Transcript Specialist materials : primary sources

Specialist materials:
primary sources
Today’s session
• Outline the value of primary sources and how
these relate to their research topic including:
– Assessing primary sources such as newspapers,
official publications, archives and data to
determine if they are appropriate sources for
their research topic
– Locate, access and use these materials
effectively
– Demonstrate awareness of how to cite and
manage these sources.
Data
Collections
Microdata - Large scale government surveys,
longitudinal data and opinion polls
Aggregated Data - Socio economic indicators
from organizations such as OECD, EUROSTAT,
IMF, World Bank.
Financial Databases - Information on markets,
companies, exchange rates
Geographic Information Resources, GIS Covering EU admin boundaries and Ordnance
Survey data
Popular Data Sources
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Datastream
Bloomberg
World Development Indicators (via ESDS)
Global Market Information Database
WRDS
OECDiLibrary
..among many others. All can be found on
the Library Catalogue
And…
• International Data Centres and Statistical
Institutes
• Free Data!
– http://delicious.com/lselibrary
– IGOs such as World Bank, Eurostat or
OECD or IMF
ESDS International
• Aggregate and survey international datasets.
Examples include:
• Eurostat
• ILO Key Indicators of the Labour Market
• IMF International Financial Statistics
• OECD International Migration Statistics
• World Bank World Development Indicators
• European Foundation for the Improvement of
Living and Working Conditions datasets
• Eurobarometer Survey Series
• European Social Survey
Access, licences, red tape
• Most recent data is available online – LSE
username and password
• Some on Data PCs only (first floor at Help Desk)
• Some on CD-ROM only
• Historical statistics (pre 1960 approx.) are more
likely to be found in print
• All our data is licensed for research and academic
purposes only
• Assume data cannot be shared with people from
other institutions without permission
Data – be prepared…
• Plan ahead! Finding the right data can
take time.
• Talk to colleagues in your department –
they might have tried to do what you’re
trying before, or know certain systems
well.
• Remember not all data actually exists – if
you can, be flexible
Newspapers
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Why are newspapers important?
What sort of information do they contain
Text or images?
Other resources
Databases at LSE
• Nexis UK for News
– UK National & Local
– International
– Text only-no images
• Times Digital archive
1785-1985
– Scanned
newspapers
– Search by date,
keyword, article type
• Access via Library
Catalogue
• Also:
– Mideast Wire
– Peoples Daily
– Current Digest of the
Post Soviet Press
online
– Latin America
Database
– Historical collections
• Free resources via
Delicious
British Library
• British Library Newspaper Library at
Colindale
– UK National & Regional
– International
– Microfilm or CDROM - will contain images
– BL online services at St. Pancras
– Colindale being merged into St. Pancras
Nexis
• UK daily Newspapers from 1980 onwards. Also
includes current awareness magazines (e.g.
Economist) and newswire services
• Major Foreign newspapers most from 1980
onwards
• Files are usually updated daily. However in
some cases (e.g. Financial Times) stories are
embargoed for 24 Hours
• Photographs, graphs and original visual layouts
are not available on the database. If you
require these you must use an alternative
source.
Nexis Tips
• Lexis automatically searches for most regular
plural terms eg city would find city, cities, city's
and cities'.
• However, it will not automatically find the plural
form of words that end in "us" or "is", or other
irregular plural forms.
• For example, bonus will not find not find
bonuses and child would not find children. In
these case you need to search for child or
children
More tips
Results
• Using In the Headline or Major Mentions
– ensures that your hits will have greater relevance
– useful for when your search is likely to retrieve a great
number of articles.
– List of results displayed gives only brief details. To
view the full article, click on the highlighted title of the
article.
Views
– To see the full text of an article, click on the document title in
either List or Expanded List in the drop down menu at the top
left hand side of the screen.
– Expanded List shows the same information as List but also
shows your search terms in context.
– This view can help you decide whether the article is relevant to
your research topic.
