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Local History Scavenger Hunt

The following is meant to be used as support material related to a library instruction session conducted by a library instructor and an instructor from a BHCC department.

Do you have a library card? You will need one to check out books from the BHCC library. Your student ID is your library card -- it must have a 14 digit barcode on the back.

When you come to the library there are some basic things you need to know so that you are putting our research tools to work effectively for you. Many of you may already be familiar with the research methods and techniques that you will be using, but now you will be using them to help you accomplish a specific research goal.

You'll need to find a combination of books, journals articles, newspapers articles, and reliable Internet sources to complete the scavenger hunt. To find these sources, you will need to use the BHCC Library online catalog as well as online periodical databases such as EBSCOhost and InfoTrac Web.

The BHCC Library home page at http://www.noblenet.org/bhcc/ provides a single place where you can go to get access to the library catalog, online databases, and information about the library itself. You just need a PC with an Internet connection and a Web browser.


USING THE ONLINE CATALOG

The BHCC Library online catalog is the most efficient way to find a book in the BHCC library. If you take some time to master it, your task will be much easier when you need to stop in and borrow a book. Remember, the online catalog can be searched from any PC connected to the Internet with a Web browser.

If you take a look at the online catalog, you'll see that there are many ways to search for a book: author, title, subject, keyword, and more. To start, try the keyword search, which is the broadest possible search. SUbject, author, and title searches are more specific. Before you enter your search, read the screen. There are always useful tips that will save you search time. To see an example of how to do a search in the catalog, you can go to the Web page entitled How to use the online catalog

Your end goal should always be the book's call number, which is like the book's address and tells you where to find the book in the library. This BHCC Library web page on Finding a Book in the Library is a good place to start for more detailed information on how call numbers work.


USING ONLINE DATABASES TO LOCATE JOURNAL AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

The Library currently subscribes to over 200 different periodicals and over 40 online databases, many of which provide periodical articles on virtually any subject you can name. To help you sort through this vast amount of information and find what you need, we will be focusing first on one ready-reference encyclopedia database called xrefer. Next we'll look at a broad-based, multidisciplinary periodical databases called InfoTrac Web. For a full list of all the databases we have to offer, take a look at our databases page.

  • XREFER

    When you're looking for a collection of hard facts or introductory definitions, xrefer is one of the best places to start. It serves as a ready-reference resource, meaning that it focuses on brief, factual information about a topic.

  • INFOTRAC WEB

    Infotrac Web is a gateway which provides access to seven full-text databases on subjects ranging from literature and literary criticism to business and technology research. You will usually want to begin your research in the Subject Guide within a database entitled Expanded Academic ASAP.


    • USING THE WORLD WIDE WEB TO FIND RELIABLE INFORMATION

    Anyone can put in information on the Internet. Unfortunately, not all of this information is reliable. It is very important to make sure that your sources are credible. It is your responsiblility to critically analyze the information you find. Check out a great resource for Evaluating Websites from the Cornell University Library. Four criteria to keep in mind while considering websites are:

    • Accuracy- Are there spelling errors or incorrect data? Is the information too generalized?
    • Authority- Who is the author? What are their credentials? Can they be contacted?
    • Currency- When was the material written? Are the links live? Has the site been updated?
    • Objectivity- Is more than one view presented? What is the goal of this site?


    CITING YOUR INFORMATION SOURCES

    The format you will use for citation is known as the MLA format; to assist you in compiling your list of sources, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, REF LB 2369. G53 1999. This volume is very detailed and even covers citation formats for the different electronic resources you will be using. For a good treatment of the same material available on the World Wide Web, check out the Duke University Libraries' Guide to citing sources.

    When quoting information sources, it's important to recognize whether you're summarizing, quoting, or paraphrasing. See the following Hints for Summarizing, Quoting and Paraphrasing from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

    DIRECTORY SITES AND SEARCH ENGINES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

    The following are some reliable directory sites where librarians often start Web research. Remember, though, usually when doing Web research your concern will not be the quantity of sites you get back, but the quality.

    And these are some of the most frequently used search engines ...


    SELECTED LOCAL HISTORY / BUNKER HILL RESOURCES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

    Here are a few sites to look at for local information regarding Boston, Charlestown and Bunker Hill.


    PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY RESOURCES

    The distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary resources can be somewhat fuzzy. In addition, each field of study may place differing importance on each type of resource.

    In the study of human history, primary resources are often considered one of the most important ways researchers can find immediate and original information on historical events. Historical documents like diaries and interviews give us a direct look, without interpretation, at what was going on in the minds of people involved in historic events.

    For more information on the differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, see this Web file posted by St. Thomas University. This Web page on Finding Primary Sources can help you think about possible ways to locate relevant primary sources.

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    Last reviewed November 7, 2006
    Last updated November 7, 2006