When you're choosing a topic to research, it helps to get a solid overview before diving into the primary research. This will help you introduce the topic to your audience - it also gives you a chance to decide what aspects you want to learn more about.
You can find this in sources like:
You can search the UMD catalog to find books. You don't necessarily need to read a book cover to cover; often the introduction or a specific chapter will cover what you need to know.