Lesson 2: How to stay organized and motivated

“The whole time I’m researching I’m keeping one file open on my computer all the time, which is, essentially, my notebook… Anything interesting I read, I’ll copy it in, highlights from interviews I do, I’ll copy it in, and I’ll try out sentences and I’ll try out leads and I’ll try out conclusions and I’ll make lists of points and reading lists and it’s kind of a big mess. Usually there are about fifty single-spaced pages of this before I really start writing.” – Michael Pollan, environmental writer from a 2007 interview with Pamela Demory

Why is this section important? Ignore it at your peril. When you crying over a pile of post-its and struggling to find the one quote you need in a towering stack of books, you can come back and review.

• How to search strategically
• How to manage references
• How to take notes
• How to manage digital images
• How to ask for help and collaborate

2.1: How to search strategically

You can spend a lot of time searching and looking at sources if you are not careful. Keep your eye on the prize! A pile of sources is not an answer to your question - it is just a curiosity.

What are you searching for?

• Finding aids
• Reference guides
• Primary sources
• Secondary sources
• Keywords

Critical thinking about databases

Keywords

1. Look at your topic statement or question
2. Break it down into its major concept terms
3. Think of synonyms and variations of your keywords to use when searching.

Source: Tufts Library

Forgotten words: Think of what synonymous words may be used in the past but not in the present, e.g. dwelling instead of house, negro instead of African American.

Place names: Beware of using present day place-names alone. e.g. Evergreen Lawn confusion between west and northeast Baltimore. Beware of duplicate place names outside the local area - e.g. Lafayette Square or MLK Boulevard. Look out for more discussion on place names in our section on maps.

Combining search terms

Search term connectors especially AND, OR, and NOT allow you to combine terms.

Thinking about how terms appear in the text - in what combinations and proximity

2.2: Managing References* Tool: Zotero

We recommend Zotero as a free and easy-to-use tool for managing citations and bibliographical information. If you are writing a longer story, you will really appreciate how Zotero integrates with word processors. Using plugins for Microsoft Word or OpenOffice you can keep track of citations from within your document. Bibliographies can be created with the click of a button—automatically.

**Also a Good Option

• Papers, once only available for Mac users, is now available for Windows and iOS.  Papers helps you manage both references but also your collection of PDF documents.

2.3: Taking Notes

Tool: Google Docs

Citation management tools often have some note-taking abilities built in. If you like those tools you may not need anything else. However, some writers and historians find other tools useful.

Microsoft Word and Google Docs are both traditional word processors but there are other options designed for organizing the many scraps and fragments of text that historians produce early on in a project.

• Evernote
• Scrivener
• Simplenote

Outlining

Tables

See treating historical information as data.

Timelines

See lesson in visuals on timelines.

2.4: How to manage images

See more under visuals

2.5: How to ask for help and collaborate

Asking for help

Reference librarians and archivists at the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Maryland Historical Society assist people everyday with finding sources and answering questions related to local history and genealogy research. Online communities, including both email list-servs and Facebook groups are also helpful places to connect with other local historians and ask for help when you need it.

• Bmore Historic Facebook Group
• Baltimore City Historical Society Facebook Group
• Historical Society of Baltimore County Facebook Group
• Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites Facebook Group
• H-Maryland Listserv
• H-South Network
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities Listserv

Collaborators

Church historians, school teachers, neighbors

• Educators - interested in finding things to share with their students
• Scholars - maybe interested in researching the history, culture, architecture of your community
• Activists - maybe interested in organizing neighbors to save a place
• Organizers - maybe interested in encouraging neighborhood involvement, promote reinvestment

Motivation to keep going!

Exercise 2: Find a source

Difficulty: Easy Time: 20-40 minutes Tools: Zotero and Google Docs

Note: If you completed exercise 1 and already have a secondary source, start at step 3. If you skipped exercise 1, start at step 1.

1. Download and install Zotero. We use Zotero Standalone. Review the Installation Instructions to trouble-shoot.
2. Find a source. If it is a physical book, open up Google Books to find the reference.

Example: History of Baltimore City and County, from the Earliest Period to the Present Day (1881) by John Thomas Scharf.

1. Save your first source to Zotero. Review the citation after saving and make changes if any of the information appears incorrect.
2. Find a passage in your source that is related to your research question. If you are using Google Books, it often helps to search for each of your key terms in the search box.

Example:

1. Create a new note in Zotero and copy a passage of text along with any additional observations, questions or comments you may have about the text.
2. Open Google Docs and create a new document. Type your research questions

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