Chances are that you know a little about your decade or event, but you are not (yet!) an expert on it.  Encyclopedias are a great way to gain some background knowledge on your topic, so you know what kind of resources you will need to find.  The library has some excellent encyclopedias that you might find useful.

As a Pitt student, you have access to a number of online reference collections. The nice thing about these resources is that you can search the full-text of many encyclopedias, handbooks, and dictionaries at one time. Also, you can access these products 24/7 both on campus and off. (To log-on to the Library resources from off-campus, please see the "Connecting from Off-Campus" box to the left.)

In order to search these products, think of some keywords, key figures, or key events from your decade. For example, if I am researching the 1920's, I might do a search for "Jazz Age." (HINT: For a better results list, place phrases within quotations marks when entering them into a search box. e.g. "Jazz Age" "Civil Rights" "Cold War")

NOTE:  Using encyclopedias is a great way to start thinking about your topic, but they will not be accepted as sources for your paper in this class.