The Crusades
Professor J. Given
Winter Quarter 2003
Library Research Guide
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The Crusades Professor J. Given Winter Quarter 2003 Library Research Guide |
Librarian contacts:
| Joan Ariel
Research Librarian for History, Women's Studies, and French & Italian 386 Main Library 824-4970 jariel@uci.edu |
The Librarians are IN Humanities:
Office Hours in HIRC, Humanities Hall, Room 269:
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This guide is designed as an introduction to print and online resources for accessing materials on the history of the Crusades located in the UCI Libraries and beyond. The guide is extremely selective, both in terms of the sources cited and the strategies recommended. All reference and "finding" sources listed are available at UCI; however, a number of these point to materials located at libraries, both real and virtual, beyond the borders of UCI.
The guide covers the following areas:
| 1. Sources for Historical Research |
Primary sources are firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. The nature and value of a source cannot be determined without reference to the topic and questions it is meant to answer. The same document, or other piece of evidence, may be a primary source in one investigation and secondary in another. The search for primary sources does not, therefore, automatically include or exclude any format of research materials or type of records, documents, or publications.
Primary sources typically can include archives and manuscript material, photographs, letters and diaries, scrapbooks, newspapers and clippings, government publications, oral histories, magazines, published books, printed ephemera, and video and audio recordings.
Secondary sources are those that analyze, assess, or interpret a topic under investigation, typically utilizing primary sources to do so.
Tertiary sources identify and locate primary and secondary sources; these include bibliographies, indexes, abstracts, encyclopedias, and other reference resources.
IMPORTANT: Note that these categories are not mutually
exclusive.
| 2. Topic Selection and Analysis |
A little advance preparation and analysis of your topic/project will go a long way toward making your research more effective and efficient, thus minimizing the time required and the possible frustrations encountered. Before you begin searching for sources, consider the topic carefully and analyze it in order to focus your search strategy and retrieve useful and manageable results.
The following steps may prove helpful in analyzing your topic and in constructing a useful search strategy. Note: It is often very helpful to make an actual list of these elements.
1. Survey the topic and clarify any unfamiliar terms or concepts.
2. Consider subtopics or component parts of the topic as well as the particular perspective(s) you want to take or argument(s) you will make
3. Diagram your topic: what? who? when? where? even why?
4. Identify types and/or formats of material that are most promising/relevant for your topic:
6. Keep track of your research process in research notes/notebook
| 3. Good Research Skills: Search Types and Strategies |
Most searching skills will transfer to multiple tools and resources.
Start with a basic familiarity with the research tool you are using (online catalog, print index, database, internet, etc. )
Search Types and Features:
In doing library-based research, there are three key approaches to identifying information and materials on a subject or topic: known item; keyword; and subject heading. All are based on the "bibliographic record" for the book, article, or other item.
1. Known Item
A book you already have can provide leads to additional research sources.
Books: title, series title, and/or subject
heading words.
Articles: article title, subject heading,
abstract if available.
Keyword is the most flexible approach which usually produces the largest retrieval.
Cautionary Note:
3. Subject Heading
A subject heading is a word or term that describes, often quite broadly,
the contents of an information resource. "Authorized"
headings for U.S. libraries are generally determined by the Library
of Congress (LCSH). In addition to usage in catalog
records for books, videotapes, and other library resources, many abstracting
and indexing databases of articles use LCSH as
the basis for their subject indexing.
Searches for subject heading(s) assigned by the Library of Congress
or descriptors assigned by the index/database producer
use a "controlled vocabulary." The best way to identify subject
heading(s) for your topic is to do a keyword search first, then
note and link from subject headings of the most promising items.
Note:
A subject heading search in ANTPAC is an exact subject heading
search.
For example, the following search results:
history of the crusades
= 0
history crusades
= 0
crusades history
= 2
crusades
= 102
Europe History 476-1492
= 145
Remember: There are many different subject headings that deal with the history of jerusalem; use key word searches to identify the best ones for your topic.
4. Truncation: In using either approach, carefully consider the power and usefulness of truncation to expand your retrieval. Truncation builds upon the root of a word to retrieve all variations based on it.
Truncation symbols vary across catalogs and databases; most often * or # are used.
For example:
But caution: Using too short a root will retrieve more than you ever wanted, for example
5. Combining Search Terms: Using AND between terms will give
you a smaller set of retrievals, while using OR will get you more retrievals.
