For this assignment your group will create a historical/information packet for your research area. You will need to locate ten unique, new readings about the topic.
This guide should help you begin locating these resources.
This type of research will feel different if you're used to looking for academic articles to use in traditional research papers. For this type of investigation, you are (likely) not able to search your question and find a direct answer. Instead, read broadly and look for clues. For example, how might searching for information on the Local Food for Schools (LFS grant) lead you to some interesting information? What if you dropped Iowa from your search criteria and looked at the realities of school lunch in the United States more broadly? Think of this research as a journey where you are open to the destination.
Unfortunately, newspapers are difficult to both browse and search. They are also incredibly important resources for our democracy.The two newspapers I would start with are The Des Moines Register (of which we have coverage back to 1999) and The New York Times (as of December 2023 we have complete coverage).
If there is a specific newspaper or magazine you want to search, you can use "Journal Search" to find out which of our databases include that journal. NOTE: Databases often only provide some of the content from that newspaper. It is rare that you will find a complete run.
Rod Library subscribes to a number of databases that include news sources. They all contain different runs of different news sources. One of the difficulties of reading newspapers online (versus the old fashioned way) is that it's all black text on a white screen and it's not always easy to determine what type of news you're reading. Use the filters in the database and use the details the database provides to ensure you aren't relying on opinions and commentary.
Google is a vehicle to the open web. While it should not be the only tool in your toolkit. Google can be a great way to learn there are resources available, even if you cannot read the whole thing.
1. Paywalls. You may find an awesome newspaper article online, but the dreaded "Pay us" pop up keeps you from reading the entire article. Don't count it out (yet). Use the Journal Search referenced above to see if Rod Library provides database access to that publication or or reach out to your librarian for assistance. If we don't provide access, we can always try Interlibrary Loan and see if we can get a PDF of the article from another library.
2. Not the right results. Google takes pride in offering you lots of results, but if you need it on page 36 of their results, you likely won't see it. Utilize Google's Advanced search techniques to narrow your search. For this project, one of my favorites allows you to narrow your search to a specific domain or website.
For example, site:.iowa.gov "local food for schools" searches the Iowa government websites for any use of the phrase "local food for schools," while site:.gov "school lunch" searches any government website for the use of that phrase.
Using the Tools options, you can also narrow your results to a specific timeframe.
3. Consider the language you use (and how that language may or may not match the perspective of your sources or the timeline in which they were written). Do individual searches or utilize OR to expand your search.
For example, site:.gov "local food for schools" OR "farm to table" OR "farm to fork" OR "farm to plate" will broaden your search to include sources from different iterations of such a program.
