Information Resources for History

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Information Resources for History

• Evelyn Cornell
• Information Librarian

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Overview

• Library Services
• Finding Books
• Finding Journal Articles
• Printed / Electronic
• Primary Sources
• Internet Sources

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Library Services 1

• People
• Information Librarians
• Enquiry Desks
• Virtual Library http//www.le.ac.uk/li/v_tutorial/
  
• Library Web Pages http//www.le.ac.uk/li/index.htm
  l

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Library Services 2

• Services and Facilities
• http//www.le.ac.uk/li/libservices/liserv.html
• Library Catalogue
• Placing a hold on borrowed books
• Renewing books online
• Leicester Digital Library
• Databases (to find journal articles)
• Resources by subject
• University of Leicester Home Page

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Finding Books in the Library 1

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Finding Books in the Library 2
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Finding Books in the Library 3

• Use the online catalogue
• e.g. ODay, Alan (1979) The Edwardian age
  conflict and stability, 1900-1914
• http//library.le.ac.uk/

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What is a Book?

• Monograph
• Text Book
• Collection of Essays
• Edited Volume
• Multi-Volume Work
• Primary Source
• Secondary Source

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Monograph

• Separate treatise on a single object or class of
  objects (Concise Oxford Dictionary) e.g.
• Biography of an individual
• History of a single topic
• http//library.le.ac.uk/

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Text Book

• standard book in a branch of study (Concise
  Oxford Dictionary)
• The one that everybody reads because it explains
  things so well
• The one recommended by tutors and experts in the
  field

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Collection of essays

• May or may not have the word essays in the title
• Use KEYWORD and SEARCH EVERYTHING to find
• Look at the Full record (not just the abbreviated
  list)

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Edited volume

• The words edited by should appear in the Full
  Record

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Multi-volume work

• The author wrote too much for it to appear in 1
  book!
• e.g. The Gladstone diaries 14 vols.
• May appear in the catalogue as 1 record for all
  volumes, or separate records for each volume

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Primary Source

• Something written at the time to which it refers
  original documents

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Secondary Source

• Something which explains or expands on the
  primary source

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Example

• Find books (all categories) on British Prime
  Ministers
• http//library.le.ac.uk/

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Catalogue Tips for Searching

• Use and between subject terms
• Biography and queen victoria
• Use for truncation
• Brit for Britain, British, Britney, etc.
• Use for a phrase
• black death

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Finding Journal Articles (Print)-from a Reading
List

• Search for the Journal Title NOT the article
  title, e.g.
• Sanderson, G.N. (1974) The European partition of
  Africa Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth
  History. 3(1) pp1-54
• http//library.le.ac.uk/

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Finding Journal Articles (Print and
Electronic)- from a Reading List

• Oxley, Deborah (2003) The seat of death and
  terror Economic History Review, 56(4) pp623-656
• http//library.le.ac.uk/

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Finding Journal Articles- from a Reading List

• The journal title isnt on the catalogue!!! e.g.
• Stein, B. (1989) 18th century India Studies in
  History 5(1), pp1-26
• http//library.le.ac.uk/
• Check for S/L photocopy

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Finding Journal Articles - Print Indexes

• Articles are NOT found in the catalogue
• Use printed indexes of individual journals e.g.
  Journal of Contemporary History index bound
  in volume 21
• Use Historical Abstracts to find references
  check the catalogue for the Journal TITLE
• Use references given in books and articles

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Finding Journal Articles - Databases

• General databases
• Expanded Academic ASAP
• ISI Web of Science
• JSTOR (Arts Sciences I)

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Finding Journal Articles Databases

• Databases in History
• International Medieval Bibliography
• Index to The Times
• RHS Bibliography online
• ISI Web of Science
• See full list in Subject Rooms for History,
  Economic Social History, etc.

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Examples

• Journal articles on British Prime Ministers
• http//www.le.ac.uk/li/sources/index.html

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Database tips for Searching

• Read the Help screens
• Use and between search words
• Use for truncation (unless Help screens say
  otherwise)
• Use for phrase searching (unless Help screens
  say otherwise)

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Journal Articles Full text Electronic Journals

• Electronic Journals in History
• Online Library Catalogue
• Expanded Academic ASAP
• Swetsnet
• JSTOR
• Leicester e-link
• Other Service Providers
• Constant change!

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Primary sources

• Link from web pages
• Newspapers (printed, m/film Lexis-Nexis
  Executive)
• Keesings
• Memoirs (3rd floor)
• 941E - 973 E Historical Source Materials (Stack)
• Census of India (Stack)

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Collections

• English Local History (LGF)
• Transport Collection (Stack)
• Economic History (3rd floor)
• Special Collections

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Internet Sources

• Internet sources for History
• Gateways
• Archives
• Catalogues
• Organisations

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Contact and URLs

• Evelyn Cornell Information Librarian
• ec37_at_le.ac.uk
• Ext. 2055
• Enquiry Desk
• Library http//www.le.ac.uk/li
• Information sources for Historyhttp//www.le.ac.u
  k/li/sources/subject1/hist/histindex.html