ASRC 310 : Introduction to African Art
(http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/faculty/asrc310.html)
Compiled by Eric Kofi Acree,
Librarian
ea18@cornell.edu/255-5229/Africana
Library
- Developing a Search Strategy
- Finding Background Information
- Searching Techniques
- Finding Course Reserve Readings
- Finding Books
- Selected Databases
- Citing Sources
- African Art and Archaeology Web Guide
- National Museum of Africa Art
Developing
a Search Strategy:
Search strategy is a library term for the process of finding information
in a logical, step-by-step manner. Using a search strategy insures that
you will find the information and materials you need as quickly and
efficiently as possible.
Research Steps:
- Choose your topic
- Find background information
- Find books on your topic
- Find periodical articles
- Using WWW to Find Internet Resources
- Evaluate your sources
- Cite your sources
Tips to consider when doing research:
- Have a clear understanding of the assignment. What is the length of the paper? What are you suppose to report?
- Check the bibliography and indexes of books related to your topic.
- Use more than one source.
- When searching databases be flexible with the use of search terms.
- To learn the best way to use a particular database check out that database help page. There is usually some type of variation for each database.
Finding Background Information (Selected Reference Books):
Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, AFR Reference DT 14 .A37435 2005 (5 volumes)
Africa. Ref. DT 3 .A249x 2002 (4 volumes)
Africa South of the Sahara. Ref. DT
351 A25
Comprehensive view of countries comprising Sub-Saharan Africa.
Includes coverage of international organizations, research bodies,
and major agricultural and mineral commodities.
Black Africa: A Comparative Handbook.
1989. Ref. DT 352.8 M85 1989
Surveys Sub-Saharan Africa's economic, demographic, and political
structure.
Encyclopedia of African History and Culture.
Ref. DT 3 P27x 2001
Five volume set which chronologically divides Africa's history
into five major eras; v. 1. Ancient Africa (prehistory to 500
CE) -- v. 2. African kingdoms (500 to 1500) -- v. 3. From conquest
to colonialization (1500 to 1850) -- v. 4. The colonial era
(1850-1960) -- v. 5. Independent Africa (1960-present).
Encyclopedia of Precolonial Africa. DT 2 .E53 1997
Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century African History. Ref.DT 29 .E53
Middle East and North Africa. Ref.
DS 49 M62
Comprehensive view of countries comprising the Middle East and
North Africa. Includes coverage of international organizations,
research bodies, and major agricultural and mineral commodities.
Whether you are clicking your way across the Web, searching for resources in the Cornell Library Catalog, or looking for scholarly articles in specialized subject databases, being aware of a few simple techniques can improve the effectiveness of your searches.
Do you know how to use the following search techniques?
- keywords vs. phrase searching
- boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT (for combining search terms)
- truncation and wildcard symbols (for finding singular, plural, and other keyword variations)
- field searching (for narrowing a search to specific parts of a record)
- controlled vocabulary (subject headings)
See the following sites for details on how to refine
and perfect your search results:
Introduction
to Database Searching Skills
Search
Strategies
Finding Course Reserve Readings:
- Click on http://www.library.cornell.edu/services/reserves.html
- Click Access Course Reserves
- Select by course ASRC 310
Finding Books:
Cornell Library Online Catalog.The Cornell University Library Catalog includes the holdings of 20 Cornell
University libraries. (The Weill Cornell Medical Library, located in
New York City, has a separate catalog.) The catalog contains records
for books, computer files, government documents, manuscripts and archives,
maps, musical scores, periodicals, serials, sound recordings, and visual
materials received and cataloged since 1973. There are also records
for most pre-1973 items, and for items that are on order or in process.
Other Library Catalogs:
RLIN. RLIN, the Research Libraries Information Network, is an information management and retrieval system used by hundreds of comprehensive research libraries, archival repositories, museums, academic, public, law, technical, and corporate libraries to build an international database of bibliographic information. The RLIN database indexes books, journals, and other materials held by full-member RLG libraries.
Worldcat. OCLC WorldCat is a catalog of the holdings of books, journals, and other materials held by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) member libraries. Includes NetFirst database holdings.
Borrow Direct: Books which are currently unavailable or not owned by Cornell may be requested through the virtual catalog of Brown University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. These are requested directly by the library patron. Registration is not required.
