ENGL 254: Exploring Local Cultures: Home

This purpose of this research guide is to help you get started with researching local cultures and subcultures. This guide was created for ENGL 254: Writing and Communities, but can be used by anyone!

There are several ways to search for materials in the library catalog.

• Search "Quick Search"/"Encore" using the search box in the upper left corner of this guide, or using the main search box on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries home page. This will search University of Nebraska-Lincoln's collections of books, DVDs, and journals. This search will also bring up materials from some, but not all, library databases.
• If you can't find a book you're looking for at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, try searching WorldCat to see books at libraries around the world. You can request books from other libraries through Delivery/Interlibrary Loan.
• Search for article databases using the "Eresources" link to the left on this guide, or at the top of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries home page.

Unlike most research you'll do in college, exploring new cultures will take you outside the box of traditional academic research...so brush up your Google skills if you're not finding what you're looking for in the library catalog or databases.

Here are some things to look for on the open Web:

• Articles in Wikipedia or other crowdsourced reference sites
• Online discussion forums, including Facebook groups, Twitter hashtags, and blogs (including Tumblr)
• YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sites
• Websites and social media accounts for individual organizations you are investigating--often there is contact information if you need more information from a real person