Getting Started in the LibraryThis library guide points you in the direction of some basic library resources for completing library assignments and writing research papers in this course. Many of these resources are available from the library's homepage at http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/, so you may want to bookmark both the homepage and this guide.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Gaining an OverviewTo develop and refine your search, it often helps to consult a specialized dictionary, encyclopedia, handbook, textbook, guide, or bibliography. These tools are designed to offer an overview of your topic or research problem written by an expert. They may provide an historical perspective, a chronology of events, definitions of terms or concepts, or bibliographic references leading to the literature in a particular field of study. Many useful reference works are now available online. These handy e-reference collections are accessible via Find Resources By... Subject, Title, or Type on the library's homepage.
Historical Research ProcessWhen conducting historical research: FIRST. Use specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, guides, and textbooks to identify who, what, when, where, how and why.
SECOND. Use the references cited at the end of chapters or articles in textbooks, specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, and guides, and specialized bibliographies to identify the core scholarly research on your topic or research problem.
THIRD. Use databases and indexes to update core scholarly research with current scholarly material.
FOURTH. Identify and obtain as much primary source material as possible. A primary source documents first-hand accounts or first recordings of events. The historian using a number of such primary sources produces a secondary source. Examples of primary source materials include letters, diaries, memoirs, speeches, contemporaneous newspaper accounts, government documents, statistics, photographs, etc. Consult the History librarian for help in locating primary source materials.
Selected Reference Works for this CourseAtlasesCultural Atlas of Russia and the Soviet Union (Reference DK38 .C4 1995)
Penguin Atlas of Russia and the Soviet Union (Reference DK33 .W59 1984)
BibliographiesBooks in English on the Soviet Union 1917-73: A Bibliography (Reference Z2491 .J65)
Reinterpreting Russia: An Annotated Bibliography of Books on Russia, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation (Reference DK17 .B65 1997)
Russia and the Soviet Union: A Bibliographic Guide to Western-Language Publications (Reference DK17 .H67 1965)
Russia and the USSR and Eastern Europe: A Biographical Guide to English Language Publications: 1964-1974, 1975-1980, 1981-1985 (Reference Z2483 .H54)
To Russia and Return: An Annotated Bibliography of Travelers English-Language Accounts of Russia from the Ninth Century to the Present (Reference DK19 .N47 1961)
EncyclopediasCambridge Encyclopedia of Russia (Reference DK14 .C35 1994) Includes long scholarly articles arranged by broad topic. Bibliography of further readings arranged by chapter at the end of the volume.
Encyclopedia of Russian History, 4 vols. (Reference DK14 .E53 2004) Includes moderate-length and brief entries with bibliography of further readings at the end of each entry.
Encyclopedia of Russian History: From the Christianization of Kiev to the Break-up of the USSR (Reference DK36 .P39 1993) Includes brief entries with bibliography of further readings at the end of each entry.
Encyclopedia of Russian Women's Movements (Reference HQ1665.15 .E5 2001) Identifies three distinct periods: the nineteenth century and early twentieth century prior to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the Soviet period, 1917-1991 and the transitional era and post-Soviet movements, 1985 to present.
Russian RevolutionBlackwell Encyclopedia of the Russian Revolution (Reference DK265 .B54 1995)
Critical Companion to the Russian Revolution, 1914-1921 (Reference DK265 .C68 1997)
Dictionary of the Russian Revolution (Reference DK265 .D49 1989)
Soviet NationalitiesGuide to the Study of Soviet Nationalities: Non-Russian Peoples of the USSR (Reference DK33 .G85 1982)
Handbook of Major Soviet Nationalities (Reference DK33 .H35 1975)
Peoples of the USSR: An Ethnographic Handbook (Reference DK33 .W59 1984)
Searching IUCAT for Books and PeriodicalsSearch IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog), to find books and periodicals (scholarly journals, popular magazines, newspapers, and other serials), or library materials such as music CDs, electronic resources, and videos. Materials at the Fort Wayne Helmke Library are designated by the library location FORTWAYNE.
IUCAT searches from on-campus computers will show only materials held by the IPFW Fort Wayne Helmke Library. To search all IU libraries, choose ALL from the Select Library pull-down menu on the search screen.
Sometimes IUCAT will lead you to articles in periodicals, but the most efficient way to locate articles is to use a periodical database or index to search many periodicals simultaneously.
Learning about IUCATSave time in the long run by investing a half-hour with our interactive Searching IUCAT Tutorial. It is an easy way to grasp fundamental search techniques and try your hand at practice searches designed to reinforce your knowledge. Also check our other IUCAT Guides for help in using IUCAT to your best advantage.
