COM LIT R1B: Family Drama

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.

This guide has been archived

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:29:27 -0700

Please note: this course guide was created during a previous semester, and is no longer being actively maintained. For a list of current course guides, please see http://lib.berkeley.edu/alacarte/course-guides.

Article databases

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:15:37 -0800

access via FIND INFORMATION tab on UCB Library website > Articles link

view by subject or general (interdisciplinary) category
description =
- subject(s)
- type of materials included
- dates of publications included
- if full text is provided for results
Recommended tag =
- central, typically helpful resource

Other electronic resources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:17:48 -0800

encyclopedias, government documents, image databases, news databases, etc.
access via FIND INFORMATION tab on UCB Library website

use Electronic resources link
- to view by subject (link to subject, then use sidebar menu to limit by resource type)
- or view by type (all subjects combined)

Need a place to begin ?

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:18:59 -0800

If you have a topic but don't know much about it, encyclopedias can provide background that will help you get started and search more effectively.

identify the people, events, issues, etc., related to your topic
entries often have a bibliography that identifies materials related to their topic
online encyclopedias
- for access, review information in electronic resources section, above
print encyclopedias
- search OskiCat for library location

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

The "right" tool for the job

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:12:04 -0700

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 you need.

Looking for books & articles ? You're likely to need both the library catalog and an article database. Which one, and when, depends.

start with a catalog
- if you already have a citation for an item
- if you want to find books on a topic
start with an article database
- if you need to isolate articles or essays on a topic
what you need to know...

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) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:48:26 -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) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:53:56 -0700

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 pulling 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 suggested research trajectory

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:17:35 -0700

Review information in Choosing a resource tab. Make sure you understand how the identified resources differ in the types of information and materials they provide.
Review tips for finding historical background or literary analysis, below.

Review the suggested resources, below
Select a resource whose content matches the kind of materials you are seeking to find and whose disciplinary focus maps to your topic (i.e. publications in that field are likely to be writing about your topic).

Or... choose a General (interdisciplinary) database.

Search resources to see what's been written about your topic -- or what issues others are writing about in regards to a topic/author/work that might help you refine your focus

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) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:32:29 -0700

OskiCat

find books on your topic
find periodicals you've identified as having articles on your topic

Article databases

identify article and essay content on your topic
identify research focused on a specific aspect of a topic
identify current research

... By subject:

publications from a specific discipline
- literature, African American studies, history, etc.
MLA is a recommended database for literary criticism
- can limit by type of publication
  (hint: in results' list, mouse over icon to identify type)
- can limit by language
- use UC-eLinks to locate result text
America: History and life (US, Canada) and Historical Abstracts (rest of the world) are two recommended databases for historical research
- can limit to results that focus on a time period
- can refine search to specific types of publications
- can limit by language
- use UC-eLinks to locate result text

... General:

interdisciplinary databases
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, magazine/news content in addition to academic journals)
- 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
  
  but...you must enable UC-eLinks to display in Google Scholar
  [via Settings gear > Library links]
JSTOR is one recommended database
- scholarly journals
- full text resource
- use advanced search (to narrow to specific discipline, and set limits)

Subject specific encyclopedias

background on a topic and/or biographical information on a person
Link path = Library homepage > Electronic Resources > By Subject link > your subject > use left sidebar to link to types of resources for that subject

...by subject > Literature > sidebar menu to encyclopedias >

Literature Resource Center
- use Author Search
- tabbed results - see biographies [literature criticism tab included for some authors (but has limited content)]

Searching a database

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:38:40 -0700

search tips for library databases (recommended)
- additional tip, you may wish to limit by language

catalog search tips
- finding 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.
  - to find literary analysis, try adding the term criticism to your search for materials about an author or literary movement (see example, below)
  - try adding terms for specific types of materials -- encyclopedias, biographies -- to your search, to locate those types of resources (see example, below)
    
    sample keyword searches...
    
    hoarding
    obsessive-compulsive disorder
    compulsive behavior
    france and history and class
    elizabethan and society
    elizabethan* and custom*
    octavia butler and criticism
    kubrick and criticism
    eugene o'neill and biography
- author search (for a person) - finds books by, interviews with, correspondence...
  [use specified syntax last name, first name]
- 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 Modify button for 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.

Extra tips for finding historical background

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:57:20 -0700

Not already knowldegeable about the time period, social or cultural background? Consider starting with an encyclopedia entry.
Journal articles tend to focus on specific aspects of a specific topic. If you are looking for a broad overview of a historical time or social situation, books might be the ticket:
- their table of contents and indexes will help you isolate the parts of interest
- OskiCat will help you locate books at UCB
- Some article databases also contain results for books/book chapters in addition to articles in their subject
  - America:History & Life and Historical Abstracts are two such examples