Researching your History Day Topic at the UWSP

Library

UWSP Library websitehttp://library.uwsp.edu

BooksDvds, videos, audioUS and Wisconsin DocumentsArchival Information – about UWSP and 9

counties in central Wisconsin (including Marathon)

What will I find?

Searching the Catalog

Use Keywords – not sentences Remember that you are NOT searching the

full text of the books – just the title, subject headings, author; with newer books – also chapter titles.

Be more general than in a web search. A book about women’s liberation might have one chapter on birth control. You’ll only find it if you search the general topic and actually open the book!

Search Hints

Enclose phrases in quotation marks “atomic bomb”

Names are last name firstWars are sometimes difficult to find – use:

World War, 1914-1918World War, 1939-1945OR combine “world war” with another keyword

or phrase such as yalta, “atomic bomb”, or “league of nations”

Search hints, continued

Click on a title to see more information

First you’ll see the basics: Title, Author, Publisher

Notice the Subjects – these may give you ideas for other keywords to use

Here’s the info you’ll need to find the book – call number and location

Library of Congress (not Dewey Decimal) – uses an alphanumeric format The first letter is a broad subject area – the

other letters and numbers break that subject downD=World History (subdivided by region, country)E = American History (subdivided by time period)

The numbers may look different, but they work the same way – find the right area and browse the shelves.

Remember that some topics may be in more than one section – Civil Rights will be in History (E) and Sociology (HM & HN)

Call Numbers

Print a listSelect the items that you want to include by checking the box

Then, use the Print button

On the next screen, just hit the click to print button and you’ll get a reformatted list, ready to print out and bring to the library

For most books – check the Call Number If it begins with:A-G 3rd FloorH-PS 4th FloorPT-Z (and Oversize) 5th floor

Check the locationReference Collection 1st FloorIMC Collection 3rd FloorWCEE Collection 4th FloorUS and Wisconsin Documents 6th Floor

Different numbering system

Where is it located?

Archives – for local topicsProvides connection to Wisconsin Historical

Society in Madison and other Area Research Centers around the state – contact the Archives to arrange for materials

New York Times (1858-present) on microfilm and digital formats

Of Special Interest

Check the hours! We have limited hours during winter break. Regular hours resume on January 24.

Call ahead if you need to use the Archives.

Bring your permission form!

Visiting the Library