National Black History Month is an annual observance in February, celebrating the past and present achievements of African Americans. It is also a time when students and educators, who in a mad scramble to track down elusive biographical information on the movers and shakers in Black History, need accurate and reliable information fast.
No time for a trip to the library this week? No sweat! Overhaul your research plan and leap over to WilsonWeb, an online biographical index that’s available to you outside library walls, 24-7. Beyond biographies, you’ll uncover obituaries, articles, and leads to additional resources about the person you are researching. For fun, let’s see how many African American musicians with Louisiana roots we can find.
- Click “Online Databases” on the left navigation menu of our home page.
- Click “Enter” (remote users will be asked to enter library card number).
- From the Statewide Databases list, click “Wilson Web“
- The “Advanced Search” is selected by default, so leave it as is; choose your database by checking “Biographies Plus Illustrated“.
- Inserting one term in each of the three text boxes provided, type “African American” and “Louisiana” and “musician”; next, select “Ethnicity” and “Place of Origin” and “Profession/Activity”, in that order, from the drop-down menus, making sure that each matches up, side-by-side, with the search terms you just typed.
- Click “Start”.
- Scroll through over a half-dozen results and take your pick – from Louis Armstrong to Shirley Verrett!
- Tip: In the event you discover more leads to related reading, be sure to consult with Newsbank and EBSCO, two additional online resources that link you to hundreds of thousands of newpaper and magazine articles. Have fun!