EXDS 2001 / GGHS 3531 -- Honors Historical Geography
Professor Traci Welch Moritz
Public Services Librarian
Goals for the day
•Digging into historical research•Creating a search strategy•Using library resources•Evaluating internet resources •Pulling it all together
How to remember all this stuff
What should I do first?
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
Definitions depend on the department and subject matter being studied
“In the humanities, a primary resource could be defined as something that was created either during the time period being studied or afterward by individuals reflecting on their involvement in the events of the time.”
Primary Sources: Definitions. Lafayette College Libraries & Academic Information Resources. <
http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~library/guides/primarysources/definitions.html> Accessed August 8, 2013
http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/history/resources/pubs/usingprimarysources
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
• Reading and evaluating can be difficult
• Opportunity to come into contact with the past
• Enables histories to experience the past recreate it
Thanks to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Primary sources = raw data = history’
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
Evaluating primary sources:
1. Identifying type• Formal treatise • Contemporary formal treatise • Public Record• Private Letters and Journals• Literary source• Nonverbal sources• Oral history
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
1. Is the source genuine?
2. What is the date of origin?
3. Who is the author?
4. Who is the audience?
Questions to ask yourself when reviewing a document
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
Suggestions for reading a primary source
• Read through the entire document quickly to set a sense of the whole source. Does it show bias? Is the bias yours or the source?
• Read the document a second time carefully noting authorship, time period, intended purpose and probably impact on the intended audience.
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
Identify the following:• Time and place• Author• Audience• Personalities and roles of all people mentioned• Meaning and purpose• Content (colloquial terminology, language of the day,
phrases and phrasing)• Allusions• Assumptions and/or bias
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
Additional questions to ask yourself
1. Do the contents seem reasonable?2. Are there other primary documents for collaboration or
are there contradictions?3. Place the document in the larger historical context. Do
secondary resources fit with your interpretation?
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
As you are following the steps above, be sure to note anything you need to come back to and look these up in reliable reference works.
As you are following the steps above, be sure to note anything you need to come back to and look these up in reliable reference works.
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
•“Tertiary sources provide overviews of topics by synthesizing information gathered from other resources. Tertiary resources often provide data in a convenient form or provide information with context by which to interpret it.” ~ Virginia Tech Libraries, Accessed 08/14/2013
• Encyclopedias• Dictionaries• Handbooks
Oxford Reference
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources
Secondary Sources analyze or interpret an historical event or artistic work.
Secondary sources often base their theories and arguments on the direct evidence found in primary sources.
A secondary work for a subject is one that discusses the subject but is written after the time contemporary with it.
What about the Web?
• Greater access to primary source materials than ever before
• Documents, letters, maps, photographs of ancient artifacts and other primary material are available online in different formats from free websites
• With the proliferation of electronic resources from a wide variety of web site producers, evaluation is more important than ever before
Currency * The timeliness of the information.
Relevance/Coverage *The depth and importance of the information.
Authority *The source of the information.
Accuracy *The reliability of the information.
Purpose/Objectivity *The possible bias present in the information.
*The CRAAP acronym and descriptions are from Meriam Library at California State University Chico. Used with permission.
Evaluating found information
Google and Wikipedia
Aren’t evil
Can prove valuable
Can’t be used as a source
Turn to the databases for source materials
From the University of Wisconsin Library, worksheet for evaluating web sites
ONU buysFull-textdatabase
OhioLINKPermits
Google tolink to full-text
Google asksto link tocontent
ONU user sees licensed full-textarticles
Run GoogleSearch
Google Scholar
See “Google Scholar” tab at Research guide for information about off-campus access
Google Scholar
SEARCH
What is included?
POLAR
Article-level searching for all EBSCO databases
Article-level searching for a variety of other databases: JSTOR, Hoover’s, AccessPharmacy, etc.
Title-level searching for most other databases: IEEE, CIAO, Proquest Nursing & Allied Health
OhioLink central catalog
Results: Full Text, Polar
Results: OhioLink
Results: Find It @ ONU
Results: ILL
Facets: Limit Your Results
Things to Remember
Facets are your Friend: After you search, limit your results to what you really want
A tool not a solution: This is not the solution to everything
Ask the librarians for help
There will still be some small changes coming
Finding books
POLAR
OhioLINK
What do I do next?
Oh no!! There
are so many,
and they are so
big!!!
Books - Shortcuts
Hold on, I’ve got an idea!
Books - Shortcuts
Subject Headings
Databases
•Often tools for locating journal and newspaper articles•Most are subject-specific, some multi-disciplinary•Many give access to full text of articles•Heterick has 200+•Available from Heterick home page
Finding Databases
Things to remember
121 Research Consultationswith the
Librarians of Heterick Memorial Library
Need a little extra help with your research?Finding plenty of resources, but not exactly what you are looking for?
Has it been suggested by instructor to meet with a librarian?
· An in-depth research consultation with the librarian of your choice is available by appointment.
· Sessions may run for 30-60 minutes and are designed to assist students with finding and evaluating resources
· Schedule an appointment by visiting
http://libguides.onu.edu/aecontent.php?pid=199190&sid=2118629