Research Methods. Travel

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Research Methods.Travel Politics in Eastern
Europe. HI 90 Spring 2003

• Nadia Zilper
• Slavic East European Resources Bibliographer
• nadia_zilper_at_unc.edu
• http//www.lib.unc.edu/cdd/crs/international/slavi
  c/index.html

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Introduction. What do historians do?

• Finding answers to questions
• What has happened
• How it happened
• What caused it
• What effect it had on society and/or individuals
• From different perspectives

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Agenda

• Part I
• Types of research materials
• Primary sources
• Secondary sources
• Materials formats
• 3 universes of information
• Tools for finding monographs and periodicals
  (bibliographic information)
• Tools for finding articles (bibliographic
  information)
• Full text databases
• Where to begin?
• Part II
• Evaluation of web resources
• Search engines
• Reference tools mega sites
• Web sites
• Part III
• Practice session

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Part I. Types of Research Materials

• Primary Sources
• A primary source is firsthand testimony or
  direct evidence concerning a topic under
  investigation.
• See more about primary sources at
  http//www.library.yale.edu/ref/err/primsrcs.htmP
  RIMDEF

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Part I. Types of Research Materials

• Types of Primary Sources
• Original archival materials (documents)
• Published documents
• Diaries
• Memoirs
• Correspondence
• Travel accounts
• Maps
• Other

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Part I. Types of Research Materials

• Secondary Sources
• Secondary sources are 'descriptions of the event
  derived from and based on primary sources'.
• Helen J. Poulton, The historian's handbook
  (Norman, OK University of Oklahoma Press, 1972),
  p.175-76.

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Part I. Types of Research Materials

• Types of Secondary Sources
• Monographs
• Articles
• Web pages
• Other

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Part I. Types of Research Materials

• Formats of materials
• Books
• Serials, periodicals
• Visual materials (photographs, films,
• paintings, drawings)
• Microforms (microfilm, microfiche,
  microopaque)
• Maps
• Scores
• Sound recordings
• Computer files (electronic)

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Part I. Types of Research MaterialsThree
Universes of Information
Controlled Universe of Information
WorldCat over 39 mil. Records held in thousands
of libraries around the world
Online Library Catalog http//www.lib.unc.edu
materials available locally
Online In Process / On Order File Materials on
order or not yet cataloged available locally
Card Catalog
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Part I. Types of Research MaterialsThree
Universes of Information
Uncontrolled Universe of Information
Bibliographic Databases
Electronic Databases Purchased by Libraries
Full Text Databases
Mixed. Full Text Bibliographic Databases
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Part I. Types of Research MaterialsThree
Universes of Information
Even More Uncontrolled Universe of Information
Web Sites
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Part I. Where to Begin?Searching For Monographs
in Library Catalogs

• Compile a Bibliography (list of materials
  relevant to your topic)
• Objective is to find Library of Congress subject
  headings in WorldCat pertinent to your research
• Think about sources that you already know (check
  syllabus, ask teacher)
• Find this title(s) in WorldCat
• Click on subject headings, do not forget to
  record them in your electronic file
• Examine titles under this subject heading, find
  pertinent materials, check if there are more
  relevant subject headings, continue process

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Part I. Where to Begin? Searching in Electronic
Bibliographic D-bases

• ABSEES (American Bibliography of Slavic East
  European Studies) contains bibliographic
  citations for journal articles, books, book
  chapters, book reviews, dissertations, and
  selected government publications
• Search by keyword
• Click on subject headings this d-base uses
  Library of Congress subject headings
• Historical Abstracts includes a targeted
  selection of hundreds of journals in the social
  sciences and humanities that are of special
  interest to researchers and students of history
• Use the same strategies as in searching ABSEES

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Part I. Where to Begin? Searching in Electronic
Full Text D-bases

