Research Guides: Cultural Arts Experience: Harlem Renaissance (Summer 2024): Why we use Library Resources

Why we use libraries

The phone in your pocket connects you to incredible amounts of information? So why use library books and databases?
Short answer: the information is literally incredible. Library books and resources are a great way to insure the accuracy of the information you use.

Compare these sources

"Harlem Renaissance" by History.com
Top Google search for "Harlem Renaissance"
"Harlem Renaissance" in Wikipedia
Wikipedia has nearly 7 million entries and enjoyed about 240,000,000 views per day, with well over 1 billion unique visits per month.
Huggins, Nathan Irvin. Harlem Renaissance. Updated ed. New York ; Oxford University Press, 2023.
2023 book about the Harlem Renaissance, published by the Oxford University Press
Search for Harlem Renaissance in Oxford Reference
This database is a collection of encyclopedias. Some entries are short while others are much longer. To start, look at "Harlem Renaissance" in Encyclopedia of African American History 1896 to the Present

Questions for each group

Who wrote this?
Where did they get their information?
How up-to-date is the information?
What are strengths of the source?
What are weaknesses of the source?