English 106: Chicago Focus

John Stanger

Fall 2003

Getting Started

• Background Information

  • The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Reference R031 B862N1991 ~ A good source of background information and bibliographies. Look up your topic in the index to get started. Also available electronically.
    
    

• Statistics

  • Statistical Universe ~ Search the Statistical Abstract of the United States for statistics about the U.S.  
  • Statistical Abstract of the United States, Reference R 317.3 U58S
  • A Statistical Portrait of the United States: Social Conditions and Trends, Reference R 306.0973 S797
  • Datapedia of the United States, 1790-2005: America Year by Year, Reference R 317.3 D96d 2001
    
    

• Chicago Reference Sources

  • Cahan, Richard. Landmark Neighborhoods in Chicago. Chicago, Ill.: City of Chicago, Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks, 1981. R720.9773 L257c
  • Levine, Neil. The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1996. R720.973 W949YL
  • Lindberg, Richard. Passport's Guide to Ethnic Chicago. Lincolnwood, IL: Passport Books, 1993. R917.731104 L742P
  • Linton, Cynthia, ed. The Ethnic Handbook: A Guide to the Cultures and Traditions of Chicago's Diverse Communities. Chicago, IL: Illinois Ethnic Coalition, 1996. R305.5609773 E84
  • Local Community Fact Book, Chicago Metropolitan Area. Chicago, Ill. Chicago Review Press, 1938- [published every 10 years]. Latest edition in Reference. R917.7311 K62L
  • Shumsky, Neil Larry, editor. Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburbs. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1998. R307.76097303 D647
  • Sirefman, Susanna. Chicago: A Guide to Recent Architecture, 1st ed. London: Artemis, 1994. R720.977311 S619c
  • Schultz, Rima Lunin and Adele Hast. Women Building Chicago, 1790-1990: A Biographical Dictionary, 1st ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001. R305.40977311W872
    
    

• Elmhurst and DuPage County Reference Sources

  • DuPage County 1990 Census Data Book. [Wheaton, Ill.]: DuPage County Regional Planning Commission, 1992.
    917.7324 D929D
  • DuPage County Cultural and Historical Inventory. [Wheaton, Ill.]: DuPage County Regional Planning Commission, 1993.
    R977.324 D929
  • Elmhurst; Origin of Names: Streets, Schools, Parks and Landmarks. Elmhurst, Ill.: Elmhurst Branch, American Association of University Women, [1976].
    R977.324 AM512E
  • Profile: DuPage County Statistical Handbook, 6th ed. DuPage County Development Depart. Wheaton, Ill.: The Department, 1992.
    R310.9773 D 929 P 1992

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Finding Books at Elmhurst College

• How do I find books on my topic?

  • Use Illinet Online to find books held in the Elmhurst College library as well as books owned by 55 other Illinois libraries.
    • Quick Searches
      • A good way to start looking for books.
      • You can either look for particular items (such as a particular title), or you can do keywords searching.
      • Use the main words describing your topic.
        • For example, to find books about Chicago, type the word chicago (with or without capitals).
        • The word chicago can be anywhere in the description of the item, like the place of the publisher.
      • To do a more focused search on, say, churches in Chicago, select Boolean, and type in chicago and churches.
        
        
    • Browse Subject Searches
      • A more precise way of searching.
      • Illinet Online uses Library of Congress Subject Headings (or LC subject headings) to arrange and organize information.
      • Subject headings are very specific; you can guess what they might be, but you can't make them up.
      • Some examples of subject headings:
        • Chicago Cubs (Baseball team) -- History
        • Chicago (Ill.)
        • Chicago (Ill.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
        • Chicago Metropolitan Area (Ill.) -- Description and travel
        • Hull House (Chicago, Ill.)--History
        • World's Columbian Exposition (1893: Chicago, Ill.)
        • Cook County (Ill.) --History
          
          
    • Guided Keyword Searches
      • Allow you more flexibility.
      • Click the appropriate tab, and fill in the blanks as desired.
      • You can change your searching options to look for either some or all of the words you've typed in, and to look in different areas of the item's catalog record.
      • Some sample keywords:
        • Chicago
        • Chicagoland
        • DuPage
        • specific neighborhoods (i.e., Rogers Park)
        • crime
        • art
        • politics
        • music
        • sports
        • specific people (i.e., Al Capone, Richard Daley, Harold Washington)
          
          
    • Ordering books from other libraries ~ Illinet Online allows you to request books held by 55 other libraries in Illinois.
      
      
  •  How do I get a book that is not available in the library?

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Locating Articles in Library Resources

• What article databases should I use to find articles on my topic?

  • Academic Search Elite ~ A good place to start. Includes references to scholarly as well as popular periodicals.
  • Periodical Abstracts ~ Includes indexing, abstracting, and some full text for magazine and journal articles.
  • WilsonSelectPlus ~ Includes indexing, abstracting, and full text for a variety of magazines and journalss
    • This is only a description of an article -- where's the rest of it?
      • Search for the title of the journal or magazine in Illinet Online.
      • For example, search for the title Teaching Tolerance.
      • Click the link Check Availablility to get a listing of the volumes available.
      • If you don't find the periodical you need, take a look at the list, Full Text Periodicals Available Online. You can also call or email the library to inquire about a specific title or ask a question.
        
