FRENCH R1B: French Language & Identity

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This guide has been archived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

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]

Suggested resources

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:32:52 -0800

OskiCat

find books on your topic
find periodicals already identified as having articles on your topic

Article databases

find articles and essays on a topic
find research focused on an aspect of a topic
find current research

Subject specific databases (for publications from a specific discipline)
1. determine disciplines relevant to your topic
2. view databases by subject
3. review descriptions, paying special attention to Recommended databases
  
  examples...
  
  history > Historical Abstracts
  education > Eric
  French Studies > Francis
  linguistics > MLA International Bibliography
  literature > MLA International Bibliography
  sociology > Sociological Abstracts

General databases (for publications from many disciplines)
- Academic Search Complete
  - 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
  - strength is scholarly journal literature
  - use UC-eLinks to get full text,
    [ but you must first enable UC-eLinks -
    via Settings gear > Library links ]
- JSTOR
  - scholarly journals
  - full text resource
  - use advanced search (to narrow to specific discipline, and set limits)

A suggested research trajectory

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:37:04 -0800

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 suggested resources in this tab.
Select a resource that has 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 to see what's been written about your topic -- or what issues others are writing about in regards to a topic that might help you refine your focus.
Examine promising results (remember to note the information you'll need if you end up citing them).

How to search

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:47:37 -0700

Search tips
- it may also help to limit results by language
  (multi-language databases generally offer this limit)
Tips specifically for catalogs
- 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, people, etc., is defined. Use that terminology to search for other materials on that subject.
  - for materials about an author or literary movement, try adding the term criticism to your other search terms (see example below)
  - for specific types of materials, try adding terms for those types (encyclopedias, biographies, etc.) to your other search terms
    (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 - finds books by, interviews with, correspondence...
  [use specified syntax last name, first name]
- limit by material type - change the default search of Entire Collection
  to the desired type of material (Journals/Magazines/Newspapers, Films/Videos...)
- search too broad ? Use Modify button to add relevant limits.
defining a topic

This tab

tdilwort@library.berkeley.edu (Tim Dilworth) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:14:14 -0700

The notes in this tab contain suggestions about how to proceed with research based on your assignment. These suggestions build upon, and presume familiarity with, the concepts addressed in the Choosing a resource tab of this guide.