6. Limit Features: Use available limit features in the catalog or database to refine your search results. You can usually limit by language and/or date, often by material/document type, etc. Limiting result sets by dates can be a good approach when you are focusing on primary sources for a narrow time period; however, if you limit to specific publication date(s), you will miss primary sources that may be reprinted in later years.
7. Output/Sending Results: Most catalogs and databases allow you to email, print, and/or download your search results. If necessary, use any available help screens/features for instructions.
| 4. Sources for Background and Topic Analysis |
Guides, encyclopedias, and other reference works often provide the researcher with a basic introduction to a topic. They may be a useful first step in beginning research, helpful both in acquainting the researcher with key terminology, concepts and critical sources in the field.
The lists below are just a sampling of titles available in the Reference Collection, Main Library, first floor. Browse in these call number areas and/or search ANTPAC to identify other useful reference works for your topic.
Guides to the Literature and Bibliographies
The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature. New York: Oxford, 1995. 2 vols. Ref. Z6201 .A55 1995See also section #9, Internet Resources, below for other bibliographies.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
| 5. Monographs and Other Research Materials: Library Catalogs |
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) are a controlled vocabulary of words and phrases determined by the Library of Congress. A subject heading is a word or term that describes, often quite broadly, the contents of an information resource. In addition to usage in catalog records for books, videotapes, and other library resources, many (but by no means all) abstracting and indexing databases of articles use LCSH as the basis for their subject indexing.
Reminders:
Finding the subheading terms "Sources" or "Archival resources" appended to any of the subject headings below on a record in an online catalog is an indication that the item you've found is substantially composed of primary source material.
| ANTPAC: UCI Libraries Catalog |
ANTPAC provides quick and efficient access to the holdings of the UCI Libraries. ANTPAC should be your first stop for accessing books, periodicals, media, and other research materials.
ANTPAC is available via a Web interface in the UCI Libraries as well as from home or office. You can access ANTPAC via the UCI Libraries homepage (http://www.lib.uci.edu/) or directly (http://antpac.lib.uci.edu/).
ANTPAC offers the following unique features:
| CDL MELVYL® CATALOG: UC Systemwide Catalog |
If your ANTPAC search does not produce the desired results or you want to expand your retrieval of materials, you will want to search the holdings of other libraries, particularly other UC libraries. The California Digital Library (CDL) MELVYL® Catalog opens doors to worlds beyond UCI .
To research a topic, select Subject or Power search. Subject searches require word(s) from authorized LC subject headings. Power searches allow you to combine search types (including title words, subject, or exact subject) and, if desired, to limit your retrieval by library location, date, language, form, and/or date added to the database.
Save: Use the Save feature to create your own topic bibliography within a single database or across several databases. Once you have saved the items for your bibliography, click on Saved Lists to view, print, mail or download. Make sure you give your list a relevant subject, indicating topic and date. You may also want to add an annotation for your list indicating which databases you covered.
Output options: You may mail, print, or download your search results.
Request: You may also request materials identified in a
MELVYL® search through via the Request option (as long as they are
not currently available at UCI). Keep in mind, however, that Document Access
and Delivery /Inter-Library Loan (DA&D) can occasionally be a slow
process, best undertaken at the beginning of your research. The ten-week
quarter makes few allowances for DA&D, although the increased use of
FAX and other electronic delivery systems does at least make acquiring
journal articles from afar faster and easier.
| WORLDCAT (WCAT) |
Records from the worldwide OCLC Online Union Catalog for books, computer files, audiovisual materials, periodicals, maps, manuscripts, musical scores, etc., in a variety of languages. (Also provides links to other databases of possible interest, e.g., ArticlesFirst, etc.)
You can use WCAT to identify materials not held in the UC system, then request these via ILL using the ILL feature on ANTPAC.
Tip: It is often very useful to use WCAT to identify chapters/articles
in anthologies and collections. A great deal of scholarship is published
in this manner and it is often difficult to identify and access it.
In the Advanced Search function, do a notes field search
in WCAT with your key words and useful combinations of words. You
can also specify the format of material desired, e.g., books, visual materials,
etc. Also, look for 
UNIV
OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE which indicates that UCI owns the item.
