Making Use of Resources - A College Library Tour

At a certain point, you may want to go do research yourself. You may find that, as thorough as I try to be with my research, I may not cover what you need. Covering even what's only available on the internet is a huge task.

Outside the internet, libraries are obviously your next best alternative. I personally advise going to a government or college library, as they have incredible resources beyond what your average local library can provide.

Let's look at some of the resources my own college library had available:

• Books
• Periodicals
• Microfiche
• Government Documents

Books

Obviously a library would have books. But at my local college library, what I found was a good three floors of books on all variety of topics. For example, in the middle of one room I found books on Abraham Lincoln. At the end of the very same room, a collection of essays on video games.

Man of these are books which you wouldn't find in a local library. A quick perusal of some books on a nearby shelf revealed books from the 1960s, the 1950s, and one set of books all the way back from the 1890s. You might be able to find books published during the very time period you're searching for. Firsthand accounts are always some of the most valuable sources of information you can get.

Periodicals

Magazines, journals and other frequent publications often contain valuable information. This valuable information, however, may often be missed or ignored. It may be impossible to find older editions of a periodical in question, or you may not even realize that there were publications covering the topic you are searching for. 

But at library, they keep records of these publications in the periodicals section. Books containing the contents of several editions of a particular publication are organized by topic and year. It helps to have what you're looking for in mind when you search through these.

Microfiche

Microfiche is a method by which books and documents are condensed and stored in a very small area. Tiny thumbnails of pages are printed on clear celluloid, allowing whole books to be shrunk down to a series of sheets no bigger than a large index card.

The only downside to microfiche is that they require the use of a special reader that is able to project the actual page to a readable size.

Note: Depending on the collection you're searching through, the microfiche you're searching for may in fact be available online. Check the catalog of the library you're searching to see if they have it available.

Government Documents

Government documents are all manner of things, including but not limited to:

• Public laws
• Government censuses
• Lists of patents 
• Geological surveys
• Letters by delegates to Congress
• Statistics reports on all manner of topics
• Scientific reports by government agencies

And really, that's just scratching the surface. Not everything may be useful if you're just looking for basic information and not statistics (unless your character would be knowledgeable about such things), but there's plenty there that is helpful, and it's worth checking out.

Overall, a full college library is an incredibly valuable resource. I highly recommend you make use of that resource while researching information for your character, if it is ever available to you.

Case Study - Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie

Winter Shadows is a historical novel by Margaret Buffie. It tells the story of two girls - one from the mid-1800s - Beatrice - and another from present day - Cass. Both girls live in Manitoba, Canada, and are going through similar struggles with step-parents. Through a series of events they are able to communicate across time and help each other with their problems.

There are certainly some fantasy-like elements to this story, but on the whole the two times stay separate. The story of Beatrice gives us a glimpse into several aspects of the time period and environment she lives in.

In looking Winter Shadows, we'll

• Look at research the author did
• Analyze how certain social tensions were presented
• Comment on the accuracy of these presentations

Research - What did the author do?

In Winter Shadows, the Beatrice is part Cree, a Native American group that lived primarily around the Great Lakes (Native Net, 2005). In her journal, Beatrice sometimes uses words from the Cree language. In the back of the book, Margaret Buffie wrote about the research she did on that topic.

Buffie primarily cites two people who helped her create the glossary of words she used - one a professor and specialist in the topic, the other a Swampy Cree elder (Buffie, 2010). Between these two experts, she was able to get information on the words themselves and how to use and spell them correctly. She was also able to get specific information on the dialect that would have been spoken in the area she chose for the book.

Buffie also speaks of how she did research of the area her story takes place in, though she does not get any more specific than that.

Analysis - How were certain social issues presented?

The two main social issues presented in Winter Shadows were the conflicts between the native Cree and half-Cree residents versus the non-native settlers, and the Victorian freethinker movement versus traditional values and expectations.

The conflict between the native Cree and half-Cree residents versus non-native settlers is best shown by the conflict between Beatrice herself and her stepmother, Ivy. Beatrice is half-Cree, on her father's side. Ivy, meanwhile, is a recent immigrant to the area from Europe. The two clash often over things such as the treatment of Beatrice's grandmother, a Cree woman.

The conflict between freethinking and tradition are illustrated by the two men Beatrice chooses between to marry. On one hand, there is Robert Dalhousie, a traditional, religious man seeking a reserved, pious wife to help him and his ailing sister while he does missionary work. On the other, there is  Duncan Kilgour, a freethinker from Europe who teases Beatrice as much as he encourages her own beliefs.

Comment - How accurate was Buffie's interpretation?

From the research I've done, her interpretation seems accurate.

The area chosen for the story is one that the Cree were known to inhabit. Some of the first interactions between French visitors and Cree were via fur trading (Canadian Genealogy, 2002). The marriages that resulted are mentioned specifically in the book by the French term - "à la façon du pays" (Buffie, 2010).

The freethinking movement was most popular in the 1800s, and originated in Europe. Duncan's freethinking roots come from his childhood spent with his family in Europe. It emphasized not being bound by religion and instead promoted humanist ideals and moving against traditional values (Britain Humanist Association, 2012).  In the end, Duncan encourages Beatrice to be true to her desires and be with someone who would treat her as an equal.

