HST 290: U.S. & Asia Cold War Searching for Sources Dr. Yixin Chen Ms. Sue Cody

How are your research skills?

• Do you like doing research? – Why or why not?

– What confuses/frustrates you most about doing research?

– What questions do you have about conducting research for this class?

• How would you rate your current research skills?

– Strong/Satisfactory/Needs improvement/Poor (Take a vote.)

Our plan for the week • Review Research Guide for this course.

• Explore various finding aids.

• Learn to identify primary sources.

• Become familiar with special services.

– Interlibrary Loan – Ask a librarian

How much do you know about US-Asian Cold War relations?

Where do you plan to start?

Which finding aids are most useful?

• For books?

• For scholarly articles?

• For articles written during the time studied?

• For other primary sources?

Finding Books • Library Catalog – local & UNCP/FSU • WorldCat – 9,000 libraries • Some databases lead to books – Cited directly – Book reviews • Google Books

Randall Online Catalog: Keyword v. Subject • What’s the difference?

• What are some useful Subject Headings for the Cold War in Asia?

– Start with a keyword search, then look for subjects in the records retrieved.

Keyword/Subject features • Keyword – Finds words anywhere in record.

– Look at records to see subject headings.

– Search lots of terms, word variations • Subject Headings – Controlled vocabulary – May not be “natural language” but may find more – Hierarchical arrangement helps narrow topic – Searches only the subject field

Searching Personal Names – Keyword searches • Either order • Try name variations, e.g., initials – Author/Subject • Last name first (Western names) • Consistent use • Example: Mao Tse-tung and Mao Zedong

Online Catalog links • Subjects for related items • Call numbers for related items (usually) • Library of Congress outline – http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html

• SuDoc arranges by agency • Cover, summary, reviews • Location maps • Expanding search to UNCCLC • Repeating search

Journal Holdings & Access • Follow the citation trail!

• Search your citation – Does the library have it?

– What format or location?

– What online access?

Database Exploration • Historical Abstracts • WorldCat • JStor • Academic Search Premier • Project Muse • Search your topic

Secondary - Primary • For Thursday: – Find a relevant secondary source (book or article) with a bibliography.

– Review the bibliography to find a primary source.

– Copy the page with the primary source citation.

– Highlight citation, bring to class.

Next Class • Databases – More techniques for refining • Finding articles from a citation • Primary Sources – What they are – How to find them

HST 290: Korean War Searching for Sources Dr. Yixin Chen Ms. Sue Cody

Bibliographies as finding aids • What did you find?

• How did you decide what was a primary source?

Search tips • And, Or, Not – And narrows – Or adds synonyms/related – Not excludes (use carefully) • Truncate for word variations – (diploma* = diplomacy, diplomat, diplomats) • Words anywhere or phrase? – “Cold War”

Journal Holdings & Access • Bibliographies will cite useful publications • Follow the citation trail!

• Search your citation – Does the library have it?

– What format or location?

– What online access?

Working from a known citation • Pearson, Lester Bowles. “Allies will not Back U.S. Against Communism in Asia.” U.S. News & World Report 34 (June 19, 1953):56-?

• Zhang, Xiaoming, “The Vietnam War, 1964-1969: From a Chinese Perspective.” Journal of Military History 60 (1996): 731-762. • Oh, Bonnie B. C. “The Korean War: No Longer Forgotten.” Journal of Asian Studies. 57 (1998): 156-160.

Primary Sources • Dairies, journals, other writings of “players” • Eyewitness/Observer accounts • Memoirs, autobiographies (written later) • Official documents – Laws, treaties, reports, orders, transcripts of proceedings, addresses, etc.

• Images, Artifacts

Primary or Secondary?

• Scholarly article on President Truman’s decision-making process relating to the Korean War.

• National Security Council Directives issued during the Korean War years.

• An encyclopedia of the Korean War.

• U.S. soldiers’ letters home from the Korean War.

• Biography of General MacArthur.

• Government publication from the Army’s Center of Military History. • 1986 book by a historian about the integration of African-American of soldiers in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Korean War.

Primary or Secondary?

• English translation of a memoir by Paek Son-yop (South Korean Army officer) • New York Times articles on the Tet offensive, 1968.

• New York Times articles on the 50th anniversary of the Korean War.

• Photographs relating to the Korean War on the Eisenhower Library website.

• Vietnam War Chronology.

Randall Online Catalog • Standard Subheadings – Correspondence – Diaries – Personal narratives – Sources – Treaties – See guide for others

Randall Online Catalog • Search general headings, use indexes – Vietnam War and personal narratives • Search specific headings or persons – Harry S. Truman as author • Look for items not tagged as primary source – Primary documents may be included in secondary sources – Eyewitness authors may not be tagged as sources

WorldCat • May find items at Randall that catalog search didn’t (records enhanced later) • Finds items for ILL requests – Rare items not lent – Rare items may be reprinted & available • Websites included – often w/ free access!

Use the Research Guides!

• Links to a variety of sources for your researching pleasure.

• Pre-1970s Popular Periodicals • Primary Sources Guide

Questions?

What will you do when you have questions?

Ask for help – it’s what we do!

[email protected]

http://library.uncwil.edu/askref.html