Area Cultural Research Project Spring 2008

Getting Started:

• Select high quality resources. Evaluate all for authority, accuracy, audience/agenda, and currency.
• Encyclopedias are great places to start your research. World Book Online is an authoritative source that you can use as an entry point for your research. The new World Book Advanced features links to primary sources a s we ll as evaluated websites. Click on the link to access and then type the login and password listed on the back of your PHS id card. Instead of Wikipedia, why not start with World Book Online?

• Another online Encyclopedia worth taking a look at for this assignment is Atlapedia Online. This Australian based encyclopedia atlas combination provides facts, figures and statistical information about countries and also offers political and physical maps of regions of the world.

Books:

• Reference Books - Cart pulled. Also listed as a Resource List in the Library Catalog. Can be checked out overnight.
• Circulating Books - Access via Destiny (Library Catalog). Key word search by country.
•       Write down call number and title to locate book on shelves.
•     One book per person can be checked out 2 weeks.

Databases:

• Proquest's CultureGrams(trial until 6/3/09, password=welcome) 

        Make sure to check out the comparison tables (under graphs and tables tab)

        and citation generator.

***If you use CultureGrams, would you please help us evaluate its usefulness by taking this quick 5 question survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB2296YPPJ9Y9 ***  THANK YOU :)

• EBSCO's Points of View Reference Center - includes full text book, periodical, newspapers, primary sources, radio and tv broadcasts.

    Try typing both countries in the search box for some comparisons.

• Gale Databases - Try searching just the Student Resource Center Gold or the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Many good up-to-date reference sources, like Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. Username and Password can be found on the back of your ID card.
• United Streaming - Videos, images, clipart, sound effects for presentations.Username: phs.lrc Password: phs.lrc

Internet Resources:

• Search Engines
• netTrekker is an educational search engine that has many evaluated internet sites. You login with the username and password on the back of your ID card.
• Choose the Best Search Tool for your Information Need - a Noodletools resource listing a variety of search engines and what they are good for.

• Recommended Internet Sites (click here for how to site these web resources):
• CIA World Factbook http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
• Library of Congress Country Studies http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/
• State Department’s Background Notes http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/
• Library of Congress is Portals to the World http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
• NationMaster http://www.nationmaster.com/countries.php
• BBC Country Profiles news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/
• United Nations CyperSchoolBus (United Nations country information and comparisons) http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/info.asp
• UNdata Country Profiles http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx
• Economist Country Briefings http://www.economist.com/countries
• World Statesmen http://www.worldstatesmen.org/
• History Central http://www.historycentral.com/NationbyNation/index.html
• Infoplease  http://www.infoplease.com/world.html
• CNN More News From Around the World  http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/
• About.Com: World Facts, Figures and References  http://geography.about.com/msub2.htm

Schaitel Area Cultural Unit Scanned Documents

• Final Group Project Goals & Requirements
• Area Study Internet Resources
• Political Structure/Economics
• 20th Century History/Cultural and Social Structure
• Today's Major Problem/Current Event Format