The History Fair research process involves three stages of increasing specificity: 1) Basic background research using general secondary sources to develop a broad understanding. 2) Focused research on the topic using more specialized secondary sources and some primary sources to narrow the topic. 3) In-depth research using expert secondary sources and archival primary sources to tell the story.

1. The History Fair Research Journey

8. ON-LINE DATABASES PORTALS & INVISIBLE INTERNET WEBSITES “ The Internet”

10. Portals lead to the websites that contain primary sources…

12. Google, Yahoo are NOT sources – they are S earch Engines (It might help to think of them as library card catalogs… that get you to the sources you need.)

16. WHAT’S UP WITH Wikipedia? It’s a beginning reference -- just like a general encyclopedia which means its only background information – not a valid History Fair secondary source. The citations, however, can be useful in finding real books and articles.

17. Secondary Sources are First!* *but you will find primary sources along the way, too!

20. Links to other entries Primary source Author Important secondary sources recommended by author Similar narrow topic can be very helpful in building knowledge

23. CPL has two “pathfinders” to support History Fair research

24. Shows the library, location, and call # -- an efficient way to find similar topics If not at your local branch, place a “hold” on book and it will be delivered to your local library Books are categorized a number of ways. Use subjects to find related titles

25. Another way to use the CPL catalog The “tags” or groups that appear on the side can lead more materials on the topic – choose what seems most relevant for your needs

26. www.chicagopubliclibrary.org Some material at CPL will qualify as primary sources.

28. PRIMARY SOURCES: A person’s “PAPERS” in Special Collections or newspaper articles written at that time SECONDARY SOURCES: Journal and newspaper articles, books, & dissertations

30. History journals such as Chicago History or the Journal of American History contain both secondary & primary sources These kinds of journals are INDEXED in “America: History & Life” and J-Stor.

31. J-STOR offers FULL TEXT quality secondary source articles by historians and other scholars dating from as far back as 1899 until the 1990s. Now available at all CPL branches (but not from home)!

33. History Fair Bibliographies at www.chicagohistory.org Use CHM bibliographies to find as many sources as possible through CPL, so when you go to the resource center at CHM, you are looking at sources you can’t get elsewhere!

34. Amazon.com can help find recent books that may be important for your research. Many new books will show Table of Contents or Index so you can figure out if you need to look at it. Also, “other books bought” and tags can take you to more sources to look for at the library. Do you think CPL will have this book?

35. Primary Sources All kinds of material from the time period that are the “voices from the past” and can be found wherever things have been saved. Depending on the topic, search online, at libraries-archives-special collections, organizations and businesses, and perhaps your even your own home!

36. Primary sources are the “stuff of history” that make history come alive and are the evidence for your argument.

37. Portals lead to the websites that contain primary sources… For example…

38. American Memory and other websites at the Library of Congress

40. Library Congress contains more than photographs!

41. The best websites are composed mostly of primary sources. In some cases, they are subject-based and organized.

43. Chicago History Museum sources that contain both primary and secondary sources. Ask to see the printed materials, and Special Collections—but only after you’ve done your background research!

44. J-STOR: available online AT any Chicago Library branch Why is this article a primary source? What might you gain from reading it?

46. Students in Special Collections?

47. YES!

48. Where to Find Special Collections History Fair website

49. Websites often list what RECORDS & PAPERS they hold offer a description of what a research may find. The librarians and archivists know their collections best, so call to talk about research before going.

50. Some websites even have “finding aids” so you can see exactly what is in the collection!

51. Chicago Historical Museum Research Center Students must make an appointment to use research center. The real treasures are in the Manuscripts & Papers, printed catalog, and photo archives. Check out “Archie” to begin your search into the special collections. A CHM librarian’s support is crucial.

54. Visit Historic Sites & Museums Going to the places where history happened or taking a close look at the "real stuff" in museums helps students visualize the history that they've been researching and is an exciting part of doing History Fair. The guides at historic sites and museums can offer many insights – still, they are secondary sources.

56. Bibliographic Information maybe either MLA or Turabian (CMS) style. The annotation summarizes the source and explains how it was used in project. Primary and Secondary Sources should be separated.

57. There are 3 parts to an annotated bibliography “ Battle for the World’s Fair Site.” Chicago Daily Tribune 23 September 1889, 4. In this article, the Chicago Tribune stated that Chicago would only have to worry about New York getting the World’s Fair, which I used to prove that because Washington did not have enough money, and St. Louis entered the competition late, they were not big competitors. Summary of the information used Explanation of how it was used for evidence The Citation

58. If you have access to the internet, use Easybib.com or Citationmaker.com Best style for projects is “CMS” which means “Chicago Manual of Style” otherwise known as “Turabian.” MLA is acceptable. (Remember to save on your own disk in a Word file!) Tips for Citations

59. When does the History Fair research journey end?