Strategies for finding information in support of search and share (and other) assignments:
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Start with something you know, or a question that interests you. Consider who has had stakes in creating, holding, preserving, making related info accessible. Try multiple strategies for searching the same repository. Indexing can vary. Build OR statements based on what you find to broaden your search if necessary. Use available facets to surface formats you need. Search within key sources - ctrl/cmd+f, other tools
Nanaimo Free Press [Thursday, May 23, 1895] |
from: Thom, B. (2005). Coast Salish senses of place... |
- from Hul'qumi'num' Words: An English-to-Hul'qumi'num' and Hul'qumi'num'-to-English Dictionary. Prepared for the Chemainus, Nanaimo, and Nanoose First Nations and Nanaimo School District No. 68, December, 1997. |
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What qualifies as a "primary" source?
creators/sources
considerations
examples & issues
"The wreck of the SS San Pedro on Brotchie Ledge off Victoria." 1894. British Columbia Archives visual records collections. Item A-00137.
What questions occur to you?
What key words and phrases?
What might be some possible sources and repositories to consult for related information?
Indigenous sources
Missionary and settler sources
Perspectives & strategies
Exploring the dimensions of the topic
Identify key words and concepts.
Note and use relationships among concepts: broader, narrower, related; synonyms, orthographies, changes in language and usage over time.
e.g.:
Coast Salish, Hulquminum, Hul'qumi'num, Chemainus, Stz'uminus, Shts'um'inus...
("salmon canning" OR "salmon cannery" OR "salmon canneries" OR "fish cannery" OR "fish canneries")
Note questions that arise as you go.
Sources to support your journal activity:
Cooksey, R., & McDonald, G. (2019). How should I record my research journey? (pp. 55-71). In Surviving and thriving in postgraduate research (2nd ed.). Springer. Retrieved from: https://books.google.ca/books?id=_ZSfDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PR6&ots=EVg9FsuKjA&lr&pg=PA55#v=onepage&q&f=false
Engin, M. (2011). Research Diary: A Tool for Scaffolding. International Journal of Qualitative Methods: ARCHIVE, 10(3), 296-306. Retrieved from: https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/ijqm/index.php/IJQM/article/view/8069
Where to look for scholarly, secondary sources depends on the nature and scope of your topic
Tracing the scholarly conversation
One useful work may help to locate other useful primary and secondary sources:
Look at references (footnotes, endnotes, bibliography) to trace the sources the author used.
Use Google Scholar "cited by" or LibrarySearch "cited by these articles" to find other works that mention a topic or an interesting work that you've found.
Selected resources for Chicago Style
Regarding dated and harmful language:
Library collections include items that reflect the socio-cultural norms and prejudices of their times. Academic libraries are challenged to preserve contemporaneous expressions of ideas, not to endorse or perpetuate them, but so they may be studied and challenged in service of a more just, equitable, and humane society. We recognize that students, employees and library workers will encounter discriminatory, offensive and hateful representations within Library collections, and that harms may occur as a result, even as we seek to anticipate and mitigate those impacts through careful work. We are committed to, and actively engaged in, ongoing and iterative work to reconcile our responsibility to support scholarly inquiry with our commitment to the safety, inclusion, equity and dignity of all persons engaging with VIU Library spaces, services and collections. Please contact us for further information as needed.
VIU Library | email:library@viu.ca | Nanaimo: 250.740.6330 | Cowichan: 250.746.3517 | tiwšɛmawtxʷ: 1.888.920.2221 ext.6330 |
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