Finding Materials

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Begin at the beginning," the King said, gravely,
and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Your topic has been approved, and the moment of truth has arrived. Where do you begin? Do you immediately devour the first book you find with a title which appears relevant-- only to find out that it is considered complete trash by your advisor? Let's consider alternate beginnings:

Locate and browse a few KEY WORKS.

Find a few key works on your subject by asking your advisor, a librarian, or another knowledgeable person. A key work may be a recent analysis, classic study, or a primary source on your topic.

Check the BIBLIOGRAPHIES, FOOTNOTES, and INDEXES of the KEY WORKS.

Once you begin finding and reading important works on your subject, the bibliographies of those works will help you identify valuable primary sources, other secondary works, and other information.

Use the LIBRARY GUIDE for your discipline.

The Library Guide series is designed to help you find important research tools for your discipline. It will point you to catalogs and indexes for books, journals and magazines, subject encyclopedias and dictionaries, bibliographies, and statistical sources. The Library Guides are on the Library web page. And don't forget to ask for a research consultation with a Reference Librarian.

Common Questions How do I find books on my topic ?

If you found titles or authors cited in key works or reference sources, check in MIDCAT, the Library's online catalog, to see if they are in our Library.

Search MIDCAT in depth by subject or keyword.

It is easy to miss items right at hand; problems are usually due to using the wrong search words. Try to avoid the terminology trap.

The Terminology Trap PROBLEM

Finding information is sometimes complicated because there are many different words to express the same ideas. In some instances your choice of terminology will be so different from the catalog terminology that it will appear that the library has no information on your topic.

SOLUTION

Try using a KEYWORD SEARCH if you are unsuccessful with the subject approach. Ask a Reference Librarian for help in using the LCSH (Library of Congress Subject Headings), since only these headings are used with the SUBJECT SEARCH. The LCSH is worth consulting, in any case, because it will lead you to related terms.

Once you begin to find catalog records which relate to your thesis topic, make a list of the subject headings and use them as terms to search in all library catalogs and many indexes.

Search in our online catalog for a published bibliography on your topic.

A well-annotated bibliography can save you days of effort. If you do not locate one in our online catalog, ask for help at the reference desk.

Search example: photography and history and bibliography

Try the same subject headings in WorldCat.

WorldCat is a union catalog of over 40 million books, documents, reports, and media from libraries worldwide. Use it to identify books to request via InterLibrary Loan. If we don't own the book and you want to borrow it from another library, click on the ILL icon from the record.

How do I find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles on my topic?

The most current scholarly discussions and information on your subject are usually found in journals and newspapers. Print and electronic indexes and databases will help you locate these articles.

Consult the Article Indexes page and the Library Guides for your discipline.

These provide access to many general and specialized indexes. Don't forget to consider using additional indexes if your topic has interdisciplinary aspects.

Search in each index using your list of subject headings, key terms, names, etc.

Searching in an index leads you directly to an article citation. If the full text is not included, you will need to check MIDCAT or the Journal A - Z list to see if we have the item. For citations to journal articles, be sure to search by the name of the journal, not the article title. For articles within books, search MIDCAT by the title of the book it is in, not the chapter title. If we don't have it, you can request the item via Interlibrary Loan.

What about Primary Sources?

What are primary sources?

It is difficult to make firm distinctions between primary and secondary sources, but generally primary sources are first-hand information. This includes information written or compiled in the time period of an event or derived from a person who witnessed or participated in an event. There should be a strong element of being contemporary to your subject.

What are some examples?

research data and reports

How do I identify and locate primary materials?

Start by searching in Midcat since the library has many primary sources found in book form, government documents, and on microfilm. Try combining your subject terms with keywords such as sources, correspondence, narratives, letters, diaries, interviews, etc.

Example [use keyword search]:

women and pioneers and diaries
china and revolution and sources

Tip: (use the KEYWORD search option when combining mulitple terms with AND)

Also look for references to primary works cited in bibliographies of secondary works, then check Midcat to see if we have the source. If we don't have the source, it may be possible get some materials via Interlibrary Loan.

Check with a librarian regarding the feasibility of borrowing specific primary sources. If you think you may want to use other libraries or museums for your research, there are a variety of catalogs, collection guides, directories, and indexes which can be consulted to help you identify collections related to your broad topic.

For instance, try

Subject Collections New York: Bowker, 1993.

Library Reference Z731 .A78 1993.

You can also use an online guide such as Repositories of Primary Sources to identify collections outside Middlebury.

For specific suggestions, consult with your faculty advisor and a reference librarian.