Interlibrary Loan: Books or journal articles not owned by Cornell may be borrowed or photocopy from outside institutions. Choose the unit which best suits your needs. Registration is required.
CU Library Gateway: Find Articles | Find Databases
Distinguishing Scholarly From Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria
ARTstor. Searchable database of digital images and associated catalog data. Covers the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design, as well asmany other forms of visual culture.
Grove Art Online.Grove Art Online provides web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art, ed. Jane Turner (1996, 34 vols.) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art, ed. Hugh Brigstocke (2001). We offer ongoing additions of new and updated articles, over 1,500 thumbnail art images and line drawings displayed in the text of articles, extensive image links, and sophisticated search and navigation tools.
Oxford Reference Online. Searchable database of 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works of Oxford University Press. Each topical division contains searchable versions of the latest editions of published dictionaries and encyclopedias. Includes English and bilingual dictionaries, dictionaries of quotations, etymology and euphemisms, and the World Encyclopedia. Covers general reference, language, science and medicine, humanities and social sciences, business and professional subject.
Specialized Subject Indexes:
Art Full Text.
Indexes, abstracts and full-text from international periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Areas covered include archaeology, architecture, art, film, humanities, marketing, motion pictures and photography.
Artbibliographies Modern. Abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, and exhibition reviews. The scope of ARTbibliographies Modern extends from artists and movements beginning with Impressionism in the late 19th century, up to the most recent works and trends in the late 20th century. Photography is covered from its invention in 1839 to the present. A particular emphasis is placed upon adding new and lesser-known artists and on the coverage of foreign-language literature. Approximately 13,000 new entries are added each year.
Bibliography of the History of Art. A database search engine covers European and American art from late antiquity to the present, indexes and abstracts art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealer’s catalogs, and articles from more than 2,500 periodicals.
Research Library. Available as part of the ProQuest Direct system, Periodical Abstracts
indexes and abstracts an extensive number of periodicals, covering general
interest magazines and scholarly journals in the social sciences, humanities
and sciences. Also included are citations and abstracts to selected
television and radio programs. Full text of many articles is provided.
JSTOR. JSTOR is a fully-searchable database containing the back issues of several hundred scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, music, ecology and botany, business and other fields. It includes the following collections: Arts & sciences I, II and III, General science, Ecology and botany, Business, Language and literature.
LexisNexis
Academic. Provides access to full text resources on topics including current and
general news; business and financial information; newspapers; company
directories; government and politics; medical and health topics; accounting,
auditing, and tax; federal and state laws; legal cases; and regulations.
Resources include TV and radio news transcripts.
MLA Bibliography. MLA Bibliography is the largest and most comprehensive database covering scholarship in the modern languages, linguistics, literature, folklore, and drama, including film, opera, radio, television and theater. Literary criticism and literary theory are covered extensively. Approximately 4,000 journals and series are screened, and entries for books are included. Entries appear both for collections of essays and for their contents.
PsycINFO. Contains summaries and citations of the international literature in psychology and related behavioral and social sciences, including psychiatry, sociology, anthropology, education, pharmacology, and linguistics. Includes applied psychology, communication systems, developmental psychology, educational psychology, experimental human and animal psychology, personality, physical and psychological disorders, physiological psychology and intervention, professional personnel and issues, psychometrics, social processes and issues, sports psychology and leisure, and treatment
Give credit where credit is due.
By properly citing the sources you use in your research projects you are both identifying the resources that you used to complete your work and you are formally acknowledging the authors or creators of those resources. This allows others to find what you have found and to verify your research.
Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity
Chicago Manual of Style
CU Reference locations include Olin, Uris, ILR, and Fine Arts Libraries
at call number: Z253 .U69 2003
Chicago Manual of Style Form Guide (Ohio State University)
The Chicago Manual of Style FAQ
Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (5th ed.)
CU Library Reference locations include Africana, Hotel, Management,
Olin, and Uris Libraries at call number:
BF 76.7 .P83x 2001x. Also in ILR and Mann Reference at BF 76.7 .A51
2001.
APA citation style (Gateway Help)
APA Reference Examples for Electronic Source Materials Excerpted from the new 5th edition of the Publication Manual.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
(6th ed.)
CU Library Reference locations include Olin and Uris Libraries at call
number: Z253 .M68 2003 .
MLA Citation Style (Gateway Help) MLA Style (MLA's web site)
Library Instruction Evaluation Form
