSTOR
• Project Muse

You can get links to databases and other resources for this class on the HIST 50 Research Guide.

Find a link to Research Guides in Tripod 
or on the Swarthmore Libaries site.
 

In Research Guides, search for the class (e.g. Healing Black Atlantic)

From the HIST 50 Research Guide,
go to the page Find Journal Articles.

Then from the Find Journal Articles page,

go to the database America, History and Life.

To access the database, click the yellow S.

History-focused databases
Use these to find journal articles and book reviews

• America History & Life (US)
• Historical Abstracts (world)

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From the HIST 50 Research Guide,
go to the page Find Primary Sources.

Then from the Find Primary Sources page,
look in the box 19th Century.

Click on the link for African American Newspapers, 1825-1998.

In the database, search for a word related to your topic, or try searching for hospital.

Primary sources at Swarthmore

Archives & Manuscripts

Come to the library to view the materials

Digital Collections

Think "JSTOR" - the materials are digitized & online.

Make an appointment

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Research help & advice:

• Make an appointment with Simon
• Or email them with questions, or to set up a time to talk: selichk1@swarthmore.edu
• Look over the Research Guide

More ways to get help:

• Use Tripod Chat to get help with quick questions
• Contact subject librarians, or email librarian@swarthmore.edu and your question will reach the right person.

Develop your research skills
& get support with your projects

Meet with Simon

Schedule at bit.ly/selichk1

Email them at selichk1@swarthmore.edu

(including if you need an alternative meeting time)

Use the chat in Tripod to get help from librarians and Research & Information Associates (RIAs).

You can email librarian@swarthmore.edu.