Sources

Britain Humanist Association. (2012). 19th century freethinkers. Retrieved from   http://www.humanism.org.uk/humanism/humanist-tradition/freethinkers 

Buffie, M. (2010). Winter shadows. Canada: Tundra Books.
Canadian Genealogy. (2002). Cree indians of canada. Retrieved from http://www.canadiangenealogy.net/indians/cree_indians.htm

Native Net. (2005). Cree indians. Retrieved from http://www.native-net.org/tribes/cree-indians.html 

Topics in History - Fabric and Dyes

When deciding on clothing for your character, is important to know the kinds of fabrics and colors that would have been available, especially in visual mediums like movies or comics.

In this article we'll explore

• Early Clothes
  
• Textiles
  
• Fabric developments
  
• Color

Early Clothes – What did people first wear?

People wore clothes made from natural sources - “animal skin and furs, grasses and leaves, and bones and shells” (Bellis, 2012). Sewing was rudimentary at best. Needles could be made from bone, which could be used to make sewn garments. However, it was far more likely for you to find clothing that was draped or tied off.

Textiles – How did clothing develop?

The discovery of spinning and weaving allowed people to make cloth for the first time. Mankind first began to twist plant fibers together to make string some 20,000-30,000 years ago. Weaving can be dated back to Neolithic times – around 12,000 years ago (Administrator, 2012). 

Fabric – What kinds of fabric were available in different times?

Early clothing varied a lot by region. Different kinds of fiber were available in different locations. Trade make it possible for some different kinds to be passed around to different regions.

By region, common types of fabric were

• Egypt – clothing was light and typically made of linen or cotton. Jewelry was often worn – gold and silver and precious stones for the wealthy, coppor or bronze for the poor
  
• Greek or Romans – clothing was typically made of linen or wool, though the wealthy could afford silk or cotton
  
• Medieval – Wool was the most common material of clothing in this time period, though it varied in quality; modern fashion began during this time period
  
• Early Americas – Mayans, Azetcs, and upper-class Incas all wore cotton (Lambert, 2012)
  
  

Color – How did dyes affect clothing from different periods?

The first known record of dyes being used comes from Ancient China (Druding, 2007).

Early dyes were natural – typically coming from plants or insects. In one instance, sea-snails were used by the ancient Phoenicians to make a purple dye. Many more vivid colors were rare and expensive, and in several cases they were restricted to royalty and the upper-class.

For example, throughout different cultures, the colors reserved for royalty were

• China – Yellow (reserved for the emperor), Orange (reserved for the crown prince), bright blue, red and purple
  
• England – Purple
  
• Ancient Greece and Rome – Purple
  

Additionally, some colors were reserved for different professions. The color red was worn by English physicians and the British Army.

Synthetic dyes were first created and produced for general use in the late 1800s. After synthetic dyes became commonly produced, colors became cheaper and more consistent, causing natural dyes to fall out of use (Wyse, 2012).

Sources:

Administrator. (2010, April 08). History of weaving. Retrieved from http://www.weavedesign.eu/site/index.php/about-his-work/6-techniques/20-history-of-weaving 

Bellis, M. (2012). History of clothing: How did specific items of clothing develop?. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/clothing.htm 

Druding, S. C. (2007, November 30). Dye history from 2600 bc to the 20th century. Retrieved from www.straw.com/sig/dyehist.html

Lambert, T. (2012). A brief history of clothing. Retrieved from http://www.localhistories.org/clothes.html 

Wyse, X. (2012). History of natural dyes - color in culture. Retrieved from http://baileybear.hubpages.com/hub/History-of-Natural-Dyes-Color-in-Culture

Historical Character Creation in Action - Dear America

The Dear America book series is a children's book series that focuses on young female characters from different eras in time in American history. They focus on these girls through a series of diary entries, and help explain how life was like in the time periods represented.

Each book is written by a different author, and focuses on a different time period, including periods like the Civil War, the pilgrimage, and the Vietnam War. The authors use historical events and information, even if the characters themselves are fictional.

Characters – How did they come up with them?

Different authors – when speaking about their experiences in writing their Dear America books – had different inspirations:

• Karen Hesse, author of A Light in the Storm, was inspired by the stories of the Lightkeeper, Ida Lewis. (Scholastic, 2012b)
• Lois Lowry, author of Like the Willow Tree, took inspiration from asking questions at a local Shaker community in Maine about life in the late 18th Century (Scholastic, 2012c)
• Patricia C. McKissack, author of A Picture of Freedom, was inspired by the story of her own great-great-grandmother, a slave who learned to read and write despite the law.

Information – Where did they get it?

The authors of these different books looked for historical information from a variety of settings and sources:

• Patricia C. McKissack visited six different plantations in Virginia while researching for another one of her books (Scholastic, 2012d)
• Barry Denenberg, author of When Will this Cruel War Be Over?, researched by looking at diary entries and letters from the civil war period itself (Scholastic, 2012a)
• Lois Lowry visited Quaker communities while doing research, and asked notable historians in these communities questions (Scholastic, 2012c)

Sources:

Scholastic. (2012a). Barry denenberg. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/meettheauthors.htm 

Scholastic. (2012b). Karen hesse. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/meettheauthors.htm 

Scholastic. (2012c). Lois lowry. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/meettheauthors.htm 

Scholastic. (2012d). Patricia c. mcKissack. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/meettheauthors.htm