EAS280 : Modern Girls and Marxist Boys: Consumerism, Colonialism and Gender in East Asia

Spring 2008 - Jina Kim
reference contact: Pamela Skinner x2961

FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION & LEADS ON BOOKS/ARTICLES

Use scholarly encyclopedias and dictionaries for an overview of your topic, for definitions and explanations, and for their lists of suggested readings. Please ask at the reference desk for other suggestions.

FIND BOOKS

5 College Library Catalog

• Note that subject searching isn't intuitive or straighforward.
• If a Subject begins with or Subject keyword search doesn't work, try a Keyword search to find a few relevant titles. Then click on the subject headings on those records to conduct a more comprehensive subject search.
• For criticism on a novel, play or film, click on Subject begins with and enter the name [last name first] of the author, playright, or director. Example: Tanizaki, Jun'ichiro

WorldCat

• Use WorldCat to expand your search for books, theses, etc. beyond the Five-College area.
• Watch for items that are owned by only one library: such unique material is often not obtainable via interlibrary loan
• If you plan to use interlibrary loan to request books and theses, please allow at least 2 weeks for delivery.

FIND ARTICLES & ESSAYS

Use the databases below below to identify articles and essays on your topic; you can also search for articles in specific journals, such as those above, by changing your search type to journal (or "source") name.

• Use the buttons within the databases below to see if Smith has the article you need, either in electronic or print format
• If you identify an article from another source, use the Journal Locator to locate the article online or in print
• If you need to use interlibrary loan to requests articles, allow a week or so (though often the articles arrive within days)

Good starting places:

Academic Search Premier - 1965 to present - Includes a mix of scholarly and popular journals. Good for book and film reviews.

Academic OneFile - 1980 to present - Similar to Academic Search Premier (above) with fewer of popular journals. Good for book and film reviews.

Bibliography of Asian Studies - 1971 to present - The major database for Asian studies. Covers literature so you will be able to find articles on works of literature as well as articles on the status/role of women in Asia.

Women's Studies International - 1972 to present - The major database for women's studies. Lists books on geishas, book reviews, and "context" articles.

Other possibilities:

Historical Abstracts - 1956 to present - The major database for non-US, non-Canadian history; lists articles, book reviews, collections, and dissertations. You won't find reviews of novels or films here, but you will find lots of articles on the status/role of women in Asian history.

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) - 1951 to present - Covers sociology, economics, political science, and anthropology. No book reviews, but good for "context" articles.

Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text - coverage varies by title - use for film reviews

MLA Bibliography - 1962 to present - Foremost database for literature - use for literary criticism (not book reviews)

Project Muse - Full-text articles from core scholarly journals; coverage limited to the last 5-10 years.

J-STOR - Full-text articles from core scholarly journals; coverage lags roughly three years behind printed version of journals.

LOCATING PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL

Smith's special collections:

• If you would like to work with primary source materials in the original, consider using Smith's Sophia Smith Collection. This page describes their major subject collections.
• Consult with the collection curators for other ideas. Note that many of the collections are described in the Five College Archives & Manuscripts Collection database.
• In addition to materials in the Sophia Smith Collection, there is an abundance of primary source material in Neilson Library.
• Use secondary literature for leads on primary sources.
• As you search the online catalog; watch for the words "personal narratives," "interviews," "correspondence," "diaries," "pamphlets," and "sources" as part of the subject headings. Other clues may be buried in the title, authorship, date of publication, etc.
• The form your primary source material takes will vary from topic to topic. It may be a diary, correspondence, or personal writings; newspaper accounts or editorials; or the records of an organization or religious body. It may be a law, court case, or other legal document. For some topics, there will be compilations of significant documents.

EVALUATING SOURCES: THE INTERNET

The internet is both a wonderful and perilous resource. Use it, but always with a critical eye. Keep the issues of authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and completeness at the forefront as you look at webpages. Here are several examples of more--or less--authoritative websites. Which would you be more comfortable relying on . . .

. . . for scholarship on Geishas?

Geisha of Japan

Immortal Geisha: Make-Up of Geisha and Maiko

. . . as a primary source website for American slave narratives?

Slave Narratives - Southern Messenger

Slave Narratives - American Memory

CITING SOURCES:

• Remember to cite your souce, when either quoting directly or paraphasing. In other words, cite your source whenever you present an idea that isn't your own.
• Websites must be cited in your notes/bibliography, too; if you cut and paste - or
  paraphrase - from a website, cite the webpage.
• When in doubt, cite your source.
• Remember to include a context for each quotation/paraphrase. Who said it? Why does it matter? How does this support or contradict the argument you're making?
• Use this link to connect to online versions of Turabian, MLA Style Guide, etc.:
  Style Manuals & Citation Guides
• Or use the Landmarks Citation Machine, which offers quick citation help for APA, MLA, Turabian, and Chicago styles.

For help with your writing, remember the writing services available at the Jacobson Center.

Evaluating internet resources (Univ. of Maryland)

Using Primary Sources on the Web: Evaluating Primary Source Websites (Instruction & Research Services Committee, Reference and User Service Association History Section, American Library Association)

REFERENCE DESK HOURS

Click here for Neilson Library reference desk hours.

CONTACT THE REFERENCE LIBRARIAN

Contact Pamela Skinner, the instructor for your library session: pskinner@email.smith.edu

YOUR FEEDBACK

Click here to provide feedback on this library session.

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