• LexisNexis Academic - covers general, regional
  and international news, company news and
  financial information, legal information
  (including law reviews, case law and legal
  rulings), and other topics such as biographical
  information
• LexisNexis Congressional - includes committee
  hearings, reports and prints, legislative
  histories, and other material.
• LexisNexis Statistical - The Index to
  International Statistics (1983-present) covers
  English-language statistical publications of 100
  major international intergovernmental
  organizations.
• JSTOR provides a retrospective collection of
  complete backfiles of scholarly journals,
  starting with the first issues, many of which
  date from the 1800s (2-5 most recent years are
  excluded)

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Part I. Where to Begin? Searching in Electronic
Full Text D-bases

• Academic Search Elite Via EBSCOHost - NCLive
  - Contains Full Text
• Ethnic NewsWatch Ethnic NewsWatch is a
  full-text collection of newspapers, magazines and
  journals of the ethnic, minority and native
  press. This collection of articles, editorials,
  columns, reviews, etc. provides a broad diversity
  of perspectives and viewpoints.
• Expanded Academic ASAP Via InfoTrac - NCLive
  - Contains Full Text
• GenderWatch - full-text collection of
  international journals, magazines, newsletters,
  regional publications, special reports and
  conference proceedings devoted to women's and
  gender issues
• Universal Database of Russian CIS
  newspapers, newswires government and legal
  publications Social Sciences d-base

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Part I. Where to Begin?Government Information
Resources

• Slavic East European Resources at UNC Chapel
  Hill Libraries http//www.lib.unc.edu/cdd/crs/inte
  rnational/slavic/
• Guides
• Government Information Resources at UNC-CH
  Libraries

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Part I. Where to Begin?Overview

• Select a topic
• Think about sources you already know (check
  syllabus, ask teacher)
• Learn vocabulary that is pertinent to your topic
• Learn the administrative and political structures
  of the country during the time period that you
  are studying
• Find and write down Library of Congress subject
  headings useful for your research
• Always have a blank floppy disk handy so you can
  download information that you find

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Part I. Where to Begin?Manuals for Writers of
Term Papers

• Documentation Guide Turabian http//juno.concord
  ia.ca/faqs/turlynx.html
• Based on the 6th edition of Kate Turabian's A
  Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
  Dissertations (Chicago University of Chicago
  Press, 1996).

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Part II. Using Internet for Research

• Evaluation of web resources
• Search engines
• Reference tools gateways
• Web sites

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Part II. Using Internet for ResearchSelection
Evaluation of WWW Sites

• Who is the author? (look for a word about)
• What text encoding standards were applied?
• What are the criteria for text selection?
• Is the source of text or audiovisual material
  cited?
• Is there an archive of journal/newspaper issues?
• Is there a search mechanism available?
  With/without help?
• When was the last update made?
• Is there contact information?

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Part II. Using Internet for ResearchSelection
Evaluation of WWW Sites (cont.)

• Do the links work?
• Is navigation easy?
• Can you easily get to desirable information (with
  approx. 3 clicks)?
• More at Thinking Critically about World Wide Web
  Resources by Esther Grassian, UCLA College
  Library
• http//www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/hel
  p/critical/index.htm
• Citing Cyberspace by James D. Lester
• http//www.apsu.edu/lesterj/cyber.htm

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Part II. Using Internet for ResearchSearch
Engines

• Use country specific search engines for better
  results
• Search Engines Worldwide
• http//www.twics.com/takakuwa/search/search.html
  
• Search Engines on Slavophilia site for East
  European countries http//www.slavophilia.net
• Russian search engines
• Rambler http//www.rambler.ru
• Yandex http//www.yandex.ru
• Aport http//www.aport.ru/

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Part II. Using Internet for ResearchMajor
Gateways for Slavic East European Studies

• REES Web - Russian East European Virtual
  Library http//www.ucis.pitt.edu/reesweb/index.sht
  ml

http//reenic.utexas.edu/reenic.html REENIC is a
collection of links to Web sites about East and
Central Europe, Russia and the countries of the
former Soviet Union, with substantial selections
of links for each country
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Part II. Using Internet for ResearchUseful Web
Sites

