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Reference and Instruction Librarian
Tips for Local Research
- Create a timeline of your research topic. The Information Age has conditioned us to search using keywords. Many historical documents online are not text-searchable, but are often organized by date. If you know a date range, you can browse documents for relevant information.
- Follow the clues left by others before you and expand on their research. Look at authors' reference lists to discover publications or collections you may not have considered.
- If at first you don't succeed, try again. Not every lead is successful, and you may meet several dead ends during your search. Try thinking about your search in a new way with different keywords. Sometimes broadening or narrowing your original topic opens up more possibilities.
- Remember you are part of a community. Face to face interaction still works! Consulting your local librarians, meeting with the local historical society, or visiting local museums is a great way to find people who can share their expertise and knowledge.
