Books
Search the Library Catalog for your topic. Search two or three ways: choose keywords that are specific to your topic (e.g., "code talkers"), then search for the broader subject that contains your topic (e.g., World War Two) and look through those books for a chapter or two on your topic.
If you want books which are available immediately, limit your search to "Location: Lone Star College System Lone Star College-North Harris Library" and look for books that are checked in. If you want a book that is checked out, place a request for that book. If you are willing to wait for a book to be delivered to North Harris from another location in our system, place a request for the book.
If you are finding too little, remember that you live within the Harris County Public Library area and your parent either already has or can easily obtain a HCPL library card. Search the HCPL catalog; limit your results to either the Baldwin-Boettcher branch or the Aldine branch, or request books be delivered to the branch nearest you.
Periodical Articles
A lot of good information is available in newspaper, magazine, and journal articles. You can search through printed periodicals and you can also do database searches which will provide you with a list of references and, sometimes, with the entire article.
We recommend MasterFile Premier as your starting point for article searching. Because a periodicals database offers small files (compared to books), you should use very specific search language. For example, use "code talkers" or "Navajo and World War II"; do not use World War II without a qualifier.
Other databases you can search for history-related articles are:
World Wide Web
Be careful to choose Websites that are credible, in other words, that you can believe. Always check for the author's name and credentials; the author should be a History professor or a recognized authority. Ask your teacher for help if you believe you have a really good website but you cannot determine the qualifications of the author.
One way to control your results while searching the open Web is to use Google Advanced Search. Either limit your results to .edu sites, or refuse .com sites, then choose carefully--you don't want to use a page created by a college freshman when you could be using one created by a Harvard professor!
Your Parents
Because you are still in Intermediate School, you must rely upon your parents to
- obtain a library card so that you can check books out
- drive you to the Lone Star College-North Harris campus so that you can use the online databases
- help with the project in a thousand little ways!
Your Teachers and Librarians
Never be shy about asking for help. Teachers and librarians love to help students, it's why we're here.
Need Help??
If you need additional help, please feel free to contact a librarian during open hours.