BHCC Library Criminal Investigations Project

Although the World Wide Web is a powerful tool for connecting students to a wide variety of resources, it is not the only window of information. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the BHCC library holdings in place to support your coursework so you can make informed decisions about how you get your information for a range of course activity.

Consider what you need before you begin your assignment, which is to read three Sherlock Holmes short stories and create a case report based on one story of your choice.

To get started...

The BHCC library WWW page: http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/

To find a book, use the BHCC online catalog. You may search the catalog by AUTHOR or TITLE, as well as by SUBJECT or KEYWORD. The Keyword option allows you to combine your search terms. See what titles are listed when you use the AUTHOR search option for the name Arthur Conan Doyle. You will find that the BHCC Library does not have enough materials for the entire class to borrow, so consider doing your reading online. Because the copyright has expired on most of the author's works, those works are now in the "public domain", and can be freely reproduced by the general public. Visit the following site for a bibliography of works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which can be read online, on the Project Gutenberg website (click on the image below). The objective of Project Gutenberg is to reproduce and make available online, books that are in the public domain.

Specialized Databases:

InfoTrac http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mlin_b_bunkhcc. Look at both the Contemporary Authors database and the Biography Resource Center + The Complete Marquis Who's Who(r) database. Click on this off-campus link for access from anywhere. Again, you will be asked to enter your library barcode number and last name before you can get into the databases.

Some questions...

Ask yourself how you plan to note important details while reading the stories, and what information will you need in order to put together a thorough case report. The Claremont Graduate University Writing Center has a useful site you can visit for suggestions on how to take efficient summary notes. Take a look at the Council of International Investigators' website for some tips on writing an investigative report.

• Who are the major and minor characters and what role do they play in the story?
• Was there any significant event leading up to the crime that would be a possible motive for the crime?
• Are there any character traits described in the narration that helped Sherlock Holmes identify the possible suspects?

  For some help in determining whether Sherlock Holmes is using inductive vs. deductive reasoning, read up on the differences between the two... http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/itl/graphics/induc/ind-ded.html

  Familiarize yourself with crime scene search and examination techniques... http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/searchingandexamining.html

  Learn the differences between various surveillance techniques: http://howtoinvestigate.com/surveil.htm
  
  
  
  

  Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes Links

  The Arthur Conan Doyle Society: http://www.ash-tree.bc.ca/acdsocy.html

  The original Sherlock Holmes stories: http://www.sherlockian.net/canon/

  221 Baker Street -- This website provides a list of works in the "Canon", which is the set of 56 short stories and 4 novels written by Conan Doyle: http://221bakerstreet.org/
  

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  Last reviewed November 19, 2002Last updated February 01, 2007