        

• Where can I find newspaper articles?

  • Electronically
    • Wall Street Journal ~ full text from 1985 to present. On campus access only.
    • New York Times ~ full text back to 1999, with indexing available back to 1990. For older articles, try ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Times, which has full text articles back to 1851. On campus access only.
    • Chicago Tribune ~ full text from 1985 to present.
    • Lexis-Nexis Academic ~ accesses a variety of news and business sources, many of which are full text. Also accesses news transcripts from sources as varied as Fox News and NPR.
    • Newspaper Source ~ full text from more than 100 U.S. and international newspapers. Includes sources such as USA Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The (London) Times, and transcripts from NPR's Morning Edition.
  • In print and microfilm
    • Chicago Tribune is available in microfilm from 1972 to 1998.
    • The Chicago Tribune Index covers 1972-1984.
    • The New York Times is available in microfilm from 1946 to 2002.
    • The New York Times Index is available from 1946 to 1989.
    • All microfilms and print indexes can be found on the lower level of the library, arranged alphabetically.
      
      

• Where can I find more articles?

  • Other databases that the library subscribes to.
    
    

• How do I get an article from another library?

  • Articles can be retrieved via Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This process takes 7 to 10 days, so leave yourself plenty of time.
    
    

• How do I know whether an article is useful to me?

  • Learn how to critically analyzing information sources.
    
    

• Is this a scholarly article or a popular article?

  • How to distinguish between the two.

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Internet Resources

• Why should I evaluate web sites? Can't I just trust everyone's website?

  • Dissing the King ~ a cautionary tale detailing how websites are not always what they seem
  • The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
    
    

• What should I look for in a trustworthy web site?

  • Evaluating Web Sites
  • Bibliography on Evaluating Internet Resources ~ links to various on-line articles on web site evaluation
    
    

• Where can I go for trustworthy sites that have already been evaluated?

  • Librarians' Index to the Internet
  • The Scout Report
  • The Best Information on the Net
  • Digital Librarian
  • Internet Public Library
  • BUBL ~ a selection of "Internet resources covering all academic subject areas"
    
    

• How can I find other web sites?

  • Use a search engine to find sites on your topic.
    • Hotbot
    • Google
    • Dogpile ~ a metasearch engine, which searches multiple search engines simultaneously
  • Others are listed on our Internet Tools and Sites page.
    
    

• What Chicago history sites are available?

  • 2001 Facts about Chicago ~ compiled by the Municipal Reference Library, City of Chicago.
  • American Memory from the Library of Congress ~ photographs, sounds, and other digitized items; includes WPA interviews and sheet music of blues music.
  • Chicago Historical Society ~ offering many on-line exhibits about famous event in Chicago's history
  • Chicago Imagebase ~ a project from the University of Illinois at Chicago containing images and information about "the built environment of the Chicago region."
  • Chicago Magazine ~ selected articles from the magazine are available here
  • Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ) ~ check out Chicago Matters for past shows on housing and education
  • Chicago's Mayors ~ includes a chronology, picture gallery, and grave locations.
  • Chicago Timeline ~ a brief chronology of Chicago history, including information on the Haymarket Riot, and the Eastland disaster. Also links to digital collections on Harold Washington and the Lakeview neighborhood.
  • City of Chicago ~ official web site of the city's governement.
  • Deaths, Disturbances, Disasters, and Disorders in Chicago ~ from the Chicago Public Library
  • Eastland Historical Society
  • Haunted Chicago ~ also check out Shadows of Chicago for information on the hauntings and gory history of Chicago
  • Graveyards of Chicago ~ a useful site for finding out more about the graves of Chicago's luminaries
  • Jazz Institute of Chicago ~ the Jazzgram contains book and CD reviews, selections from the first issue of the Jazzgram (then called the Jazz Sheet), audio commentary, articles on famous jazz personalities, and Bronzeville Conversations, which brings to life the history of Bronzeville through photographs, articles, and interviews
  • Newberry Library ~ houses a lot of historical and literary information pertaining to Chicago
  • Neighborhood Tours ~ discover the rich heritage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods
  • Our Lady of Angels Fire Memorial
  • WTTW ~ Chicago by 'L', Chicago Tonight, and Chicago Stories (check out the Eastland and Our Lady of Angels information) may be of interest
  • Yahoo! Directory: Iroquois Theater Fire
    
    

• Can't I just do all of my research on the Internet (I thought everything there was free and full-text)?

  • Despite what some would have you believe, not everything is available for free on the Internet.
  • Don't rely on the web as your only source of information.
  • Choose web sites carefully.
  • Use them to support your articles and books, not to replace them.

• I've found all this stuff -- now what?

  • How to Evaluate the Information Sources You Find
    
    

• Who's going to help me write this paper?

  • Writing Center at Elmhurst College
    
    

• How do I do the citations at the end of my paper?

  • Writing and Citing Assistance: MLA at Elmhurst College