HIST 101: Research Seminar- Ballenger

Guide to writing history papers

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:34:30 -0700

Proxy server

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:57:07 -0800

To use library databases from off campus you have to set up the proxy server: this changes your browser settings.

Different browsers [Firefox, Chrome, Safari...] have different instructions- they are all here.
You can set it up on multiple devices
You log in with your CalNet ID
There's an alternative: the VPN

Using call numbers to find books

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:46:00 -0700

Books and journals are arranged on our shelves according to the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. Each is assigned a unique call number based on its subject matter and other characteristics. Items on the same subject will often be grouped together.

In using a call number to locate a book on the shelf, consider each element in turn before moving on to the next segment.

These call numbers are arranged as they should appear on the shelves. In each case, the element shown in boldface distinguishes the number from the preceding one:

Q
76
K26

QA
17
F75

QA
17.1
C98

TK
3
Z37

TK
29
M49

TK
29
M5
1997

TK
29
M5
2007

Each call number consists of several elements. For example::

TK
7881.6
M29
1993

The FIRST line, TK, is based on the broad subject of the book. Within Class T for technology, TK represents electrical engineering.

The SECOND line, 7881.6, defines the subject matter more finely. When looking for the book, read this as a whole number with a decimal component. In this example, TK7881.6 represents magnetic recording (a subdivision of TK— electrical engineering).

The THIRD line, M29, usually indicates author, but may also represent a further subject subdivision, geographic area, etc. There may also be a fourth line, formatted the same way. When looking for the book, read the numeric component as if it were preceded by a decimal point. In the example above, the numeric part of M29 should be read as ".29" (and the call number TK7881.6 M29 comes before TK7881.6 M4).

The YEAR of publication, such as 1993, may also be present. These file in chronological order and often indicate successive editions of a book. The call number may also have additional elements, such as volume numbers.

Where's the PDF?

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:50:59 -0700

Many article databases contain information about articles (citations or abstracts), not the entire text of the article. Once you've used an article database to find articles on your topic, you may need to use this button: in order to locate and read the full text of the article. The UC-eLinks button appears in nearly all the databases available from the UCB Library website.

UC-eLinks will link you to the online full text of an article if UCB has paid for online access; otherwise, UC-eLinks will help you locate a print copy on the shelf in the library. If UCB doesn't own the article in print or online format, UC-eLinks can also help you order a copy from another library.

For more information, watch this video tutorial (about 4 min.)

You can also set up UC-eLinks to work with Google Scholar. For more information, watch this 40-second demo.

Searching OskiCat for Primary Sources

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:44:36 -0800

Certain words and phrases [part of the Library of Congress Subject Headings thesaurus] will find primary sources in library catalogs. Note them down; they are your friends:

-correspondence
-sources
-diaries
-personal narratives
-interviews
-speeches
-documents
-archives
-early works to 1800
-newspapers

Examples:

puerto rican* interviews
african american soldiers personal narratives
irish american* newspapers

Finding Primary Sources overview

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:57:06 -0700

Primary sources can be found in a variety of library tools:

Catalogs: OskiCat and Melvyl
Online book and text collections
Primary Source databases provided by the Library
Vetted sites on the web:

For specific search strategies, see the Library's Guide to Finding Historical Primary Source s

Primary Source Searching - Names

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:38:33 -0800

One of the most powerful ways to find primary sources in the Library is to use the names of people. An essential part of your background reading should be to note down names of people involved in your topics.

Names can be searched in the catalogs [Oskicat and Melvyl] in specialized ways: as authors or as subjects. Even people you do not consider authors in the conventional sense may be listed as authors, if:

their correspondence is available
their manuscripts are available
interviews with them are available
their diaries are available
published versions of these are available

When searching for primary sources, it's a good idea always to search those names as authors, as well as keywords. Works where the person is listed as an author will always be primary sources.

