This guide will provide you with a starting point for research in your subject area.
Step 1: Define Your Topic
To help you in this process, use specialized encyclopedias and handbooks located in the reference collection, or chapters from a current textbook to give you a short overview of your research subject. The articles in these sources are written by experts on the topic and they often include references to other useful sources at the end of the article. You can be assured that the references listed there are authoritative sources and well worth consulting for your paper. Remember to watch for and note important keywords and synonyms relating to your topic. Some reference books that may be useful include:
| Ref FC 23 .C36 |
Canadian Encyclopedia (also online) |
| Ref FC 3804 .E52 |
Encyclopedia of British Columbia (also online) |
| Ref FC 3805 .F67 |
B.C. Almanac Book of Greatest British Columbians |
| Ref E 77.9 .A72 |
Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: an Encyclopedia |
| Ref E 54.5 .K46 |
Encyclopedia of American Indian contributions to the world |
| Ref E 76.2 .E53 |
Encyclopedia of North American Indians |
| Ref E 77 .H25 |
Handbook of North American Indians |
| Ref E 76.2 .G74 |
Encyclopedia of the First Peoples of North America |
| Ref E 98 .E2 E52 |
Encyclopedia of Native American Economic History |
| Ref E 77 .G15 |
Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes |
| Ref E 76.2 .N36 |
Native America in the Twentieth Century |
| Ref E 77 .P89 |
Native Americans: an Encyclopedia of History, Cultures and Peoples |
| Ref G 1116 .S1 H582 |
Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples |
| Ref E 76.2 .G74 |
Encyclopedia of the First Peoples of North America |
| Ref E 78 .B9 A26 |
Aboriginal People of British Columbia: a profile |
Step 2: Look for Books
Begin your research by checking for your topic in the library catalogue. When searching group names you will likely encounter variant spellings, e.g. Gitxsan ,Gitksan or Kitksan. Search for variant spellings together by typing the Boolean operator or between each term, e.g. Carrier or Lheidli T’enneh.
When you find an appropriate title in the catalogue, click on View and then click on appropriate relevant Subject terms at the bottom of the record to see if there are any other items available on your topic.
Subject terms in the library catalogue are based on Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) or the Canadian Subject Headings. The Library of Congress standard way to describe the First Nations is by "Indians of North America", and then the Geographic region. e.g. Canada, British Columbia, etc. Ensure that you also search the names of groups.
Some useful Library of Congress Subject Headings to search include:
o Carrier Indians
o Fur trade - Canada – History
o Indian reservations
o Indian women
o Indian youth
o Indian reservations
o Indians of North America
o Indians of North America – Canada
o Indians of North America – Northwest coast of North America
o Indigenous peoples
o Indigenous peoples – Canada
o Metis
o Native peoples
o Native peoples - Canada
o Native peoples - Canada - Residential schools
If you don't find enough appropriate material on your topic in the CNC Library, check bibliographies to find references to other works that have been published on your topic. Then once again check the CNC Library catalogue, other local libraries or order the items from out of town libraries via the Interlibrary Loan service. Obtaining books or journals via Interlibrary Loan can take up to two weeks, so do your research early. Some useful bibliographies include:
|
Ref E 92 .S97 |
Canadian Indian Policy: a critical bibliography |
|
Ref E 92 .G72 |
Public policy and aboriginal peoples, 1965-1992 |
|
Ref E 78 .N78 G78 |
Native North Americans of the northwest coast: a critical bibliography |
Other Reference Sources
Step 3: Use Periodical Articles
Periodicals offer excellent information. To locate articles in your subject area, use the online indexes . Click on the Library's Journals link and navigate to the First Nations Periodical Index , which mainly provides citations, or the Ebscohost online Canadian Reference Centre and the Proquest online Canadian Business and Current Affairs Index for articles published after 1982 - and the paperbound Canadian Periodical Index for articles published before 1982. Once you have located article citations, if the article is not in fulltext online, click on the Where can I get this? button to see if the journal is available in either the CNC or UNBC libraries. If the article is not available locally, get it from another B.C. library by clicking on the Check other library catalogues button to request the item online via Interlibrary Loan. Remember to order interlibrary loan items early!
Step 4: Check First Nations Websites
From the Library page click on Web Subject Sites – First Nations to find a list of recommended First Nations websites
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