ENGLISH R1B: Modern African American Poetry

Where's the PDF?

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:45:13 -0800

Many article databases contain information about articles (citations or abstracts), not the entire text of the article. Once you've used an article database to find articles on your topic, you may need to use this button: in order to locate and read the full text of the article. The UC-eLinks button appears in nearly all the databases available from the UCB Library website.

UC-eLinks will link you to the online full text of an article if UCB has paid for online access; otherwise, UC-eLinks will help you locate a print copy on the shelf in the library. If UCB doesn't own the article in print or online format, UC-eLinks can also help you order a copy from another library.

For more information, watch this video tutorial (about 4 min.)

You can also set up UC-eLinks to work with Google Scholar. For more information, watch this video tutorial (about 2 min.)

Proxy server

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:57:07 -0800

To use library databases from off campus you have to set up the proxy server: this changes your browser settings.

Different browsers [Firefox, Chrome, Safari...] have different instructions- they are all here.
You can set it up on multiple devices
You log in with your CalNet ID
There's an alternative: the VPN

Literary Criticism and Resources

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:37:37 -0700

Doe, Main Stacks, Moffitt Library floorplans

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:55:34 -0700

Looking for a location in Doe, Main Stacks or Moffitt? Try the floorplans, or ask for assistance!

Catalogs

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:19:24 -0700

To find books, DVDs, maps, sound recordings, manuscripts, and much more - everything except articles - use a library catalog.

OskiCat = UC Berkeley libraries

MELVYL= all UC campus libraries, including all UC Berkeley libraries

What's the difference?

For each item make sure you know the name of the physical library, call number, and whether or not it's checked out, library use only, etc.

"I found a book - now what?"

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:12:02 -0700

You can check out books from most libraries on campus with your Cal 1 Card. Here's information on borrowing, renewing, returning, overdue materials, etc.

Using call numbers to find books

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:46:00 -0700

Books and journals are arranged on our shelves according to the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. Each is assigned a unique call number based on its subject matter and other characteristics. Items on the same subject will often be grouped together.

In using a call number to locate a book on the shelf, consider each element in turn before moving on to the next segment.

These call numbers are arranged as they should appear on the shelves. In each case, the element shown in boldface distinguishes the number from the preceding one:

Q
76
K26

QA
17
F75

QA
17.1
C98

TK
3
Z37

TK
29
M49

TK
29
M5
1997

TK
29
M5
2007

Each call number consists of several elements. For example::

TK
7881.6
M29
1993

The FIRST line, TK, is based on the broad subject of the book. Within Class T for technology, TK represents electrical engineering.

The SECOND line, 7881.6, defines the subject matter more finely. When looking for the book, read this as a whole number with a decimal component. In this example, TK7881.6 represents magnetic recording (a subdivision of TK— electrical engineering).

The THIRD line, M29, usually indicates author, but may also represent a further subject subdivision, geographic area, etc. There may also be a fourth line, formatted the same way. When looking for the book, read the numeric component as if it were preceded by a decimal point. In the example above, the numeric part of M29 should be read as ".29" (and the call number TK7881.6 M29 comes before TK7881.6 M4).

The YEAR of publication, such as 1993, may also be present. These file in chronological order and often indicate successive editions of a book. The call number may also have additional elements, such as volume numbers.

Finding Primary Sources overview

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:57:06 -0700

Primary sources can be found in a variety of library tools:

Catalogs: OskiCat and Melvyl
Online book and text collections
Primary Source databases provided by the Library
Vetted sites on the web:

For specific search strategies, see the Library's Guide to Finding Historical Primary Source s

Primary Resources

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:32:11 -0700

The library has created a guide to searching for primary sources in Oskicat, including the best search terms you can use.

This is a list of a few of the many primary source databases in US History, in addition to Oskicat. more

Primary Sources in Oskicat

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:29:30 -0700

There are tens of thousands of historical primary sources in Oskicat. To narrow your searching to primary sources, try this.

Use Advanced Keyword Search
Pull down the "Subject" limiter in the left side box.
Enter your main search term. It could be a topical word, like Auschwitz or Holocaust.
In the next row, again pull down the "Subject" limiter in the left side box. Enter one of these specific 'primary source' search words:

personal narratives
correspondence
interviews
memoirs
diaries
sources
pamphlets

The results should be a list of primary sources on your topic, each of which is a book in the Berkeley library.

Primary Source Searching - Names

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:38:33 -0800

One of the most powerful ways to find primary sources in the Library is to use the names of people. An essential part of your background reading should be to note down names of people involved in your topics.

Names can be searched in the catalogs [Oskicat and Melvyl] in specialized ways: as authors or as subjects. Even people you do not consider authors in the conventional sense may be listed as authors, if:

their correspondence is available
their manuscripts are available
interviews with them are available
their diaries are available
published versions of these are available

When searching for primary sources, it's a good idea always to search those names as authors, as well as keywords. Works where the person is listed as an author will always be primary sources.

Citing MLA

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:15:43 -0700

For more examples, link to our e-book, Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles, chapter 4 "MLA Style."

Citing your sources

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:31:09 -0700

Our guide to Citing Your Sources tells how to establish your paper's credibility and avoid plagiarism, and provides links to detailed examples of MLA and other citation formats.

American Sociological Association style manual

Citation Management Tools

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:29:14 -0700

Citation management tools help you manage your research, collect and cite sources, and create bibliographies in a variety of citation styles. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, but any are easier than doing it by hand!

Zotero: A free plug-in that works exclusively with the Firefox browser: keeps copies of what you find on the web, permits tagging, notation, full text searching of your library of resources, works with Word, and has a free web backup service.
RefWorks - free for UC Berkeley users. It allows you to create your own database by importing references and using them for footnotes and bibliographies. Use the RefWorks New User Form to sign up.

It's always good to double check the formatting -- sometimes the software doesn't get it quite right.

Other ways to get help

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:59:26 -0700

Other ways to get help: in person, by e-mail, using specialized chat services

Ask a Librarian 24/7 Chat

ljones@library.berkeley.edu (Lynn Jones) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:03:58 -0800

When you use this chat widget a reference librarian from Berkeley, or another UC campus, or another academic library around the US may be answering your question. We share information about our libraries to make sure you get good answers.

If the librarian can't answer you well enough, your question will be referred to a Berkeley librarian for followup.

Have fun chatting.