anth140 - introduction to prehistory
DESCRIPTION
Presentation for an Anthropology survey course prior to an essay assignment. Fall 2007TRANSCRIPT
ANTH140: Introduction to Prehistory
Essay Assignment
Cathy CranstonLibrarian
http://lib.colostate.edu/research/anthro/anth140.html
The Year is 4007• Remnants of a civilization in the foothills of the
Rocky Mountains in the shadow of the Horsetooth formation have been found
• The foundation of a vast building was uncovered in the center of an ancient town
• The building appeared to be a repository of human knowledge
• Around the year 2007 it is hypothesized that humans had to make a journey to this building to touch objects called journals, books and computers in order to discover information
The Year is 4007
• Evidence suggests that the most successful data gatherers at the turn of the 21st century had these traits in common:– They started gathering early– They took good notes about their sources as they
gathered– If stuck, they asked questions of the wise old
sages of their village…people known as “Librarians”
Unearthing Information
Archaeological research Library research
Top TipPICK A CULTURE THAT INTERESTS YOU
– From the readings– From class discussions– Any other culture that archaeologists have studied
except for the Maya
Curiosity breeds success with research!
Start the Digging
Use The Encyclopedia of Prehistory
Located in the REFERENCE section on Morgan Library’s main floor:Call # GN710 .E53 2001
Contains information on…
time periodlocationImportant sitesenvironmentsettlementseconomysuggested readingsand more…
Start the Digging
Use The Encyclopedia of Prehistory
Located in the REFERENCE section on Morgan Library’s main floor:Call # GN710 .E53 2001
Unearthing Sources at the Library
• Read your assignment carefully• Gather background information• Pick the right tool to find:
– a book or chapter from a book – articles from professional journals or chapters
from edited books– a Web site– and another source
Book or chapter from a book
In the year 2000 the tool humans used to find books was the Library Catalog
http:
//lib
.col
osta
te.e
du
Do a keyword search to find more “hits”
Do a subject search to be more precise
Articles from professional journals
In the year 2000 the tools humans used to find articles were Research Databases
These research databases had cryptic names such as:
Academic Search Premier
JSTORWeb of Science
http:
//lib
.col
osta
te.e
du
Academic Search Premier
• A general database• 8000+ journals/magazines/newspapers• Some full-text but all articles available via the
FindIt button
JSTOR
• Covers core journals in specific disciplines– Anthropology– Archaeology– Classics
• Fewer journals• All full-text• Articles from way back when…watch the date!
More Research Databases
Links found on your class web page
•Web of Science•Article First •Project Muse•Abstracts in Anthropology •Social Sciences Abstracts
Web Site
In the year 2000 the tools humans used to find web sites were Search Engines and Directories
Evaluate the Web Site
• When you find something, ask yourself– Who wrote the information on this site?– Are they qualified to publish this type of
information?– Is the information backed with any sort of
bibliography?
Leave a trail…Cite your Sources
• APA, MLA and other styles• Tip: PICK ONE STYLE AND BE CONSISTENT
• http://lib.colostate.edu/research/style/
• Guides for Specific Documentation Systems
Need more help?
• This presentation and useful resources for this assignment can be found at:
• Get in touch with me
• Ask at the Information Desk
http://lib.colostate.edu/research/anthro/anth140.html