SCANDIN R5B: Myth & Legend: Scandinavian Literature

Doe | Moffitt | Main Stacks

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:26:53 -0700

The Berkeley library system is arranged by subject -- what materials are in which library, how they're shelved, the Library website, where to get help....

Most libraries names tell their story. Doe, Moffitt, and the Gardner Main Stacks (which connects them) share the broadest subject focus in the UCB library system. Because they are named after people, the focus is less immediately apparent.

focus = Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences

their Floor plans

Library hours

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:15:14 -0800

Hours on:
Enter as mm/dd/yy

For:

Map of UCB libraries

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:28:45 -0800

Click on the map to view an interactive version of the campus library map.

Printable PDF version

Off-campus access to e-resources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:29:16 -0800

Unless home is a campus dorm, in order to access many Library resources you must first configure your computer to use one of two simple access methods:

Proxy Server (easiest method)
After you make a one-time change in your web browser's settings, allows you to use your CalNet ID to access a licensed resource.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)
You install and run the VPN software on your computer. It allows you to log in with a CalNet ID and accesss a licensed resource.

The "right" tool for the job

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:36:18 -0800

It's hard to find what you need, if you're looking in the "wrong" place. Choose a resource that includes the kinds of materials needed.

Books & articles: You're likely to need the library catalog and an article database for your assignment. Which one, and when, depends on what you already know and the kind of materials sought.
- if you already have a citation for an item, or you want to find books on your topic, you can start with the catalog
- if you need to isolate articles or essays on a topic, you will want to use an "article" database
- here's the scoop

When you need a place to begin

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:30:09 -0800

Encyclopedias provide background that helps when searching for other materials: identify people, events, issues, etc. Entries may have an associated bibliography that identifies other materials related to a topic.

Online Access...

review information in electronic resources section, above
link to e-resources by Subject > then use left sidebar menu to link to (subject specific) encyclopedias
or...link to e-resources by Type > Encyclopedias and almanacs (to see all of them)

To find print encyclopedias use OskiCat
(for tips of searching OskiCat, see Putting It All Together tab)

Article databases & other electronic resources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:45:13 -0700

access is via FIND INFORMATION tab on UCB Library website

electronic resources are viewable by subject or by the general (interdisciplinary) category
- article databases shown by default
- sidebar menu links to other types of resources
- Recommended sun = central, typically helpful resources
database description typically includes
- subject(s)
- type of materials
- dates of publication
- if results' full text is available
resources can also be viewed by type
- dictionaries
- encyclopedias
- image and sound databases
- news databases, etc.

Library catalogs

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:32:42 -0700

List what a library owns, its location and availability...

OskiCat is the UCB libraries' catalog
- books, journals, films, etc.
access via CATALOGS tab on UCB Library website

Where is the article?

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:37:49 -0700

Many library databases incorporate the UC-eLinks feature. You use it when a result's text is not provided by the database searched. It checks the UC-wide collections to see if the source is available elsewhere...

online (through a different database)
in print (at a library)
example database results with UC-eLinks

Citing sources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:22:58 -0800

Properly citing sources is an important part of your research. It allows you to avoid plagiarism and highlights your engagement with related scholarship.

In a nutshell: "Whenever you quote or base your ideas on another person's work, you must document the source you used. Even when you do not quote directly from another work...."

The above extract is taken from the Library's guide to citing sources. The guide gives an overview of this topic and links to formatting rules for the major citation styles.

* Shortcut: many databases allow you to export citations in a given citation style (MLA, APA, etc.) . This functionality is often found under the email options provided by the database. *

Evaluating sources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:24:37 -0800

Research is as credible as the work that goes into it! It's important to analyze the information you find, including where it comes from.

critical analysis of sources (via Cornell University Library)

While a library database lists results from sources known to be reputable/scholarly, finding material via Google requires additional evaluation.

evaluating web sites

Scholarly or popular ?

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:40:24 -0700

Some research databases contain popular as well as scholarly content. Depending on your needs, you may want to limit results to just scholarly content. You can...

choose a resource that only contains it
if using a resource with mixed content, limit to the scholarly material
- here's how

Library Workshop: Research 101

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:08:25 -0700

Unsure how to start a paper or research project? Think maybe you could stand to brush up on search strategies?

If this sounds familiar, Library Workshop: Research 101 has you covered. This interactive tutorial explores six stages of the research process. You can view it from start to finish, or focus on specific sections as needed:

1: Begin Your Research

Starting strategies, from choosing a topic to finding the right keywords.

Chat with a librarian

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:14:49 -0800

Doe & Moffitt Reference Desks

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:23:18 -0800

Since the UCB libraries are structured by subject, you may wish to seek help from the library specializing in your disciplinary focus.

Doe & Moffitt libraries focus on the arts, humanities and social sciences. Since their subject base is so broad, their reference desks provide generalized research help for the library system.

Doe reference hours | contact info.
Moffitt reference hours | contact info.

Research Advisory Service

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:28:28 -0800

Research Advisory Service for Cal Undergraduates

Book a 30-minute appointment with a librarian

help focusing your research inquiry
help identifying online and print sources
help developing search strategies (for humanities and social sciences topics)

Schedule (view/edit) an appointment online [CalNetID required]

How to use this tab

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:44:14 -0800

This course guide is created as a teaching tool and designed to be read as a unit. Doing so will provide the context for selecting the "right" resource and the techniques for manipulating it -- knowledge and skills that will support immediate and future research needs.

The notes in this putting it together tab contain suggestions about how to proceed with research based on your assignment. These suggestions build upon, and presume familiarity with, the general concepts addressed in the other tabbed sections of this course guide.

