Research Guides: History of Text Technologies: Home

Welcome!

Welcome to the History of Text Technologies Research Guide! This guide contains information about locating unique and hard to find materials in the University Libraries that may be of use to HoTT students and faculty. Rather than identifying relevant article databases or providing tips on locating secondary sources, this guide's focus is on locating collections of primary resources in vellum, paper, microform and online

Doing Research in Special Collections & Archives

Special Collections & Archives welcomes the use of its material by patrons and researchers in our two reading rooms, the Special Collections Research Center Reading Room and the Claude Pepper Library Reading Room. To learn more about visiting SCA, please click on the following link: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/sca/visit

Research Assistance
Researchers are encouraged to contact Special Collections & Archives staff regarding use of Special Collections & Archives materials in class assignments, scholarship, personal research, and general inquiry. For research assistance, please email us at lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu.

Researchers can also request in-person meetings with Special Collections & Archives staff. To request an in-person research consultation, please use our online form: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/form/sca/consultation

Instruction Sessions
We invite instructors teaching at all levels in all departments to consider a class visit to Special Collections & Archives during your course. Visits to SCA locations can include any of the following content, directed by you and/or SCA staff:

Active learning with objects from Special Collections & Archives
Orientation to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives
Introduction to archival and/or primary source research
Custom sessions built around your course goals and objectives

To place a request for a class visit to the Special Collections Research Center or Claude Pepper Library, please use our online form: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/form/sca/class-visit-request

To further discuss the possibilities of a Special Collections & Archives class visit, place a request for a consultation here: https://www.lib.fsu.edu/form/sca/consultation

FSU Libraries Catalog Advanced Search - https://fsu-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01FALSC_FSU:Home
The FSU Libraries Catalog is the best source of information on rare books collections. It also includes description of some archival collections, with links out to finer description in the Finding Aid Database (see below).

To limit your search results to Special Collections holdings, use the facet Library: “FSU STROZIER, Special Coll” located on the left-hand side menu of your search results
Limiting search by year (“Start and End Dates”) is often useful to Special Collections researchers
Sort or Narrow search results using terms in left-hand column
Click through search results to get full records for books or collections
Anything mentioning “Special Coll” in Location information is available through the Special Collections Research Center reading room in 110 Strozier Library
To request specific books in reading room, use the Title and Call Number (Location). For example, to see this book, https://fsu-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01FALSC_FSU/pag4dr/alma990243569410306576 (Links to an external site.), ask for Sketches of St. Augustine, Special Coll Florida -- F319.S2 S5 1849.

Finding Aid Database - https://archives.lib.fsu.edu
The Finding Aid Database is the best source of information about our archives collections.

Searches can be limited by record type; keyword, title, creator, and subject; and by date
Filter search results using terms in right-hand column
Click through search results to get full records for collections or archival items
Researchers can browse by topical area by clicking on “Classifications”
Most collections available through the Special Collections Research Center reading room in 110 Strozier Library
Some collections note that “Users may access this collection at the Claude Pepper Library” - Claude Pepper Center, 636 W Call St
To request specific items in the reading room, use the collection title, collection Identifier, and box number (citation)
Collections belonging to non-FSUL repositories can be accessed by using the contact information on the Repository’s page

Digital Library - http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/digital_library
The FSU Digital Library Includes digital copies of Special Collections & Archives items, born-digital collections, and digital objects hosted for other organizations

Use keyword search at the top of the screen, advanced search in the tool bar, or click through themed collections to discover digital objects
Sort or Narrow results using terms in left-hand column or search within a collection using the search box on the right side.
Click through Search Results to get full records and see digital copies
Summary tab - see a digital copy
Item Description tab - information about the digital object
Click through “Subject(s)” to find related digital items
Check the “Is Part Of” field to find related items in Special Collections & Archives

Keywords are what we use to search databases, but rarely does a single keyword produce perfect or complete results. Resources may not be described how you expect, and this is why approaching a search with multiple terms will produce the best outcome.

When formulating keywords, focus on:

Identifying the main concepts of your topic or research question
Brainstorming synonyms and antonyms
Spelling out any words that are abbreviated
Avoiding abstract concepts as search terms

Example Search
Research Question: What is the history of the Everglades and how are they a unique ecosystem?
Keywords: Everglades, Florida, swamp, marsh, wetlands, mangroves, ecosystem, flood control, Lake Okeechobee, Florida Bay, cypress, Miami, manatees, alligators, sawgrass, Kissimmee River, biodiversity, coastal prairie, aquifer, environmental restoration