Choosing the Type of SearchUse the default Basic Search search option to find important keywords or phrases in an IUCAT record, in any order. Choose this search when you are unsure of the exact author or title of works on your topic.
Choose the Begins With (Browse) option from the box labeled More IUCAT Searches to find words or phrases exactly as typed, letter-for-letter, searching from left to right. Choose this search to find known authors or titles. Step 1. Enter term(s) in Title, Author, or Keywords Anywhere search boxes.
Step 2. Under Library, leave Fort Wayne Helmke Library as default, or change to ALL.
Step 3. Click the Search button.
Keyword Search ExamplesKeywords Anywhere will search for words anywhere in a record. This search is the default when the Enter key is used instead of clicking the button.
Example: peasant$ and commune$ and Russia
Author will search for first or last names in any order in the author fields of a record. Included are personal names, organizations, agencies, corporations, conferences, etc.
Example: stolypin petr [finds works by Petr Stolypin]
Subject will search for important words in the official Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
Example: Soviet Union and History and Revolution 1917-1921
Finding Periodicals in IUCATStep 1. Choose Periodical Title Search from the box labeled More IUCAT Searches.
Step 2. Enter the periodical title. Choose Keyword or Exact depending on the search you need.
Step 3. Select the correct record from the Search Results screen.
Step 4. In the IUCAT record look for the URL (for Electronic Resources available Online) or Holdings (for printed periodicals) to find what specific years and volumes are available at IUCAT's FORTWAYNE location.
Step 5. When the library owns the printed volumes you need, write down the call number and location. The call number and IUCAT Shelving Locations will help you determine where an item will be shelved in the library. Or if the resource is available online, follow the URL link to the full-text content.
Locating Books and Periodicals in the LibraryBooks, printed periodicals, and other library materials are shelved in Library of Congress Classification (LC) call number order. The call number and IUCAT Shelving Locations will help you determine on which floor of the library an item will be shelved.
Searching for Periodical ArticlesThe most efficient way of finding a high-quality periodical article , is to search a periodical database or index that provides descriptive abstracts, subject indexing, and often, the full-text content of articles. Check out the interactive Finding Articles Tutorial to learn the basics of choosing and searching the Academic Search Premier database. Below is a selection of databases useful for your course. For a complete list, see the library's Find Resources By... page. Select a resource by Subject, Title, or Type (choose Abstracts & Indexes).
Databases for this Course
Academic Search Premier -       |
Coverage: Indexing coverage varies, with full-text content for some titles beginning 1975 or earlier, and most titles indexed from the 1990s. |
Brief Description: Provides abstracts and indexing of articles in more than 8,000 popular magazines, scholarly journals, and major newspapers in all fields of study, with nearly 4,000 titles available full text. |
Tools Available: A complete list of titles covered is available. |
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Digital National Security Archive - |
Coverage: 1945 to present |
Brief Description: The database includes the most important declassified documents regarding critical U.S. policy decisions since 1945. |
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Worldwide Political Science Abstracts - |
Coverage: 1975 to present |
Brief Description: The database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of books, dissertations, films, software and international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, labor relations, and public administration/policy. |
Tools Available: An online list of journals indexed is available. An online database guide is also available. |
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NOTE: Access to Historical Abstracts is available by appointment with History librarian, Cheryl Truesdell (truesdel@ipfw.edu or 260-481-6506)
Is Your Article Scholarly or Popular?University instructors often ask students to use articles from scholarly journals rather than from popular magazines for their research assignments. The following Is Your Journal Scholarly? (PDF) summarizes major differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines. Which type of source have you located?
What about Full Text?Full text means that the text of the article is available in PDF or HTML digital format. Graphics and tables are not automatically included unless the database producer has rights to publish them. Many of the library's licensed databases offer the full-text content of periodical articles. IPFW students, faculty, and staff now have access to more than 20,000 full-text journals. Find them in E-Journal Finder.
When an article you need is not available full text in the database you are using, choose  to see all of your delivery options. You may be able to access the full-text content in another database, request the article from another library through Document Delivery Services, or make a photocopy of the article if the printed periodical is owned by Helmke Library.
When a Resource is Not Available in the LibraryRequest Delivery is an IUCAT feature that allows IPFW faculty, students, and staff to request materials held by other Indiana University Libraries and to have them delivered to Helmke Library (see the IUCAT Request Delivery Fact Sheet).
You may also request any item that is not available at Helmke Library through Document Delivery Services (DDS). DDS borrows books and provides photocopies of periodical articles from other library collections. The service is free for IPFW faculty, staff, and students.
