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Search Tips
- Search for the community’s official website(s). Remember, there may well be more than one level of local government (e.g. the City of Cambridge is in the Region of Waterloo).
- The local government websites are great sources of information for local communities.
- Search for the community’s open data repositories.
- Most larger communities have open data repositories that provide LOTS of valuable information about the communities.
- Remember, once again, that there may be more than one local open data repository as there might be more than one level of local government.
- Look through relevant datasets on the Ontario Data Catalogue (Ontario's open data repository) for references to the community.
- Tip: You will likely have to search for potentially relevant datasets by topic and then search the dataset for references to your community.
- Study the community using Google Maps.
- Use the layers in the map to see the data that is available.
- Use the street view feature to travel down the streets in the community.
- Tip: Google will often have several years worth of pictures available for a community, thereby permitting a diachronic examination of the community.
Peter Turkstra Library, Redeemer University , 777 Garner Road East, Ancaster, ON, L9K 1J4, Canada Circulation Desk Telephone: 905.648.2139 ext. 4266, Email: library@redeemer.ca