Financial Times
• From the home screen select the cream sources tab.
• Then select Find sources and search for Financial Times.
• This will retrieve several titles. Select Financial Times
(London)
• Select OK - this will reload the search screen entering the
FT in the select Sources Field.
• If you want to cross search the FT with other newspapers,
choose the Sources tab > Browse sources > Newspapers
• On this screen is an a-z list of Single Sources. You can
then tick the boxes next to the titles you need and select
OK.
• The search screen will now reload. Check that the titles
you want to search are entered in the sources box.
Official publications
• Wide range of materials produced by
national governments or
intergovernmental organisations (IGOs)
– Statistics
– Proceedings / meeting records
– Reports of activities
– Legal documents
– Consultation papers / proposals for reform
– Country profiles
United Kingdom
Image: front page of a House of Lords official report, November, 6,
2007
Subscription resource: no
Amendments: 1) cropped to exclude browser window
Collections
• United Kingdom print holdings are extensive - go
back to the earliest days of parliament.
Our UK holdings mainly fall into three categories:
• Parliamentary papers – these are documents
that support the work of parliament such as
reports of committees
• Hansard – this is the verbal record of the debate
within parliament. It is held in print format and
online from 1803-2005 is available.
• Departmental publications - these can be annual
reports, responses to government policy etc.
Key online resources
• Public Information Online, 2006 • House of Commons Parliamentary
Papers – 3 centuries to 2003-04 includes
Bills, Command Papers, HC papers,
Accounts, Reports
United States
Image: front page of an hearing from the US committee of foreign affairs, May, 8, 1990
Amendments: 1) cropped to exclude browser window
US Government
• LSE - US federal depository since 1903
Main holdings include:
• Congressional documents including committee
hearings
• Serials Set
• Public papers of the president
But majority of this collection cannot be located
using the Library Catalogue.
Key finding tool: US GPO
Contact Library for specialist help.
International Organizations
Image: front page of a UN Security council session (Repot of the Secretary-General on the United Nations mission of
observers in Prevlaka
Edited: Yes
Why use IGO materials?
• Practical - often based on field experience
(more authoritative?)
• Timely (not slowed by peer review process)
• Trans-national viewpoint (global governance
issues)
• Primary source materials (documents,
meeting records)
IGO
• Produce comparable (harmonised)
statistical data
• IGO programmes affect government
programmes – produce information for
planning, research, and decision making;
affect national legislation; people’s lives
(labour standards; health, transport,
communications standards)
IGO
• Each IGO has its own agenda and its own values
to promote (e.g. “Washington concensus”)
• Objectivity?
• IGO research often contracted out to academics
• IGO material is just one type researchers need to
use.
• Numerous IGOs with output not necessarily
aimed at academic or public usage
• Enormous range of roles and structures
Tracking down Archives
• Think broadly and widely
• What terms could be relevant?
• Organisations, individuals, events
The National Archives
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The National Archives: its own catalogue and research guides.
Includes animated guides:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/quick-animated-guides.htm
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Podcasts: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/podcasts/default.htm
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Cabinet papers, 1915-79
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National Register of Archives: location of archives by
person/organisation. Links to other resources such as:
– Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
– ARCHON
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A2A: Access to archives
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AIM25: archives in London and the M25 area
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Archiveshub: archives in the UK
Looking further afield…
Some outside the UK:
• UNESCO Archives portal
• Repositories of primary sources (University
of Idaho)
• MICHAEL Directory of online resources from
archives, libraries, museums across Europe.
For other resource discovery sites see:
• LSE Archives other archival resources
Visiting a reading room
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Contact in advance
Opening hours?
Registration and rules?
Availability and ordering?
Copying policies?
Take detailed notes
Allow yourself plenty of time
Conclusions
• These materials all have special
characteristics
• Important to understand the resources and
the organisations or governments that
produce them
• Do follow up with your Academic Support
Librarian for further assistance with your
research area.
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