A research trajectory

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:59:05 -0800

Choose a topic.

Review the information in the Choosing a Resource tab. Make sure you understand how the identified resources differ in the types of information and materials they provide.
Review suggested resources section of this tab.

Review tips for finding literary and film analysis in this tab.
Visit the library homepage and select a resource whose content matches the kind of materials you are seeking to find.

When choosing and article database, select one whose disciplinary focus maps to your topic (i.e. publications in that field are likely to be writing about it). Or... choose a General (interdisciplinary) database.
Search to see what's been written about your topic (or see what issues others are writing about -- that might help you refine your focus).
- see Tips section of this tab for help with searching
- see Language tips (for searching OskiCat)

Examine promising results.
- remember to note the information you'll need if you end up citing them

Suggested resources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:43:14 -0800

OskiCat

to find books on your topic
to find periodicals you've already identified as having articles on your topic
to find encyclopedias for background information

Article databases (by SUBJECT)

to identify article and essay content on your topic
to identify current research
to identify research focused on a specific aspect of a topic
to search for publications from a specific discipline
- literature, folklore, film studies, medieval studies, etc.
MLA is a recommended database for literature and film
- citation database; no full text
- use UC-eLinks to locate results' text
- tabbed setup lets you review results by type of publication

Article databases (GENERAL)

interdisciplinary
often have popular sources (magazine & news) as well scholarly
Academic Search Complete is one recommended resource
- popular and scholarly content (good for popular culture topics; can limit to scholarly)
- some results available online
- has UC-eLinks feature
Google Scholar is one recommended resource
- strength is scholarly journal literature
- use UC-eLinks to get full text
- you must enable UC-eLinks to display in Google Scholar [set via Options gear > Scholar Preferences > Library links]
JSTOR is one recommended database
- scholarly journals
- full text resource
- use advanced search mode (to narrow to specific discipline. and/or limit your search)

Subject Encyclopedias

background on topic | biographical information on practitioner in field
Link path = Library homepage > Electronic Resources > Subjects A-Z > your subject > see left sidebar menu for links to types of resources for chosen subject

...Subjects A-Z > Literature > sidebar menu to encyclopedias >

Literature Resource Center
- good for brief biography of literary authors
- use Person Search
- in tabbed results see biographies
  (criticism tab included with some authors, but has very limited content)

Language tips (OskiCat)

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:21:12 -0800

the search mechanism ignores diacritics, so...
- use an O instead of Ö, N instead of Ñ etc.
- use the transliterated spelling (for non-Roman languages)
can limit results by language (use Modify search feature)
know possible alternate spellings for foreign names and search them separately
- a search for Heidrek finds different results than one for Heithrek

Tips

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:06:11 -0700

Tips for searching library databases
- you may also wish to limit by language

defining a do-able topic (with examples - narrowing & broadening focus)
additional tips for searching OskiCat
- for materials about a topic...
  - search 2 or 3 terms representing key concepts of your focus
  - there isn't a search that finds everything: try different combinations of terms, synonyms, related terms
  - look at the records of relevant results -- do their subjects suggest other search terms?
    
    [important: subject terms are defined by the Library of Congress, and not always what you would expect. Examine relevant results to discover how your topic, time period, location, people, etc. are defined subject-wise. Once you know this, you can use that terminology to search for other materials.]
  - sample keyword searches:
    
    hoarding
    obsessive-compulsive disorder
    compulsive behavior
    france and history and class
    elizabethan and society
    elizabethan* and custom*
    old norse sagas
    old norse literature and criticism
    august strindberg and criticism
    eugene o'neill and biography
    gender and encyclopedias
  - try adding terms for specific types of materials (encyclopedias, biographies) to your search, to locate those types of resources
- author search
  
  for a person...finds books by, interviews with, correspondence...
  [ use correct search syntax: last name, first name
  example: andersson, theodore ]
- limit by language - use modify search button
- limit by material type - change default search of Entire Collection
  to seach by type -- Journals/Magazines/Newspapers, Films/Videos...
- search too broad ? Use the Modify button to access search limits.

Extra tips for finding literary and film analysis

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 10:49:40 -0700

Using an appropriate article database is a must for identifying articles or chapters on a topic:
- Very specific searches (specific focus about a specific character in a specific work) may not net the desired results. It's worth trying for a direct bullseye, but you may need to adjust your aim.
- Search for analysis about the book, play, film, etc., being written about. You'll see what others are focusing on. You may find they use other terms for your focus that can be searched and increase your result pool.
- Search for analysis about the author/director of the book, play, film being written about. Your focus may be a thematic/technical element that shows up repeatedly in their work. Materials that focus on authorial or directorial/filmic concerns may include information about your work, or be relevant to your analysis of it.
When using the library catalog, try adding the term criticism to searches for materials about an author, literary movement, or time period (see catalog search tips for examples).

In addition to looking for articles, if books have been written about your work, examining the table of contents and indexes of promising titles may help isolate chapters of relevance.

hint: when an author is well known and been written about for a long time, you may find many article database results focus upon your author's influence on later works of literature. When this is the case, and, if it is not what you want, books may provide a way to find literary analysis focused more directly on your author & their work.

If the overall goal is to find analysis of an author's ideas and influence, and he/she is a philosopher, theologian, psychologist, visual artist -- or a subject of inquiry in a discipline besides literature -- you may also wish to explore recommended databases for the associated subject area.

note: whether this approach is helpful, depends on your needs and the kind of analysis you seek -- an article on Camus in a philosophy journal will generally use a different lens to examine his work than the one used by a literary journal.