African American Experience

Research Resources

Library Reference Desk:   Remember the “Rule of 5” – if you aren’t having success after 5 minutes, ask a librarian for help!

Library Web Page:

http://library.highline.edu/findit.php

Reference Books:

Reference books save time!  In just minutes you can find reliable introductions to almost any topic in usually 4 pages or less.  You can’t print them out, but you can photocopy the pages for 5¢ each.  Try these areas:

Library Databases:

ProQuest (magazine, newspaper and journal articles):

You can learn to “use” ProQuest very quickly.  However, it takes lots of practice and experience to learn to select your search terms so that you get just what you want.  Until you get that experience, be sure to ask a librarian for help with your search.

Ebsco Academic Search Premier (magazine and journal articles):

Provides full text for nearly 4,600 scholarly publications, including full text for more than 3,500 peer-reviewed journals. Coverage spans virtually every area of academic study and offers information dating as far back as 1975.

Academic (News, Law, Business, Medicine or Reference information):

This is actually 5 databases in one, and each one has many useful parts.  In class we will look at broadcast news transcripts, but take a little time to explore this – it’s a gold mine.

Electric Library (periodicals, books, pictures, maps and transcripts):

Like Academic Universe, this database has news transcripts.  It can also help you find pictures, maps, sections of books, and some magazines and newspapers.  Searching is simple.

Matter of Fact (statistics in text form):

The statistical information here is not in table format.  Instead the statistics are included in brief excerpts from in articles, web pages and government documents.
 

To get periodical articles:

1. Start with ProQuest in most cases.
2. From the Library’s “Research Resources” web page
3. Click on ProQuest Direct.
4. Truncation symbol: asterisk – *

To get to broadcast news transcripts:

1.     From the Library’s “Research Resources” web page

2.     Click on Library Databases

3.     Click on Academic Universe

4.     In the left column, under the heading “Academic Search Forms,” click on News.

5.     In the box labeled “Step One: Select a news category,” drop down the menu and select News Transcripts.

6.     In the box labeled “Step Two: Select a news source”, drop down the menu and select the news source that interests you.

7.     You’re ready to go.  Be sure to look at the various settings and change them when necessary to improve your search.

8.     Truncation symbol: exclamation point – !

Note: Instead of selecting News Transcripts (step 5) try one of the other news sources such as World News, Business News, Legal News or Medical News.