Samford University Library * Information Literacy Program * 02-21-03

 

Name: ____________________________________________________

 

 

 

Research Journal

 

Know your information needs (fill in only once)

 

1. Thesis statement: This paper will describe the state of poverty that exists in Black Belt and will provide a proposal for the study of this problem as well as possible programs that could improve the economic status of Black Belt residents.

 

2. What I hope to accomplish: I want to find research to support my theory that poverty-stricken inhabitants of the Black Belt would benefit most from community-based programs to increase job skills training and increased lobbying by local government officials to bring job opportunities to the afflicted counties. I would like to find sources—both current and historical—that examine the Black Belt economic situation. I would also like to find statistics on the success of community-based jobs skills training as well as the success of incentives to industry programs.

 

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Access the information (fill in for each resource you use)

 

Date: 02/21/03

 

Terms: black belt, poverty, economics, south, united states, employment, job skills, community, programs, industry, jobs, alabama

 

Resource Used: Samford Libraries Catalog

 

Searches used (# of results):               

 

1. black belt (78)

           

Possibles Sources:

CALL NO  JS451 A25 B6 

AUTHOR  Bosworth, Karl A. (Karl Andrew), 1909-1970.  MAIN TITLE  Black belt county; rural government in the cotton country of Alabama; by Karl A. Bosworth.  PUBLISHER  University, Ala., Bureau of public administration

   LOCATION  STATUS  UNITS  CALL NO 

1. Main - Circulation  Available     JS451 A25 B6 

2. Main - S.C. Alabama  Available     JS451 A25 B6 

 

Problems:

Not exactly on my topic. I’ll have to check the index to see if they mention poverty or economic development.

 

2. industry and south (71)

 

Possible Sources:

None

 

Problem:

Too broad

 

2. poverty and southern states (12)

 

Possible Sources:

CALL NO  HC107 A13 D58 1986 

MAIN TITLE  Dimensions of poverty in the rural South / Jogindar S. Dhillon & Marguerite R. Howie, editors.  PUBLISHER  Tallahassee, Fla. : Center for Community Development & Research, 

   LOCATION  STATUS  UNITS  CALL NO 

1. Main - S.C. Alabama  Available     HC107 A13 D58 1986

 

CALL NO  Y 4 W 36:99-94 

AUTHOR  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. Subcommittee on Public Assistance

MAIN TITLE  Poverty in the South and Southern States' programs designed to break the cycle of poverty : hearing before the Subcommittee on Public Assistance and Unemployment  PUBLISHER  Washington : U.S. G.P.O. : For sale by the Supt. of Dcos., 

   LOCATION  STATUS  UNITS  CALL NO 

1. Main - Gov Doc Fiche  Available     Y 4 W 36:99-94  

 

Problem:

These two will be good background on the problem, but they are both kind of old.

 

 

Reflection: The catalog had a few things that look promising, but I still feel like there should be more. I think I might just go browse the shelves in HC area to see if any books stand out that might be good for this topic. HC was the beginning of a lot of the call numbers that I saw that were close to my topic.

 

 

 

Date: 02/24/03

 

Terms: black belt, poverty, economics, south, united states, employment, job skills, community, programs, industry, jobs, Alabama

 

Resource Used: Database – InfoTrac Onefile

 

Searches used (# of results):   

 

1. “black belt” and poverty (5)

 

Possible Sources:

Creating economic opportunity in the Black Belt: our continuing challenges in the New South. (speech by Bank of America Chmn. and CEO Hugh L. McColl Jr.)(Transcript)

      Vital Speeches April 15, 1999 v65 i13 p413(4) (2998 words)

 

The cost of being black in the Black Belt. (earnings of Afro-Americans in the Southern United States) William W. Falk, Bruce H. Rankin.

      Social Problems August 1992 v39 n3 p299(15)

 

 

Correlates of poverty: an analysis of demographic, structural, and individual factors related to poverty in the black-belt counties of Alabama. Susan Gotsch-Thomson.

      The Review of Black Political Economy Winter 1984 v13 p61(20)

 

 

Problems:

Two of these articles are kind of old.

 

2. “black belt” and (industry or education or jobs) (41)

 

Possible Sources:

Economic development in southern black belt counties: how does it measure up? (Special Issue: Blacks in Rural America) Donald L. Bellamy, Alfred L. Parks.

      The Review of Black Political Economy Spring 1994 v22 n4 p85(24) (5885 words)

  

Report on schools in 'black belt' finds little progress. Reginald Stuart.

      The New York Times April 7, 1981 v130 p8(N) pA16(LC) col 4 (20 col in)

 

Problems:

The new york times article may be too old to be useful. A lot of the articles had to do with karate.

 

3. “southern states” and (industry or education or jobs) (1954)

 

Problems:

Too broad.

 

4. “southern states” and education(171)

 

            Possible Sources:

Report sees lack of progress by Southern states in educating black students. Douglass Lederman.

      The Chronicle of Higher Education Sept 4, 1998 v45 n2 pA56(2)

 

Black gains found meager in the old segregated states. (Education Pages) Ethan Bronner.

      The New York Times August 26, 1998 v147 pC20(N) pB8(L) col 1 (26 col in)

 

Problems:

None

 

 

Reflection: I was pretty happy with OneFile. Many of my articles were full text which made things easier. Now I just have to go find the other ones and see if they are any good.

 

 

 

Date: 02/26/03

 

Resource Used: Samford Crimson/Internet

 

            Possible Sources & Reflection:

I was reading the Samford Crimson today and I saw an article about Sowing Seeds of Hope and the work they do in Perry County. I looked up the organization in Google and found out who is on their economic development and education taskforces (http://www.pinebelt.net/~sshope/index.html). I think one of these folks would be good for an interview. Sowing Seeds of Hope, P.O. Box 1153, Marion, AL 36756, (334) 683-4666, sshope@pinebelt.net

 

 

 

Date: 03/03/03

 

Terms: black belt, poverty, economics, south, united states, employment, job skills, community, programs, industry, jobs, Alabama

 

Resource Used: Librarian/Internet

 

Searches used (# of results):               

 

I went and asked the librarian to help me find information on what the government is doing, if anything, to study and improve the situation in the Southern Black Belt. She showed me a website called FirstGov (http://www.firstgov.gov”) We searched:

 

  1. “Black belt” and poverty

 

Possibles:

Senator Zell Miller (GA) (http://miller.senate.gov/blackbelt/index.html)

 

Rural America (http://ers.usda.gov/publications/ruralamerica/)

 

 

Reflection: It turns out the Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia proposed a study of the Southern Black Belt in August of 2001 and it got a lot of press. He wanted to model something after the “Appalachian Regional Commission” which I had never heard of, but it sounds like it has the same kind of programs that I recommend. I think I’m going to try and find some information about the programs of the Appalachian Regional Commission. Miller’s website also had links to newspaper articles about his plan. I also found Rural America which is a publication of the USDA Economic Research Service. They had quite a few articles about poverty, education and industry and how they are all tied together. The “Briefing Room” on the ERS site also gave me some stats on poverty in the South in non-metro areas.

 

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April 25, 2003

Reference Department, SUL

Birmingham, Alabama