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Social Studies Subject Guide: American Studies

Database PASSWORDS

LOGINS & PASSWORDS

Click Here for the Passwords List.  You'll need to log in as a Catlin Gabel student or employee.  Having trouble? Contact your division librarian.

How to Get a Multnomah County Library Card

In addition to our own books and databases, the public library offers dozens of databases, and thousands of ebooks, audiobooks, and streaming music that you may access using the barcode on the front of your shiny new library card. Having a library card is the first step in becoming a power user.  You'll have access to hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of research materials. 


(a field trip with History students to Multnomah County Public Library)

Upper division students will benefit from having a Multnomah County Library card as they begin to do more serious research, and begin to use a broader range of academic databases beyond the holdings of Catlin Gabel's library.  Click here to get started:

Plan ahead, as you need to visit one of the public library's branches to obtain a card.  

You don't need to live in Multnomah County to be eligible.  Click here to find out whether you are able to obtain a card.

What Are Databases?

We Are What We Do: American Pastimes & Modern Life

We Are What We Do:  Pastimes and Modern Life

Goals for the day

  • establish a good search strategy for your topic
  • Think creatively about web / database / other forms of sources you can use
  • be able to unpack & interpret your search results
  • learn to credential your sources (both print and electronic)

 

The Key to All Wisdom:  Think First, Search Second
Good research is the result of good thinking.

Brainstorm a list of keywords and phrases relevant to your topic, and include synonyms.  This is an essential step you should never skip.  Think about synonyms for your keywords and phrases.

Use quotation marks for exact phrases:

  • ex:  "yarn bombing"
  • ex:  "poetry slam"

Wild cards find all versions of a word when added after the word's root:

  • ex:  snowboard* finds snowboard, snowboards, snowboarder, snowboarding, etc.
  • ex:  resist* finds resist, resists, resistance, resisting, etc.

Start with a general search, and narrow it down as you look through your results.

 

Some Useful Databases & Ebooks

Databases
We subscribe to a number of databases.  To use them, you'll need the logins and passwords, so click on the box at the upper left of this page.
Different databases are useful for different kinds of searches. 


 Ebooks
With a Multnomah County Library Card, you've got access to THOUSANDS of ebooks that you can read online.  Here's a selection of books that might help. As you choose topics, come see Sue or Derek for help in finding additional ebooks that might be useful. Click the box below to get to this group of Ebooks.

 

 

Searching for Podcasts

 

Use your list of search keywords and phrases to find Podcasts or specific episodes that address your topic. 

Major Platforms:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Youtube Music
Pandora
iHeart

 

 


Outside the Major Platforms:

Use these tools to search for podcasts outside specific listening platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audacy, etc.):

Podchaser
Listen Notes

You establish your credibility by showing that the sources you use are written by knowledgeable, professional people with expertise.  Here are some possible credentials an author might have:

  • is an Associate Professor of American Literature at Lewis and Clark College
  • authored a book on James Baldwin, and several academic articles
  • has several academic articles published in journals that you found through JSTOR
  • earned an advanced degree in the field of study s/he/they are writing about
  • shows evidence of deep experience on the topic (e.g., a chef writing on cooking, or a seasoned mountaineer on climbing)

How to Credential a Journal Article

There are 3 quick places to look:

  1. first page of the article, adjacent to the author's name
  2. last page of the article, just before the Works Cited or Notes section
  3. by clicking on the author's name in the database, and seeing what else comes up

 

When credentialing web sources, use similar tactics.   Watch for a link titled "About," or "More Information."  Here is such a page on a website about the writer Mark Twain.

Need help?  Ask Sue, Maureen, Patrick, or Derek.


Credentialing a Book Author or Contributor

Book publishers and editors often do a bunch of the work for you!  Here's where to look:  

  • check the book flap for a brief bio of your author (inside front or back cover)
  • check the back of the book
  • If the book has an editor and chapters by different authors, check the table of contents for a chapter called CONTRIBUTORS, or something similar.

Your US Librarian

Profile Photo
Sue Phillips
Contact:
Upper School Library
503.297.1894 x4550 (circulation desk); (503)297-1894 x4100 (voicemail)