ImagesOUTSIDE THE U OF M
History Day in Minnesota
Four steps to get ready!
1. Think about your topic before you come to campus - this makes the research process easier!
2. Search MNCAT
4. Check our hours before you leave home
You can make the most of your time here if you can begin your research on a computer at home or at your school.
1. Think about your topic in advance:
- Read enough about the topic so you have a basic understanding of the historical context and major issues.
- Based on your reading, list several words or phrases connected with your topic, including subject, important people, events and places. Use these words and phrases in your online searches.
- Think about the types of publications that might be helpful-- newspapers, secondary sources, diaries, census data, photographs, recorded interviews, government or legal documents, company records, etc.
- Think about which research tools will help you find the information you need. For starters, what library catalogs for books and article databases might be the most useful, what libraries will have the type of information you need. Also, your teacher and the librarians can help you look at the options in these two links and decide which are best.
Different types of publications are indexed in different ways (article indexes, book catalogs, archive collection finding aids, picture databases, etc.) and housed differently in various campus libraries. Some useful databases are described and listed in the sections dealing with finding primary sources and secondary sources. A lock icon (
) means you must either search from a campus library or authenticate yourself as a University of Minnesota-Twin Cities affiliated user to access the resource from off-campus. All other resources (without this icon) are publicly available on the Internet. Although this can seem complicated remember that teachers, librarians, parents and History Day staff can help.
2. You can search MNCAT from any computer with Internet access; use it to discover what books we own on your topic.
(For more help finding books on the shelves in Wilson Library, visit the BOOKS page.)
3. Our History Day home page has three buttons that lead to resources to do some early exploration.
Some of these resources can only be searched once you're here and using campus library computers.
Write down the names of the databases that you want to search during your visit.
4. Check the HOURS (don't forget holiday or break schedules, usually at the bottom of the page) before you leave home
GOING DEEPER
- Explore resources listed in the left sidebar
- To view library resources recommended to U of M undergraduates who are beginning history research at the U, visit the CourseLib page for Hist3959 "How to Do History" course.
TEACHERS
For additional information on planning a class visit, contact:
the History Day Hot Line:
By Telephone: 612/625-6416
Or by e-mail: histday@hist.umn.edu
The History Day Program Assistant at the University of Minnesota is available to answer questions from students, teachers and parents getting ready for History Day. The History Day Hotline is also your gateway to the resources of the University of Minnesota.
Are you working on projects other than one for History Day ? General Information about school visits is also available at For High School Teachers who want to bring their Class to Wilson for non-History Day research.
Just in case: JUST IN CASE...
If you have arrived on campus and haven't had a chance to prepare in advance, use our handy Quick Steps (pdf). You can also use the buttons (Catalog, Subjects, Biography) on the University Library's History Day home page.
URL: http://wilson.lib.umn.edu//historyday/prepare.html
Page Coordinator: Susan Gangl