Finding Other Databases

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:09:17 -0700

Search an article database to find citations (title, author, title of journal, date, page numbers) for articles on a particular topic. The Library gives you access to over 200 article databases covering different disciplines.

1. Think about which academic disciplines might write about your topic. Examples: literature, film, anthropology, history...

2. Find the appropriate article database by subject (academic discipline or department). Look for "Recommended" databases.

Library home > Articles > Article Databases by Subject

3. You may need databases that cover diffferent types of materials - historical or ethnic newspapers, congressional information, primary sources, etc:

Library home > Electronic Resources > Electronic Resources, Types A-Z >

History databases

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:38:44 -0700

Three important databases for research in History.

Where's the PDF?

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:50:59 -0700

For more information, watch this video tutorial (about 4 min.)

You can also set up UC-eLinks to work with Google Scholar. For more information, watch this 40-second demo.

Other ways to get help

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:59:26 -0700

Other ways to get help: in person, by e-mail, using specialized chat services

What is This? Reading Citations...

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:25:48 -0800

Finding a citation in a bibliography (online or in print) is a great way to find more resources on your topic.

However, you have to be able to read the citation in order to find the item in the UCB Library.

The most common citations are for books, articles, and book chapters. Can you tell which citation below is for a book? For a chapter? For an article?

Orbe, Mark P. "Representations of Race in Reality TV: Watch and Discuss." Critical Studies in Media Communication 25.4 (2008): 345-352.

Winters, Loretta I., and Herman L. DeBose. New Faces in a Changing America: Multiracial Identity in the 21st Century. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc., 2003.

Fine, Michelle, and Adrienne Asch. “Disability Beyond Stigma: Social Interaction, Discrimination, and Activism.” The Culture and Psychology reader. Eds. Goldberger, Nancy Rule; Veroff, Jody Bennet New York: New York University Press. 1995. 536-558

Citation Management Tools

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:29:14 -0700

Citation management tools help you manage your research, collect and cite sources, and create bibliographies in a variety of citation styles. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, but any are easier than doing it by hand!

Zotero: A free plug-in that works exclusively with the Firefox browser: keeps copies of what you find on the web, permits tagging, notation, full text searching of your library of resources, works with Word, and has a free web backup service.
RefWorks - free for UC Berkeley users. It allows you to create your own database by importing references and using them for footnotes and bibliographies. Use the RefWorks New User Form to sign up.

It's always good to double check the formatting -- sometimes the software doesn't get it quite right.

Google Scholar UC-eLinks access

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:43:06 -0800

Accessing full-text content from off campus using Google Scholar

Step 1: Set up your proxy server access by following the directions at http://proxy.lib.berkeley.edu/. When you get to a point where you are accessing resources that the Library pays for, you will be prompted for your CalNet ID and password. For more help see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/tutorials/proxy.html

Step 2: Change your “Scholar Preferences.” Access these by clicking on the link next to the search box.

Step 3: In search box next to "Library Links," type in University of California Berkeley and click on “Find Library”

Step 4: Check box next to "University of California Berkeley - UC-eLinks

Step 5: Click on "Save Preferences" at bottom of page

Google Research Tools

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:33:26 -0700

Google Scholar is an easy way to do interdisciplinary research, and with some settings changes can become even more useful. You need a Google account to use these features.

Make Google display links to full text of articles that your library subscribes to:

Open Scholar. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner, and choose 'scholar preferences'. In the new window, scroll down to 'Library Links', type the name of your campus. Choose the name of your campus as well as "Open Worldcat Search".

Set up a Google Scholar Alert to be automatically notified when new articles are added to Google on topics of interest:

Do your search in Google Scholar. Look in the green toolbar for the envelope icon, and click it. New items will be sent to your email account as they are found by Google.

Ever wanted to trace an article’s impact? Google now permits searching within citing articles.

Do a Google Scholar search. Click on the "Cited by" link under a citation and select the "Search within articles citing..." checkbox.