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NAHS Grade 11 Burk/Culp
Biographical and Historical Record Research Assignment
http://library.csun.edu/cmartin/nahsgrade11burkculp.html
The following Oviatt Library resources are designed to support Northridge Academy High School (NAHS) students with (1) finding basic biographical information and (2) finding a primary source about a specific event in history.
Biographical Research | Determining Databases | Searching the Library Catalog | Researching Primary Sources | Questions | Library Session Exercise
Biographical Research . . . Getting Started
Your teacher will provide you with the name of a famous woman to research for the first part of your assignment. Please contact your teacher if you are unclear about which well-known woman you are researching. Initially, you may not know a lot about your assigned person. During this initial stage of research, take a moment to consider what you already know about her. Attributes to consider about her might include:
- accomplishments
- movements she may have been involved in
- written works; is she a published author?
- ethnicity
- time period she lived; is she deceased?
Online Encyclopedias - General and subject specific encyclopedias can assist you in determining the answers to such questions. Britannica Online can be a good place to start and may provide information about a woman who is well-known. (Less well-known women may not be listed in Britannica Online. In this case, see other database resources below.) Once you enter her name in Britannica's searchbox, remember to look to the left column 'Quotations' link to see if there are any quotations listed. Also, notice whether or not she is still alive. Much biographical information can be obtained about a person through a newspaper obituary.
Determining What Databases to Use
The following databases may be useful to search for information about a specific woman's life. Use the information you have already discovered about this person to determine which databases may contain the most relevant information for your specific search.
Proquest Newspapers - Provides full-text access to more than 600 U.S. and international newspapers. If the person is still alive, enter her name and another search term relevant to her accomplishments or movements.
New York Times Historical - Full-text access to the New York Times from 1851-2003; updates every year. If the person is deceased, search her name during the time period following her death for an obituary.
GenderWatch - Provides information about the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas; covers 1970 to present.
Literature Resource Center Periodical Index - This part of the Literature Resource Center contains periodical articles including biographical, biobibliographical, critical, and contextual information on authors and their works. Much information can be found here if you are researching a well-known author. Enter her name and look under the biographies tab.
Ethnic News Watch - Provides access to full-text articles of the ethnic, minority, and native press; covers 1960 to present. Information may be found here depending upon the ethnicity of your subject.
You may want to search in discipline specific databases related to your subject's field of interest and accomplishments. The Find Articles and Research Data page will allow you to find listings of databases according to subject areas.
Searching the Library Catalog for Books with Biographical Information
You can use a Keyword search by entering your person's name in the library catalog.
The following subject headings may be entered into the library catalog if you wish to use a Subject search (select in the dropdown menu).
- Women -- Biography
- Women -- Biography -- 20th Century
- Women -- United States -- Biography
- Women -- United States -- Biography -- Dictionaries
- Women athletes -- Biography
- Women authors
- Feminists -- United States -- Biography
- Feminists -- United States -- Biography -- Encyclopedias
Once you find a book in the library that is useful to your research, remember to look at the books on the shelf around it. Similar books will be in the same area.
Researching for a Primary Source about a Specific Event
The second part of your assignment requires you to find a primary source about a historical event. Newspapers can be an excellent resource for primary articles. First, identify the time period of the event you are researching. You can refer to online encyclopedias for basic information about your event. Select a newspaper database that covers that time period. Be sure to specify the dates you want in your search. An example of a search can be seen below.
Los Angeles Times Historical - Full-page images and article images from the Los Angeles Daily Times (1881-1886) and the Los Angeles Times (1886-1986).
New York Times Historical - Full-text access to the New York Times from 1851-2003; updates every year.
Proquest Newspapers - Full-text access to over 600 US and international newspapers, hundreds of other news wires and news sources; dates vary.
Questions?
If you have questions you may contact me at coleen.martin@csun.edu or you can Ask a Librarian - Get help from a librarian 24/7
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