Post on 04-Aug-2015
“X Never, Ever Marks the Spot”Introduction to Library Research
“Archaeology is the search for fact, not truth”
All research starts with a simple question.
Ex: “Where is the Ark of the Covenant?”
“Why does this boy never return my phone calls?”
“Does she like me?”
BUT bad questions lead to bad research.
“You know she likes you if…..she talks to you.” (wikihow.com)
“70% of all archaeology is done in the library”
• Form groups (3-4 people per group)
• Figure out – What makes a good
question?
(Why is “How do I know he likes me” better than “Does he like me”?)
“We do not follow maps to buried treasure”
“So you can forget any ideas you had of lost cities…”
Questions determine how you search
“How to tell if he likes me?”
--relationships
--signs, symbols, actions
Where would you look for it? Glamour magazine or Journal of Abnormal Psychology? What would you do?
“…exotic travel and digging up the world.”
• Evaluate which source is the best source
• Glamour magazine: Pros and Cons
• Journal of Abnormal Psychology: Pros and Cons
“You call this archaeology?”
Glamour J of A P
“We cannot afford to take mythology at face value”
• Your turn! • Remember, your
question lays out the course– What kind of answers
do you think you will find? And where would you find them?
• Exercise – Where can I find pizza
in Niagara Falls? – What are the rules on
hunting in state parks?
– When is Writing 100 offered?
– What award did NU post on their site on 8/6/2003?
“X Marks the Spot”
• Niagara Falls Pizza
• Hunting
• Writing 100
• NU Award
• Google Maps
• NY State of Environmental Conservation
• Course Catalog
• Wayback Machine
Taking the Next Step: Application to Literature Research
Major Assignment: T.C. Boyle
• T.C. Boyle’s short story “Balto”
• What are the steps? – Find a thesis– Formulate a question– Determine where the answers are
Niagara University Library
NU Library offers ways to help you do your research
• Reference Aid
• Subject Guides
• Access to databases
• www.niagara.edu/library
“Your Mission, should you choose to accept it….” (Mission: Impossible)
• Who is the author?
• Baby boom generation
• Social Commentary
• Relate to other stories?