NHD Resources at the University of Delaware Library

So I just came back from the University of Delaware library to see if they would have any good resources to meet this year’s theme; Innovation in History: Impact and Change. I went to the Reference room desk and talked to a really nice librarian, Rebecca Knight. She was really helpful and informative. So I thought I would share what she told me with you.

First off you have to be eighteen years or older to check out a book from the library.  If  you are not, I suggest you go with someone who is (parent, older sibling) so they can take out the book. Before you go to the library there is a way to check if the UD library contains the electronic reserves that you may need. Go to http://www.udel.edu. Go to the libraries tab on the top and click on Morris Library. Once you are there on the top it says Subject Guides, click on that. From there click on History and then Resources for National History Day (third from the bottom). Look around this site. It was made especially to help you and there truly are some great resources on this site.

The electronic reserves are a great place to look for primary documents. For example, they have maps and pictures which could be great for any exhibit, documentary, or paper. In Databases, I clicked on the New York Times and searched DuPont – Nylon. I found all of these old advertisements from the 1940s about socks made with DuPont Nylon. I thought that was so cool. But in order for you to print out these resources, you have to go the University of Delaware Library. It does cost to print there, but it’s totally worth it.

I also learned the University has a collection of patents online. If you are doing a certain invention and know the patent number, you can search it and see the original patent, what a great primary source! There is also a section of the library called juvenile literature: they may have great secondary sources in that section.  If you’re interested in visiting the special collections, make sure they have resources related to your topic first.  There are a lot of regulations that go along with special collections so  look those up at the library website and email the librarian if you have any questions.

And remember don’t be afraid to ask a librarian for help. They are there for a reason. I have done many a research projects at UD and it wasn’t for the librarian my 25 page papers wouldn’t have been as good as they were without their assistance.

Ali, Delaware Historical Society intern

NHD Online Theme Discussion

NHD Online Discussion Theme – Innovation in History: Impact and Change

When: Wednesday, December 2 3:00 – 5:00 pm EST

Where: Logon to the NHD website, http://www.nhd.org. The exact location and instructions will be announced very soon!

Who: All NHD participants. Students and teachers are especially encouraged to send us their questions! They will be answered by staff here at the NHD national office.

How: Email your web site category questions to info@nhd.org starting on Monday, November 30, with “online discussion question” in the subject line. We will post answers to these on Wednesday at the start of the online discussion. From 3 – 5, you can participate in a live online discussion by sending questions to the same email, info@nhd.org and watch the answers post on our website. Remember – this online discussion is all about the annual theme, Innovation in History: Impact and Change

NHD Web Site Discussion TODAY!

Join National History Day for an online discussion about the website category.

When: Today, Tuesday, November 10 3:00 – 5:00 pm EST

Where: Logon to the discussion page on the NHD website: http://www.nhd.org/Webdiscussion.htm

Who: All NHD participants. Students and teachers are especially encouraged to send us their questions! They will be answered by staff here at the NHD national office.

How: Email your web site category questions to info@nhd.org starting on Friday, November 6 with “online discussion question” in the subject line.

We will post answers to these on Tuesday at the start of the online discussion. From 3 – 5, you can participate in a live online discussion by sending questions to the same email, info@nhd.org and watch the answers post on our website.

Remember – this online discussion is all about the web site category and the new changes for this year.

Mark your calendars! A second NHD Online Discussion will be held Wednesday, December 2 about the Annual Theme – Innovation in History:

Impact and Change

Text Tags and Hovers

This is from Ann Claugh, The Director for Curriculum for NHD.  It was originally posted through the H-History Net Listserve.

The website category is new and exciting. I am amazed watching students perform tasks on the computer that were once reserved only for the seasoned IT. But knowledge doesn’t always need to lead to action. A question has surfaced about text tags and hovers. When do text tags enhance or detract from the website? After talking to the IT for National History Day I understand the purpose of the hover is to be an extended explanation of the text. If you have students using text tags challenge the students to self check: Could I have said what needed to be said within the text without using a hover or text tag? If the text tag did count in the word limit, would I be over my limit? If so, how far? Why did I choose to use a hover instead of writing the information in the text? Just some food for thought… Ann Claunch Director of Curriculum National History Day

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The H-History Day is an online resource for NHD if you’re interested!  http://www.h-net.org/~histday/

How To Create A Web-Site

How to Get Started with your History Day Website
By Kevin Martin, Curator of Digital Collections at the Hagley Library

Now that you have all your research complete (or near complete), it is time to start building your website.  Web development is an incredibly useful skill and the time you spend on your history day site will be a valuable experience.

The amount of planning you do before you start creating content will have a huge impact on the effectiveness of your site.  Here are a few pointers on how to begin:

* First things first: Be sure you read the rules, requirements, and guidelines for NHD website entries before you begin planning.  If you have any questions ask your teachers or NHD coordinator.

*  We all have favorite websites.  Take a look at some of your favorite sites and pay attention to their organization and layout.  Ask yourself:  What do I like about this site?  Is it easy to find what I am looking for?  What is confusing or unclear?  The insight you will gather by asking yourself these questions will give you ideas on how you will create your site.  Select elements of other sites that you like best and use them.

*  Think about your topic and consider how you might divide parts of your research into sub-topics.  For example, if you are doing the life of Charles Lindbergh, you might want to think about his life story and divide it into topics.  Some of these topics might include: Early Life, Learning to Fly, Flight across the Atlantic, Life as Famous Pilot, and Political Life.  Once you have these topics you can begin building your web content around each of them.  The topics used to create the content for your site could serve as links that users will click when they reach your homepage.

*  Before you start building your website, create a site plan.  Think about how many pages you will need for your site.  Create a summary of the content for each page.  What are you going to write about on each of your pages?   What images are you going to use and where are you going to use them?  What other media will be included (videos, animation, etc.) and where will they be used?  It is important to have site plan before you begin creating the site.

* Finally, now that all of your content is in order.  Create a template or a frame for each of your pages.  All websites have three major components: a banner with the title of the site, a navigation with links to each section of the site, and the content for each page.  Once you have the template for your page, the only thing you will need to change is the content for each page.  The banner and the navigation will remain the same for all pages.  Take a look at the deisign of other sites for ideas.

If you are having trouble building your site, ask questions.  Many people you know probably have experience creating websites.  Ask your parents, teachers, older brothers and sisters, or your friends for help.  Their are many different kinds of software and online tools to use for creating a site.  Be sure to find the one that will work best for you.

Most important advice of all: Have Fun!  Building a website isn’t easy but it is a great skill to learn.  When you finish your site you will have a wonderful example of your work that you can share with your friends and family.

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Many thanks to Kevin for taking the time to write about creating a web-site.  Kevin judged NHD in Delaware web-sites last year and will be back again this April.  If you would like to check out his blog is is:  www.hagley.org/library.

If you’re interested in more about web-sites, also consider reading this post from National History Day in New York.  http://historydayguy.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/so-you-want-to-make-a-web-site/