The Library and the Research Log

While helping researchers locate material in the Library, I frequently notice that they often do not remember which sources they have consulted, nor do they keep track of the various subject headings that each author uses. A minor paper may necessitate only a small amount of library work, but a major project involves thorough, systematic planning in dozens of reference tools, each of which may use a different subject heading for the same concept. One index, for example, may list material on the Civil War under "Civil War," while another may have information under "United States--History--Civil War--1861-1865."

Keep track of your resources and your search procedures in your Research Log! Have you used the Humanities Index? If so, how far back in it did you check? Under what subject headings or keywords did you find material? Did "see also" references give you additional headings? Did you consult America: History and Life or Historical Abstracts? Did the subject headings from your search in the Humanities Index work in these indexes or did you have to use other terms? Did any books/articles have bibliographies that you could consult to find additional citations? Did your professor tell you about a book that might be helpful? Did you record all these sources and procedures in your Research Log? Even a skilled researcher may think, "Oh, I can remember what sources I have used." By the end of the semester, however, you will have consulted dozens of works and it would be impossible to remember them all (including the numerous individual volumes that make up most periodical indexes).

Every time you find something that might be useful, whether it is from a book, an index, or an idea from a person, make a note of it in your Research Log, which helps you to plot a logical path through the Library as you look for information on your topic. I will be examining your Log periodically throughout the semester and will make comments and suggestions that will help you in your research. If you have any questions, please ask me. If you want to see what a superior Log looks like, I always have one or two on Reserve in the Library. Remember that your Log receives a numerical grade, which most definitely counts towards your final grade in this course. And speaking of grades, here is what I look for in a Research Log:
It is important that you become familiar with the Simpson Library's collections (do not merely consult the resources of your hometown public library). Use the VTLS catalog, the specialized books in the Reference collection, and the periodical indexes on compact disc and in paper. Look for bibliographies--not only bibliographies at the end of books or chapters, but entire volumes that are bibliographies themselves.

Have you consulted specialized encyclopedias, guides, and other reference books? For examples, see the titles mentioned in this handbook or ask me or another reference librarian for help.

An important point to remember is that there is more to periodical research than a hasty search through the compact disks, which--for the most part--go back only about ten years. For a historiographical paper on World War II, for instance, you would probably have to check such contemporary sources in paper as the International Index to Periodicals, Historical Abstracts, and America: History and Life, or an index that covers a wide range of years like the Combined Retrospective Index Set to Journals in History, 1838-1974.

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