Footnotes to Success: A Senior History Thesis
Celebrate some of the ways our library staff are creating connections. These stories are one of the many “footnotes” that highlight how we are all contributing to our academic community. In this post, Alyssa Wright (Director of Research, Instruction, and Data Services) helps Celia Barabanov with their senior history thesis.
Setting the Scene
Celia Barabanov ‘26 made an appointment with Alyssa using our go/AskUs/ page. She was writing her senior history thesis on immigration policies in Prince William County, Virginia and needed help finding court cases, legal documents, and unpublished websites.
The Research Riddle
Celia was having trouble finding the full text of Virginia county documents, federal regulations, and court cases relating immigration law. She was also wanted to read blogs and newsletters published online in the early 2000’s by immigration and anti immigration groups that have since been taken down.
Aha in the Stacks
Alyssa instructed her on how to use Midd Library subscribed databases ProQuest Congressional and Nexis Uni to find laws, congressional hearings, and court cases. Alyssa also showed her the ins and outs of using the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to read web pages as they were on the web on given dates in the past. Some of the county government documents she needed were not online, but they were able to get those by emailing the county clerk, who was nice enough to send them quickly.
The Bigger Picture
Celia and Alyssa met several times over a few months. She was able to find almost all off the documents she was looking for as well as some new research. They also chatted about how to cite sources and the reality that not everything is online and what to do when it’s not.
Thoughts from Celia:
Working with Middlebury librarians has helped me immensely throughout my time as a student at the College. From helping me navigate Middlebury’s online archive to contacting local government officials requesting documents on my behalf, the librarians have always gone above and beyond to support me in my research. … Reaching out to a librarian has not only helped me learn how to track down sources but has also introduced me to many resources that have enabled me to conduct more effective and efficient research. I am so grateful to the Middlebury librarians and for all the help they have given me throughout my four years. I will carry the tips and tricks I learned from the librarians with me as I approach future research projects after college.