A somewhat similar catalog covering a different group of research libraries is the following:
RLG Union Catalog (Formerly known as the RLIN Bibliographic File)
This database serves as a comprehensive union catalog for everything from books and serials to archives, for many major research and academic libraries. Special library, archive, and museum holdings area also included.
| 6. Articles: Periodical Indexing and Abstracting Services |
Direct access to periodical indexes and abstracts is provided through
the UCI Libraries Website: Article
Databases.
Here you will find an alphabetical listing of all indexes and abstracts
available through CDL or licensed directly by the UCI Libraries.
The following is a selective listing of indexes most useful for topics related to the History of the Crusades.
Note: Pay attention to the type and chronological scope of the
database you are using as you select your search terms.
| Web-Based Indexes |
History:
Historical
Abstracts (HA) 1955-
The "world's leading historical bibliography" covers
the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding North America).
Includes English-language journals (1,700+), books, and dissertations.
Search Hints:
Expanded
Academic Index ASAP 1980 - present
Provides multi-disciplinary coverage from arts and the
humanities to social sciences, science and technology; inlcudes scholarly
journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images.
FRANCIS
1984 - present
Over 862,000 records covering a wide range of multilingual,
multidisciplinary information in the humanities, sciences, and economics.
International in scope, it is strong in religion, the history of
art, and literature.
PCI: Periodical Contents Index
1770-1995.
An electronic index to the contents of 3,000+ periodicals
in the humanities and social sciences , from their first issues to 1995.
Women’s
Resources International (WRI) 1972 - present
Includes over 232,000 records drawn from a variety of
essential women's studies databases including Women Studies Abstracts
(1984- ; approx. 35,000 records) and the Women’s Studies Database (1972-
; approx. 70,300 records drawn from 125 journals worldwide).
Note: For other web databases relevant to history research, see CDL History Databases Available to UC Irvine
Specialized Indexes:
Art Abstracts
The Art Abstracts database contains records for items
in the fields of archaeology, architecture, art history, city planning,
computer applications and graphics, crafts, film, folk art, graphic arts,
industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, museology,
painting, photography, sculpture, television, textiles, and video.
Bibliography of the History
of Art
Covers European and American art from late antiquity
to the present, indexing art-related books, conference proceedings, dissertations,
exhibition and dealer's catalogs, and articles from 1973 to the present.
| Selected Print Indexes |
Print Indexes to Primary Sources
Especially as historians, you must also consider use of indexes still available only in print form.
Magazines and Journals:
International Index to Periodicals. 1907-1965/65 Ref.
AI3 I58
subsequently: Humanities
and Social Sciences Index. 1965/66-1973/74
then separately: Humanities Index; Social Sciences Index 1973/74-
Index to academic journals in Humanities,
Social Sciences, and Sciences.
Readers Guide to Periodical Literature. 1900- present Ref.
AI 3 R4
| 7. Full-Text Journals on the Web |
Convenient access from:
UCI Libraries Homepage: Full-Text Journals
Specific Collections:
JSTOR (Retrospective
archive)
Provides searching and browsing access to the full text
of back files of over 100 scholarly publications in dozens of academic
disciplines, including History. Articles can be printed off using an Adobe
PDF reader plug in to your Web browser (available on all public terminals
in the UCI Libraries).
Note: for many journals, does not include the
latest 2-5 years, but often includes back issues from several decades past.
Project Muse (Current)
Full text of over 40 journals in the humanities and social
sciences published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Full text coverage
varies by journal title but ranges from 1993 to the present. Links to the
full text of many articles available in CDL-hosted databases.
| 8. Selected Primary Sources |
Some possible initial strategies:
Try ANTPAC and/or MELVYL searches adding "sources" to your keywords.
You may also wish to consult a general guide Identify
and Locating Primary Sources.
| Full-Text Databases and Resources |
ARTFL
A full-text retrieval database of classical French writings,
the database includes literary works, political tracts, philosophical writings,
and technical treatises.
Early English Books Online.
1475-1700
Citations from early English texts presented as digital
images, which may be viewed online, or downloaded in PDF format for viewing
off-line. Includes treatise, musical exercises, novels, prayer books, pamphlets,
and proclamations; almanacs, calendars, and many other primary sources.
