HIST 300: Source Evaluation

1. HIST 300: Source Evaluation Tami Smith Langsdale Library 410-837-4274 langref@ubalt.edu AIM: UBLangsdale

2. Review • Why is it important to develop a focused research topic? • Why do we need to use alternative keywords in our searches? • How do we use ANDs and ORs correctly in a search? • Name three differences between a journal and a magazine. • If you need research help, what should you do?

3. Objectives After last session, you should be able to: • Generate a search strategy with keywords • Identify 1-2 subject-specific databases and locate 4-5 journal citations on your topic

4. Objectives (con’t) At the end of today’s session, you will be able to: • Find journal articles and books in Langsdale, determine the location of articles and books in other nearby libraries or order the item through ILL • Use a set of criteria to evaluate sources online or in print. • Write a basic book and article citation in the Chicago/Turabian style

5. Library Catalog

6. Subject headings Subject Headings World War, 1939-1945 -- Propaganda. Propaganda -- History.

7. Subject headings Call Numbers • Library of Congress Classification System • Each series of letters assigned broad subject area; more specified topics assigned to specific series of numbers.

8. Subject headings Call Numbers • Subclass D • D1-2009 History (General) • D410-(475) 20th century • D461-(475) Eastern question • D501-680 World War I (1914-1918) • D720-728 Period between World Wars (1919-1939) • D731-838 World War II (1939-1945) • D839-860 Post-war history (1945-) • D880-888 Developing countries • D890-893 Eastern Hemisphere • D900-2009 Europe (General) • D901-980 Description and travel • D1050-2009 History

9. Subject headings Call Numbers Subclass E E11-143 America E151-889 United States E780 Internal history during World War I E784-805 1919-1933. Harding-Coolidge-Hoover era. "The twenties" E785-786 Harding's administration, 1921-August 2, 1923 E791-796 Coolidge's administration, August 2, 1923-1929 E801-805 Hoover's administration, 1919-1933 E806-812 Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administrations, 1933-April 12, 1945 E813-816 Truman's administrations, April 12, 1945-1953 E835-837.7 Eisenhower's administrations, 1953-1961

10. Subject headings Call Numbers • Subclass F • F1-975 United States local history • F106 Atlantic coast. Middle Atlantic States • F116-130 New York • F131-145 New Jersey • F146-160 Pennsylvania • F161-175 Delaware • F176-190 Maryland • F191-205 District of Columbia. Washington

11. Subject headings Call Numbers • HM1231 .C85 2003 • HMRead the first part in alphabetical order:A, B, BF, C, D, DB, DQ, … H, HA, HD, HM… • 1231Read the second part as a whole number:1, 2, 3, 45, 66, 100, 101, 800, 1000, 1200, 2000... • .C85The third part is a combination of a letter and numbers. Read the letter alphabetically. Read the number as a decimal, e.g.: .C8 = .800 .C85 = .850 .C857 = .857

12. Subject headings Call Numbers – Shelf Order

13. Types of Sources Primary Source:original accounts or records of historical events • Newspaper, magazine and journal articles • Diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters • Memoirs and autobiographies • Government records • Photographs, documentaries, sound recordings • Survey Research

14. Types of Sources Secondary Source:materials that are written later and/or provide historical analysis • Textbooks • Encyclopedias and dictionaries • Biographies • Books • Newspaper, magazine and journal articles

15. Types of Sources In a nutshell… • Primary Sources: What happened? • Secondary Sources: How/Why did it happen?

16. Evaluating Sources Why? • Find the best information for your needs • The more authoritative the source, the stronger your argument • Anyone can publish anything (especially on the web)

17. Evaluating Sources • Find the best information for your needs • The more authoritative the source, the stronger your argument • Anyone can publish anything (especially on the web)

18. Evaluating Sources The Five W’s of Evaluation • Who are the authors and what are their credentials (expertise)? • When was the information published or written? • Where did they get the information? • Why is this information being shared?

19. Evaluating Web Sources Types of Web Domains .com = Commercial/Business (promotional) .edu = Educational (research or personal) .gov = U.S. Government (factual) .mil = U.S. Military (factual) .net = Network Provider (business and personal) .org = U.S. Non-Profit Organizations (advocacy)

20. Evaluating Web Sources Exercise: Web Evaluation • Complete the worksheet • Brief discussion

21. Evaluating Sources Find out more about a source • Reviews (newspapers, journals, magazines, etc.) • Search Engine/Directory (Google, Yahoo… SuperPages) • Books

22. Evaluating Sources • http://langsdale.ubalt.edu/howto/tutorials/evaluate_web/index.htm • http://skylinecollege.net/library/evaluate.html • http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

23. Review • For what can you search in the library catalog? • How can you obtain a book from another USM library? • How are UB’s books and journals organized?

24. Review (cont.) • What are primary sources? • Why is it important to evaluate your sources? • How can you find out more about a source?

25. Evaluation http://langsdale.ubalt.edu/workshops/HIST300/evaluation.htm

26. Questions? For more information: Tami Smith tsmith@ubalt.edu Langsdale langref@ubalt.edu Reference Desk: 410-837-4274 AIM: UBLangsdale