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Boatwright Memorial Library

FYS 100 (10): Monumental Change (Maurantonio)

Getting Started

In the beginning of your research, it's helpful to learn just enough about the topic to get a basic overview. If you were just getting started, where would you look for background information on media bias or news reporting on protesters? Where would you look to find out about events and themes that defined the Civil War and Reconstruction eras? What names, terms and topics might you use in your search? 

  • Try searching OneSearch is the library catalog, there you can search almost everything in the library at once- books, media, news sources, scholarly journals, and more.

  • Use Library databases smaller collections of scholarly articles, news sources, images, media and more, which may be organized thematically on different topics.

  • Google Scholar - a resource for both scholarly and non-scholarly articles. If you are on campus, you will find links to scholarly articles in our databases.

Search Tips:

  • Brainstorm a few key words or phrases about your topic to help get you started. 
  • Use some of the reference sources that will give you background and overview information.
  • Think about the types of resources you are looking for (books, chapters, images scholarly articles, news, etc.)
  • Look at the library's other research guides on different topics and types of sources including history, education, sociology, and the Richmond resource guide.
  • If you can't find an article or book you need, check out our service called interlibrary loan - we can request materials from other libraries if we don't have them at UR.

Recommended Reference Resources

Encyclopedia Virginia is free "user-friendly resource on the history and culture of Virginia. Encyclopedia Virginia anthologizes the best and most current scholarship that exists on a given topic. A project of Virginia Humanities in partnership with the Library of Virginia, EV publishes topical and biographical entries written by scholars, edited to be accessible to a general audience, and vigorously fact checked." It also contains primary sources.

Example: "The Lost Cause"

Search for: Confederate flag

Want to use Zotero? Watch this video

Liaison Librarian

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Kyle Jenkins
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Contact:
kyle.jenkins@richmond.edu

(804)-289-8262

Boatwright Library, Room #183

261 Richmond Way
Richmond, VA 23173

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