• International Helsinki Federation for Human
  Rights http//www.ihf-hr.org/index.htm
• Women 2000 An Investigation into the Status of
  Womens Rights in the former Soviet Union and
  Central and South-Eastern Europe
  http//www.ihf-hr.org/appeals/001109b.htm
• Russian Feminism Resources - compilation of many
  links, including country-specific
  organizations.http//www.geocities.com/Athens/253
  3/states.html
• Women's /Gender Studies Association of Countries
  in Transition, Belgrade Women's Studies Center
  http//www.wgsact.net/

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Conclusions

• Understand in what universe of information
  searching is conducted
• Develop searching strategy accordingly
• Use relevant vocabulary, language and appropriate
  forms of personal, geographic and corporate names
  for each universe
• Approach findings critically
• Use electronic materials in research
• Record your searches in electronic format
• Create a bibliographic web site or MS-Word files
  for your research projects

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Part III. Practice. Searching in Library Catalogs

• Go to World Cat http//www.lib.unc.edu
  gtResourcesgtE INDEXES DATABASESgtWgtWorldCat
• Search John Urry, Consuming Places. London and
  New York Rutledge, 1995. BY TITLE
• Click on subject heading Tourism -- Social
  aspects. 
• Go to UNC online catalog http//www.lib.unc.edu
  gtResourcesgtLibrary Catalog
• Search Tourism as a subject heading

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Part III. PracticeSearching in Library Catalogs

• Go to the Library page http//www.lib.unc.edu
  gtResourcesgtOther Library CatalogsgtIn Process/On
  Order files
• Search IMMIGRATION as a title
• Find Immigration History Newsletter, highlight
  and copy this title
• Go to the Library Catalog, paste this title in
  the search window, search as title
• Look how the subject headings are constructed
  United States--Emigration and immigration.
• Substitute United States with Poland and search
  Polandemigration and immigration

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Part III. PracticeUsing Bibliographic Databases
as a Starting Point

• Go to the Library page http//www.lib.unc.edu
  gtResourcesgtE-Indexes DatabasesgtAgtABSEES
• Search word TRAVEL in ALL FIELDS
• Select Garton Ash, Timothy The Uses of
  Adversity Essays on the Fate of Central Europe
• Select a Subject Heading Eastern
  Europe--Description and Travel
• Select Allcock, John B. // Przeclawski,
  Krzysztof Tourism in Centrally-Planned Economies
  Introduction
• Select Eastern Europe--Tourism

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Part III. PracticeUsing Indexes Databases in
Research

• Go to the Library page http//www.lib.unc.edu
  gtResourcesgtE-Indexes DatabasesgtAgtAcademic
  Search Elite
• Search words HUMAN TRAFFICKING
• Search words WOMEN TRAFFICKING
• Got to 5 The Natasha' Trade The Transnational
  Shadow Market of Trafficking in Women. By
  Hughes, Donna M.
• Click on subject headings PROSTITUTION and
  INFORMAL sector (Economics)
• Search words SHADOW ECONOMY

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Part III. PracticeUsing Indexes Databases in
Research Searching Specific Title

• Find
• Carol Pucci, Czech City Entices Visitors with
  Castles, Concerts and Canoes, Seattle Times, 25
  June 2002
• Go to the Library page http//www.lib.unc.edu
  gtResourcesgtE-Indexes DatabasesgtLgtLexisNexis
  Academic
• Search title Czech City Entices, mark previous
  two years

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Part III. PracticeUsing Internet for Research.
Web Sites

• Evaluate the following web sites
• http//www.inyourpocket.com/top
• http//www.budgettravel.com/europe.htm

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The End

• Nadia ZilperSlavic East European Resources
  Bibliographer
• Collection Development Department
• Davis Library CB 3918
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
• Tel. [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail nadia_at_email.unc.edu
• URL http//www.lib.unc.edu/cdd/crs/international/
  slavic/index.html