• Select a topic and find two articles, one from a popular magazine and another from a scholarly journal.  Write an analysis on the differences in the approach and content of the articles. 

• Choose a favorite book.  Find two reviews of the book and compare and contrast the critical reception it received.

• Select a subject of interest and determine the Library of Congress call numbers of five books for that subject.  Check the copyright date of each, examine the content, and write a paper recording the impressions, difference, and development in the subject matter.

• Select a topic that has been of interest over the decades, such as the Kennedy assassination or Watergate.  Summarize accounts of the subject at decade intervals, using the New York Times newspaper. 

• Choose three prominent individuals in a particular discipline.  Locate biographical data about each and present their differences, similarities, strengths, weaknesses, etc. in a paper or presentation to the class.

• Prepare an annotated bibliography of information sources on a topic related to the course curriculum.

• Select a topic and using the Library of Congress Subject Headings and two databases, compile a list of fifteen synonyms which could be used when researching that topic.  Cite sources of each subject or keyword. 

• Identify opposing viewpoints on a controversial issue.  Compare popular and scholarly work supporting the viewpoints. 

• Identify primary and secondary resources that would be relevant to answering a question or issue that is being addressed in the course.  Examine both resources and explain the difference between primary and secondary resources.

• Provide students with a historical artifact without revealing its purpose.  Using historical resources, students will identify and explain the purpose of the artifact. 

Back to Tips for Creating Effective Library Research Assignments