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Remembering War in Vietnam Professor C. Wheeler Spring 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 |
Anne Frank
Southeast Asian Archives Librarian 360 Main Library 824-4968 afrank@uci.edu |
Bill Landis
Special Collections and Archives 500 Main Library 824-3113 blandis@uci.edu |
The Librarians are IN Humanities:
Research Consultation Office Hours in HIRC, Humanities Hall, Room 269:
|
This guide is designed as an introduction to print and online resources for accessing materials related to Remembering the War in Vietnam 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.
General Resources:
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 vietnam
= 0
history vietnam
= 0
vietnam history
= 102
Vietnamese Conflict 1961 1975 = 269
Remember: There are many different subject headings that deal with the history of Vietnam and remembering the war; 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.
Consult Boolean
Searching for a fuller explanation of this search strategy.
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.
Selected Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
| 5. Monographs and Other Research Materials: Library Catalogs |
| 5.1. 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.
1. Proper names, e.g., people and places, can also be subject headings. For example:
2. To identify additional subject headings for your topic, do keyword
search the display result(s) in long format, note subject headings for
the most promising items, click on subject heading to execute subject search.
| 5.2. 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/).
| 5.3. 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.
| 5.4. 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 or the REQUEST feature in MELVYL.
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.
| 5.5. Dissertations |
Digital Dissertations
Includes bibliographic citations for materials ranging from the first
U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last
semester. Citations for dissertations published from 1980 forward also
include 350-word abstracts written by the author. Citations for master's
theses from 1988 forward include 150-word abstracts. Titles published since
1997 are available in PDF digital format and have 24 page previews available.
| 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 Remembering the Vietnam War.
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:
America: History and Life
(AHL) 1964-
The most authoritative listing of periodical literature, book and media
reviews, and dissertations in United States and Canadian history.
Covers
over 1,700 journals published worldwide.
Search Hints:
Use Keyword Search to begin, then if desired
Indicate Time Period: For example, 1950D. Click on magnifying glass
icon to right of time period to browse options.
Caveat: Use
of Time Period can be tricky. Sometimes best to just do keyword search
then browse results. Or, you can truncate date
e.g. 20*
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:
Bibliography of Asian
Studies (BAS) 1971-
Produced by the Association for Asian Studies, BAS provides
citations to western-language monographs, articles and book chapters on
all parts of Asia published since 1971. Includes citations for all articles
from 1992–2000 in 100+ of the most important journals in Asian studies.
Note especially the browse by country feature.
Anthropological Literature.
1984 - present.
Citations to articles and essays in the fields of anthropology
and archaeology. In addition to archaeology and biological, cultural, physical,
and social anthropology, subjects covered include art history, ethnohistory,
geography, genetics, folklore, geology, history, linguistics, music, and
religion.
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.A
good place to begin.
Left Index.1982-
present
Provides access to "the diversity of literature on the
left, with a primary emphasis on politically and culturally engaged scholarship
inside and outside the academy and a secondary emphasis on significant
but little known sources of news and ideas. Topics covered include politics,
economics, the labor movement, ecology and environment, women's studies,
race and ethnicity, social and cultural theory, sociology, art and aesthetics,
philosophy, history, education, law, and globalization."
Lexis/Nexis Academic
Universe
Nearly 5,000 publications span news, financial, medical,
and legal information, the vast majority available in full text, with a
limited number available in abstract form. Covers newspapers, magazines,
wire services, federal and state court opinions, federal and state statutes,
federal regulations, etc. News information is updated daily and wire services
several times daily.
The
Nation Digital Archive. 1865-
Note: Click on Subscriber Log-in.
Full-text archive of The Nation magazine, America's oldest
weekly magazine. Includes 6,800 issues, fully searchable by author, title,
keyword or date range. "Its 135+ years of reporting, opinion, and criticism
make for an invaluable collection of primary source materia Its 135+ years
of reporting, opinion, and criticism make for an unmatched collection of
primary source material, covering the history of politics, culture, books
and the arts — in the U.S. and around the world.
PAIS
International: Public Affairs Information Service. 1972 - present.
Index, with abstracts since 1985, to articles, books,
conference proceedings, and government documents on social and political
policy, political science, public administration and current affairs.
Readers Guide Retrospective
1890-1982
Provides searchable access to citations from 512 leading
U.S. magazines from 1890 to 1982.
Sociological
Abstracts. 1963 - present.
Citations for articles from over 2,600 journals, books,
conference papers, and dissertations in the sociology and related disciplines.
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).
Newpapers
National
Newspaper Index. 1977 - presnt
Provides quick access to the indexing of America's top
five newspapers in one seamless search: The New York Times, The Wall Street
Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times and The Washington
Post.
New York Times Historical
1851-1999
At long last, we have retrospective access to the NYT full-text!
See also News and
Newspapers on UCI Libraries website.
Note: For other web databases relevant to history research, see CDL History Databases Available to UC Irvine
For other web databases for disciplines related to your topic, e.g.
Arts, see the UCI Libraries website, Article
Databases.
| 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/scholarly journals
in Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences.
Newspapers:
Los Angeles Times Index. 1972- present. Ref. AI 21 L65
N492
Note: Although the LA Times has been published since 1881, the
published index began only in 1972. However, a full-text, online
version is due to be available in summer 2003.
| 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:
| Southeast Asian Archive: Room 360, 3rd floor, Main Library |
The Archive collects materials relating to the resettlement of Southeast
Asian refugees and immigrants in the United States (and to a lesser extent,
worldwide), the boat people and land refugees, and the culture and history
of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. There is a special focus on materials pertaining
to Southeast Asians in Orange County and California.
| 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 |
Search strategies to identify film and video materials:
| 9. 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. BUT 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, intended audience, inherent bias (political, religious, etc.) of the information, etc.
A few sample sites of possible interest:
RE: Vietnam: Stories Since the War
The Vietnam Center (Texas Tech University)
Vietnam Online (PBS: The American Experience)
Vietnam War Internet
Project
"Information and documents about the various Indochina
Wars and to the collection and electronic publication on the web of oral
histories and memoirs of both those who served in and those who opposed
those conflicts."
The Virtual Wall: A Digital Legacy Project for Remembrance