Patrologia Latina
The Patrologia Latina Database is an electronic version
of the first edition of Jacques-Paul Migne's Patrologia Latina, The Patrologia
Latina. This work chronicles the history of Latin Christianity from its
beginning (about 200 AD) to 1216. It comprises the works of the Church
Fathers from Tertullian in 200 AD to the death of Pope Innocent III in
1216. The Patrologia Latina Database contains the complete Patrologia Latina,
including all prefatory material, original texts, critical apparatus and
indexes.
Note: a search on "Crusades" produces a zero result.
Perhaps other search terms might be productive?
| Special Collections: 5th floor, Main Library |
Hours: Monday to Friday 10-6; Saturday 1-5
This "rare books and manuscripts" department includes numerous collections of books, newspapers, maps, photographs, pamphlets, and manuscript materials documenting many topics.
Strategy: Do an ANTPAC keyword search on your topic and limit
location to Special Collections.
| Selected Microform Sets: First floor, Main Library: ask for assistance at the Reference Desk |
UCI Libraries has a fairly large collection of primary source material on microform although admittedly somewhat limited for history of the Crusades.
Stategy: Do an ANTPAC keyword search(s) on your topic and limit
location to ML Microforms.
| Selected Videos: Located in the Multimedia Resource Center (MRC), first floor Main Library |
Strategy: 1] Do an ANTPAC keyword search(s) and limit location
to MAIN MEDIA CTR to identify possible media resources at UCI on your
topic
OR
2] Do an ANTPAC keyword search(s) and limit collection to
Film and Video Collection.
| 9. Specialized Internet Resources |
Although the Internet provides access to information resources that are often of dubious quality or authority, for historians there are a growing number of sites worth visiting. Among the most useful are collections of primary documents, visual resources, and listservs where you can chat with colleagues around the world.
Google (http://www.google.com/), if you haven't used it, is an excellent internet search engine for finding resources. Use it or your other favorite engines to expand the lists below.
Try the URLs listed below for a sampling of interesting and perhaps informative Web sites.
CAUTION: Use websites carefully and critically. Always
pay close attention to who produced the site (person, organization, etc.),
currency of the information, date created/revised, content and tone of
the information provided, inherent bias (political, religious, etc.) of
the information, etc.
| WorldCat |
Strategy:
| Selected History Websites |
The Christian Crusades
This study is a resource from: The Women's Division General
Board of Global Ministries The United Methodist Church
EuroDocs: Primary Historical Documents from Western Europe: Medieval and Renaissance Europe
Internet Medieval Sourcebook: Crusades
Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies
Voice of the Shuttle: History Page
Sample Sites on More Specialized Topics:
Images
of the Crusades
Images from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France's
on-line exhibit, The Age of King Charles V.
The Jerusalem Mosaic
A celebration of Jerusalem: "You can find here a short
summary of the history of the city, you can tour its most remarkable sites,
and get acquainted with its most prominent characters. Explore the way
people used to dress here, the way they obtained their scarce drinking-water,
and if you get hungry as you go along, have a taste of the local dishes
in the various periods." Includes information on Jersalem in the Crusader
and Ayyubid Period (1099-1250 CE)
Jerusalem
in Old Maps and Views
"The Land of Israel and its capital city, Jerusalem,
boast the longest unbroken succession of maps of any country in the world.
Through a choice selection of maps, this exhibition presents the cartographic
history of the city which King David established as his capital 3000
years ago. The exhibition comprises maps and views of both the city itself
and the land of which it constitutes the heart and soul."
| 10. Creating & Managing Bibliographies with Ease and Power: EndNote |
EndNote is a bibliographic management software program used to develop, organize and manipulate bibliographic citations and facilitate the production of bibliographies and the publication process. EndNote allows the user to create a "library" to store and manage citations, similar to a set of index cards but with much more organizational power and flexibility. Additionally, EndNote allows the user to export citations from many (but not yet all) catalogs and databases (including Historical Abstracts) directly into your "library" bibliography and from your "library" into a word processor. You can thus produce a bibliography or manuscript automatically incorporating citations in a variety of publication styles (e.g., Chicago, APA, or journal-specific).
EndNote has recently been installed in open-access library computer labs including Science Library Interactive Learning Center (ILC) Room 164 and Main Library TEC, Room 228 (open in the evenings).
Recommended: Upcoming Library EndNote Workshops
Alternatively, I would be happy to provide an EndNote workshop geared
to history for groups of 5 or more, scheduled based on our mutual availability.