While the amount of information and the number of information sources available may seem discouraging, there is structure to the way information is stored. The goal of this course is to help you see the structure and to enable you to find, retrieve, understand and evaluate information, and to become more information literate.
Where Do I Begin?
The Search Process
In your history class, your professor has assigned a five to seven page paper on some aspect of the Civil War. He wants your topic by the next class. How will you begin? Where will you begin? If you go to the library and seek information about the Civil War, you will be overwhelmed with the volume of material available. Your mission (and you must accept it to pass the class) is to find an aspect of the Civil War that interests you.
A good place to begin a research project is to look at a general encyclopedia. Articles in general encyclopedias provide you with an overview of a topic. By starting with an overview, you may find an aspect that interests you. After scanning the article about the Civil War, you decide you would like to focus on slavery.
