Research and Writing Skills Spring 2003
Library Exercise
Link to the BU library's website at http://www.bloomu.edu/campus/library.shtml
This exercise will take you several hours. If you do it carefully, you will learn some useful lessons about using our library for research. You will also learn to write down necessary bibliographic information on all of your sources (primary and secondary)--this is something of critical importance that can save you a lot of time and help you avoid headaches!
First, let me remind you of the difference between "secondary sources" and "primary sources." The term "primary source" almost always means a historical document, such as a document found in an archive, a memoir, an autobiography, a diary, etc.--these are the bits of evidence that people in the past have left behind, which historians use to reconstruct and interpret the past.
The term "secondary source" almost always means something that a researcher has written about the past; the researcher uses the primary sources to put together an interpretation. What the researcher then writes--whether it is a book or an article or a dissertation-- is called a "secondary source."
PART A: SECONDARY SOURCES
1) Use our library's on-line databases to find journal articles about crime during the 1917 Russian Revolution, Jews during the 1917 Russian Revolution, Liberals in the 1917 Russian Revolution, workers or strikes in the 1917 Russian Revolution, religion or church during the 1917 Russian Revolution, US diplomacy toward Russia during the 1917 Revolution, or on any related topic.
Note that you probably will need to use more than one database or search-method to do this, and that you are going to have to experiment with search terms and parameters!
The articles must be published after the year 1976 and before the year 2002. They must be secondary sources and more than 10 pages long. You must not include book reviews or reviews of recent literature.
FIRST: select one of the articles from your search results and write down the following bibliographic information:
the full name of the author(s)
the full title of the article
the full title of the journal
the volume number, issue number and date of the journal in which the article appeared
the page numbers on which the article appeared.
SECOND: select an article on this topic that is available in a journal that we have in our library collection. Locate the actual journal in the "stacks," locate the volume and issue in which the article appears, and photocopy the first page of the article. Then write all of the above requested bibliographic information on your photocopy.
THIRD: select an article on this topic that is available in a full text digital format through one of our library's databases. Print out the first page of the article and make sure that all of the above requested bibliographic information is written on your print-out.
FOURTH: select an article on this topic that is not available in our library's collection and is not available in full-text digital format. Completely fill out an inter-library loan request form to order the article. FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT, TURN IT IN TO ME AND NOT TO THE LIBRARIAN!
2) Using WorldCat and/or other databases, search for secondary source books that are either entirely about or have an entire chapter entirely about one of the following topics: peasants in the Russian Revolution (1917-1921); Liberals in the Russian Revolution (1917-1921); workers, workers' organizations, or strikes in the Russian Revolution (1917-1921); The Bolshevik Party during the 1917 Russian Revolution; any political party during the 1917 Russian Revolution; women during the 1917 Russian Revolution; religion and church in the 1917 Russian Revolution; Lenin's political thought in 1917; Stalin's role in the 1917 Russian Revolution. The books you are searching for must be secondary sources--either monographs (exhaustive research studies on one specific question or topic) or collections of research essays.
FIRST: select one book from your search results and write down the following bibliographic information:
the name(s) of author(s) and/or editor(s)
the complete title of book (including any subtitle)
if you have chosen a collection of essays, the full name of the author of the specific essay for which you searched
if you have chosen a collection of essays, the full title of the specific essay for which you searched
if the book is a translation, the translator's full name
if the book has more than one volume, the volume number
if the book is part of a "series," the complete title of the series and the names of the series editors
the place of publication (city and also state/country if necessary)
the full name of the publishing company (eg, University of Illinois Press)
the year of publication
the number of pages in the book
if you have chosen a collection of essays, the page numbers of the essay for which you searched.
SECOND: select a book on this topic that meets the above criteria and that is available in our own library. Find the book in the stacks and photocopy its title page. Write down the library call number and all of the above requested bibliographic information.
THIRD: select a book on this topic that meets the above criteria and that is not available in our own library. Completely fill out an inter-library loan request form for this book. FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT, TURN IT IN TO ME AND NOT TO THE LIBRARIAN!
3) Using "Historical Abstracts," "Articles First," or one of our library's other data bases, search for book reviews about one of the following books:
Rex A. Wade, The Russian Revolution, 1917 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000)
Jonathan I. Israel, European Jewry in the Age of Mercantilism, 1550-1750, 3rd ed. (London, 1998).
David Vital, A People Apart: The Jews in Europe, 1789-1939 (New York, 2001).
Albert Lindemann, Esau's Tears: Modern Anti-Semitism and the Rise of the Jews (New York, 2001)
Bernard Wasserstein, Vanishing Diaspora: The Jews of Europe since 1945 (Cambridge, MA, 1996)
FIRST: select a book review that is available in full text digital format through our library's data bases. Print the first page of the full text version of that review. Write down all of the following bibliographic information:
the reviewer's full name
the title of the review (if it has a title)
the full name of the author, the complete title, and publication information of the book being reviewed
the title of the journal in which the review was published
the volume number, issue number, date, and page numbers on which the review appeared
SECOND: select a book reviews that is available in a journal in the "stacks" of our library. Locate the review and photocopy its first page. Write down all of the above requested bibliographic information.
