Tacoma Community College Library: WRITE 95, ENGL 101, and College 101 Learning Community (LC 1): Davison, C. & Hunt, B. (Fall 2024): Finding background resources

Getting started with your research in LC 1

This quarter in LC 1, you will be selecting a "burning" issue (i.e. a critical issue) related to people and their places or environments for your research assignments. This issue may be a global issue, an environmental issue, a social issue, a humanitarian issue, or some combination of these. If you already have an issue in mind that you would like to explore, a great place to start your research is with background sources, such as encyclopedia articles, to get a brief overview of your topic. These sources can also help you with narrowing down a broad topic. If you do not yet have a topic in mind, they can help you to brainstorm topic ideas. See the best library databases to start your background research below!

Library databases for background information

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
A compendium of digitized subject encyclopedias, covering many disciplines. Very useful for background information on a topic. Search by keyword (e.g., famine).
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
These weekly reports provide thoughtfully written analyses of social, economic and political issues. Every issue features an extensive report on one topic. If you already have a topic in mind, search by keyword. If you are still exploring topic ideas, try using the BROWSE TOPICS option at the top to help you brainstorm ideas.
Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Articles on 400 topics, each with an overview and an argument, and many with opposing arguments. If you already have a topic in mind, search by keyword. If you are still exploring topic ideas, try using the Browse by Category option to help you brainstorm ideas.

Search for books and e-books for more in-depth information

Once you've found general background information on your topic, you may find that you would like more in-depth background information. One way is to find books that you can check out at the TCC Library or e-books that you can read online. You can search the library catalog for books by doing a keyword search (e.g., famine) by clicking the link below.

Click the link below to search for books in the library catalog:

Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Find items on the TCC library's shelves, as well as digital books from our ebook collections.

Search tips:

Type in your keywords in the search box and click the "Search" button
Take note of the format of the results. You can narrow down to print books or e-books by clicking one of the boxes.
Take note of the publication date range. You can narrow down results to a specific data range.
Click the title of the book for more detailed info
Take note of the format of the book. An e-book will have an "E" icon; a print book will have a book icon.
If it's an e-book, then you can click the "Electronic access" link to read the book online.
You can also text any book record to yourself.

Why get background info?

Research, write and speak from a position of knowledge.

An overview of your topic area helps you understand...

the historical perspective on your topic
what the key issues are and how you may want to refine your topic
who are the stakeholders (the groups or individuals interested in or affected by this topic)
a context of how your topic relates to the other issues that surround it
specialized vocabulary that is used relating to your topic (you can use these words for searches later in your research process)