Using Government InformationThe U.S. government is an excellent source for primary research materials. Helmke Library has been a selective federal depository for U.S. government publications since 1965, receiving items in the categories of business, the census, commerce, defense history, education, health, justice, foreign affairs, presidential and congressional materials. Many federal government publications are freely available in digital format, and these resources can be accessed using IUCAT Catalog. The library's Public Information Reference Service (PIRS) provides research assistance as well as access to the wealth of local, state, federal, and international government information on the Web. The Allen County Public Library is also a federal depository library.
Searching the InternetFor some information needs, the Internet may supplement library resources. To begin an Internet search, try one of the many search engines on our Internet Search site. One that works well is Google, which ranks results by number of links leading to a site. The section on Subject-Oriented Tools includes directories that have evaluated and selected sites for specific subject areas, such as the Librarians' Index to the Internet.
Because the World Wide Web is a massive, tangled directory of knowledge producers, research, facts, and entertaining tidbits of information, you must be critical about the material you find there. Quality and validity are not assured when anyone can publish anything, anytime, without the benefit of scholarly peer review. There are many useful guides and tutorials to help you understand how to navigate and evaluate Web sites, including Is Your Web Site Credible?
Finding Internet sites for this CourseThe Internet has become a useful place to locate primary and secondary source material. However, each Web site needs to be evaluated for its quality. The library's Judging Sources: Is your Web site Credible? provides a checklist for determining the validity of a Web site for your research needs. English-Language Primary Sources for the Study of Soviet History: An on-line resource (Conceived of and developed by Professor Terry Martin and supported by Harvard University) This on-line resource is intended to facilitate Harvard students' use of primary source materials in their course papers by easing the process of identifying relevant English-language books and publications. See its data bases: a) The party-state (document collections & writing of party leaders); b) Soviet society (biographies & Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System); c) state publishing (newspapers, journals, pamphlets, booklets..., Soviet fiction); d) outside observers (travelers’ accounts and foreign diplomatic sources); other (further bibliographies).
Cold War International History Project (CWIHP) The CWIHP disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War, in particular new findings from previously inaccessible sources from the former Communist world. It includes collections on Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the end of the Cold War.
Cold War Studies at Harvard University The Harvard Project on Cold War Studies promotes archival research in former East-bloc countries and seeks to expand and enrich what is known about Cold War events and themes. More important, it encourages scholars and students to use their research on Cold War topics to illuminate current theoretical debates about international and domestic politics.
Russian and East European Studies Virtual Library (University of Pittsburgh) Searchable by subject and keyword. It is also the gateway for Russian and Soviet studies to The World Wide Web Virtual Library.
A Research Guide to Soviet History (the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Prepared by Prof. Donald J. Raleigh this guide provides references to bibliographies, periodicals, newspapers, dissertations, biography, internet sites and other resources.
Slavic and Eastern European Studies Russian Reference Works (Stanford University Libraries) Prepared by Wojciech Zalewski.
Russian and Slavic Web Resources (San Diego State University Library and Information Access) Contains major internet resources essential for students of Russian and Slavic languages and literatures. Many of these sources are also useful in studying the culture of the Slavic and East European countries.
Library of Congress's Documents from the Soviet Archive In this archive are files relating to a Library of Congress exhibit of materials from the newly opened Soviet archives. The images do not comprise the complete documents; they are sample pages from the documents.
Soviet Archive Exhibit (Library of Congress) This exhibit is the first public display of the hitherto highly secret internal record of Soviet Communist rule This exhibit contains: the first significant number of documents ever shown anywhere from what may be the most important new source of primary materials for understanding the history of the twentieth century. These documents provide an unprecedented inside look at the workings of one of the largest, most powerful and long-lived political machines of the modern era. As in any modern archive, there is more bureaucratic verbiage and fewer instant revelations than one might hope for. The documents that the Library of Congress has here chosen from the 500 made available from the Russian archives cover the entire range of Soviet history from the October Revolution of 1917 to the failed coup of August 1991. They include material from archives that had been key working files of the Communist rulers until August 1991: the archives of the Central Committee, the Presidential archive, and the KGB.
Style Guides and Useful Tools for WritingA variety of style guides are on reserve at the Service Desk on the first floor. These tools help you organize and write your paper, and format in-text references and bibliography lists. For more information, also see our Style Guides and Writing Guides subject pathfinders.
And Finally, Ask a LibrarianLibrarians and skilled information assistants are always available to assist you. Visit the Service Desk to meet an information assistant who will help you get started. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.
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truesdel@ipfw.edu
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
260-481-6514
Fax: 260-481-6509
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Cheryl Truesdell M.L.S.
Dean
Helmke Library, LB 142 |
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| Created by: |
C. Truesdell |
| Date created: |
2008-02-22 |
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