THIRD: select a book review that is neither available in full text digital format nor in our library's collection. Complete an inter-library loan request form for that review. FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT, TURN IT IN TO ME AND NOT TO THE LIBRARIAN!
PART B: PRIMARY SOURCES
4) Using our library's data bases, search for primary source books that meet one of the following descriptions:
A memoir, diary, or autobiography about a person's experience during the 1917 Russian Revolution or the Russian Civil War
A collection of documents about the 1917 Russian Revolution or the Russian Civil War
A collection of documents on US, or British, or German foreign relations with Russia during the 1917 Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War
FIRST: select one of books from your search results and write down the following bibliographic information:
the name(s) of author(s) and/or editor(s)
the complete title of book
if the book is a translation, be sure to write down the translator's full name
if the book has more than one volume, be sure to write down the volume number
if the book is part of a "series" be sure to write down the complete title of the series and the names of the series editors
the place of publication (city and also state/country if necessary)
the full name of the publishing company (eg, University of Illinois Press)
the year of publication
the number of pages in the book.
SECOND: select a primary source that meets the above criteria that is in our library's collection. Locate the book in the stacks and photocopy the title page. Write down the library call number and all of the above requested bibliographic information.
THIRD: select a primary source that meets the above criteria but is not available in our own library. Completely fill out an inter-library loan request form for this book. FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT, TURN IT IN TO ME AND NOT TO THE LIBRARIAN!
5) Using our library's on-line catalog and/or other finding aids, locate one of the following:
Any article in the New York Times from 1962 on the Cuban Missile Crisis
Any article from the New York Times from 1948 on the Berlin crisis
Any article from the New York Times from 1983 on the crisis over the shooting down of KAL Flight 007.
Find the microfilm of the article in our library. Make a photocopy of the article's first page (using one of the microfilm copiers). Write down the following:
the library "call number" and reel number of that specific reel of microfilm
the name of the author (if indicated)
the article's title
the title of the newspaper
the day, month, and year of the issue in which this article appeared
if that day of the newspaper is divided into sections, write down the section number in which the article appeared
the page number or numbers for the pages on which the article appeared
6) Locate one of the following research collections in our library:
The Southern Tenant Farmers' Union Papers
The Right Wing Collection of the University of Iowa Libraries
The Minutes and Documents of the Cabinet Meetings of President Eisenhower or President Johnson
FIRST: locate the microfilm for the collection that you selected and write down the following:
the complete title of the microform collection and its call number in our library
all information that you can find about the location of the original collection (where the original papers are kept, how many volumes or files exist, etc.)
all information you can find about the microform edition of the collection (who edited it, what company published it, where was it published, when was it published, and how many reels of microfilm or cards of microfiche are in the collection).
SECOND: browse the collection's "index" and select any single document that interests you. Locate that specific document in the collection. Photocopy of the first page of that document (using one of the microfilm copiers) and write down the following:
the number of the specific reel (or card) on which the document appears
the full name of the author (if indicated) of the document you picked
the full title (if indicated) of the document you picked
if the document is part of a publication--for instance, if it is a newspaper newspaper article--then include the relevant bibliographic information
the date on which the document you picked was written (if indicated)
the page numbers (if indicated) of the document
the length of the document (e.g., 5 pp)
7) Using the "Google" search engine, find a website that has documents on President Truman's decision to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan.
FIRST: write down the full title and the URL of the website.
SECOND: at the website, select a specific document. Write down the full title and URL of that specific document. Print the first page of the document and write down any specific bibliographic information that you can determine about the document.
8) Visit to the website of the PA State Archive (Pennsylvania State Archives). Search for information about archival records on the topic of coal mining; look in particular for records on safety in the mines or on miner's labor organizations.
Select a record group (a specific collection of records in the archives) on one of these topics. Print out the specific pages that contain "bibliographic information" (the archive's description of the collection, file numbers, etc.) on this collection. Make sure that you copy the following information:
the name of the archive
the complete title of the specific collection you have selected
the file or index number of the collection (the Record Group number, etc)
the "size" of the collection--how many file boxes or folders? What years does it cover? (etc.)
any more specific indexing information that you can find (Is the collection sub-divided by location? By years? etc).
any other specific information that would help you find documents in this collection (Is the material is only available on microfilm?)
9) Visit the website of the US National Archives (US National Archives). Search for information about archival records on the German Army during World War Two; look in particular for records on the German occupation of territory in the Soviet Union, on war crimes committed by German military personnel, or on US military intelligence reports about the Germany army.
Select a record group (a specific collection of records in the archives) on one of these topics. Print out the specific pages that contain "bibliographic information" (the archive's description of the collection, file numbers, etc.) on this collection. Make sure that you copy the following information:
the name of the archive
the complete title of the specific collection you have selected
the complete file or index number of the collection (the Record Group number, etc)
the "size" of the collection--how many file boxes or folders? What years does it cover? (etc.)
any more specific indexing information that you can find (Is the collection sub-divided by location? By years? etc).
any other specific information that would help you find documents in this collection (Is the material is only available on microfilm?)
10) Organize all of your photocopies and printouts in order by question number. Double check that you have included all required information and that it is legible. Either bind the material for each individual question together with paper clips or put each in its own file folder. Be sure that your name is printed clearly on the top/cover page!