Search strategy is a library term for the process of finding information in a logical, step-by-step manner. Using a search strategy ensures that you will find the information or material you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.
A step-by-step tutorial on library research is available on the World Wide Web at http://campusgw.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/tutorial/tutorial.html .
The materials listed below are sources for finding background information and context. The authors of articles in reference books often provide bibliographies of selected books and articles for further study.
HANDBOOKS AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS
A massive compilation of factual information about jazz worldwide and an indisputably useful source. Remember though no encyclopedia is ever complete.
Insightful portraits of jazz musicians written by a major critic.
This is really a biographical dictionary which sketches the lives of the great and not-so-great participants in the world of jazz from its beginnings to the late 1950s. The opening essays by Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and John Hammond as well as the author's introductory chapters on the history and chronology of jazz serve as excellent background material on the subject. At the end of the volume are lists of polls taken in America and abroad, musicians' birthdays and birthplaces, jazz organizations, schools and booking agencies, and a bibliography of books and periodicals on the subject. All of this material has been updated by Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties (Music Ref ML3561 J4 F281+) and the Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies which Feather wrote along with Ira Gitler (Music Ref ML3561 J4 F2813+). All three volumes are enhanced by numerous black and white photographs of the musicians.
Concise articles on the careers of Afro-American and African professional musicians. Information for the articles was derived from other biographical encyclopedias as well as some primary materials which are cited in the bibliographies. Bibliography of most sources used at page 447ff.
This is the premier reference work on the music of the United States, covering it not only in greater detail than has been done before but in greater cultural depth. It includes articles on jazz, blues, rock, rhythm and blues, country music, and other kinds of music; the music of various religious denominations; and the music of American Indian tribes, Afro-American music, Asian-American music, etc. Contains thousands of sketches on all aspects of music and musicians in the U.S. Many articles have a bibliography of items for further reading and research.
A total revision of earlier editions of the Harvard Dictionary of Music. This dictionary defines musical terms. Alphabetically arranged entries vary in length from a short paragraph to a number of pages and many contain bibliographic citations to further works. There are numerous cross references and some line drawings throughout the volume.
A total revision of the earlier Grove dictionaries of music, this edition no longer stresses the 19th century but attempts to cover everything that bears on music in history and on present-day musical life.
New Grove Dictionary is now available online. It includes most of the material in the paper version, but lacks some illustrative matter. The editors introduce new material and update entries from time to time. One "Special Feature" they have added is " Ken Burns Jazz: A Discussion with Scott DeVeaux and Karin Gabbard"
This encyclopedia uses the scholarship of historians, sociologists, geographers and anthropologists to present a different view of American history. The 3-volume set is divided into 14 sections focusing on various aspects of American social history, including periods of social change, patterns of everyday life, family history and science, medicine and technology.
The first comprehensive volume summarizing major and minor events of the history of black people. Entries fall into three categories: articles, biographies and cross references. The category for articles is divided into clusters, arranged alphabetically; examples include Africa, African Legacy/Survivals, Afro-American History, Civil Disorders, Civil Rights, Education, Literature, Music, Newspapers, Race, and Slavery. Biographies comprise the second category and are more concise than the articles. They number about 1400. The major limitation of this source is that the date of material does not extend beyond 1976-1977.
A comprehensive reference work on the history and culture of Afro-Americans. A sizeable number of illustrations and statistical charts comprise each section. An extensive bibliography covers such areas as culture and society, slavery, Africa, literature and related fields.
The 2,200 entries in this set cover the beginning of the seventeenth to the end of the twentieth century. The entries include biographies, descriptions of events, historical eras, legal cases, areas of cultural achievement, professions, sports, and places. Each entry includes a list of references. Volume Five includes an appendix which provides extensive statistical information. Cross-references within the entries make it easy to follow related topics. Newly revised and updated edition available in Africana Library on CD-Rom.
Jazz lovers of any persuasion - straight ahead jazz, big band, fusion, acid, or Latin - will find release announcements, reviews, concert information, interviews, articles, biographies, a free e-mail newsletter, discussion groups, nicknames of the jazz greats, and how to speak jazz. There's even a list of jazz musicians featured on postage stamps, and more, on this "Magazine by Jazz Fans for Jazz Fans."
The American Memory site provides access to the digitized historical resources of the Library of Congress and other importantcollections. The resources include photos, music, news clippings and many other primary source materials in electronic format.
From the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibits Service, this site offers a look at jazz through audio clips (requiring the free RealAudio G2 player), photos, publications, descriptions of exhibits, and links to other sites. A sample of exhibits and programs currently listed includes links to Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, women in jazz, and lost jazz venues.
This site is maintained by the University of Virginia Health System. It provides basic guidelines for students and educators on the fair use of educational multimedia.
This is a link to the Jazz sections of the Librarians' Index to the the Internet (LII). The LII is a searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 6,000 Internet resourcesselected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries. It's meant to be used by both librarians andnon-librarians as a reliable and efficient guide to described and evaluated Internet resources.
This comprehensive site has a lot of information on jazz and contemporary instrumental music and musicians. It has an introduction to jazz and the various styles; reviews of recent releases; musician profiles, often accompanied by sound clips; lists of representative recordings; discussion groups; links to related material; and editorials.
Multimedia site providing audio and video clips for the music that gave the Jazz Age its name. There are biographical entries for bands and individual musicians, and sections containing bibliography and scholarly essays. As Webmaster Scott Alexander suggests, the plentiful audio clips make this site a sort of Internet radio station for early jazz.
Part of the American Memory Project, this site has over sixteen hundred photographs of celebrated jazz artists. It documents the jazz scene from 1938 to 1948, primarily in New York City and Washington, D.C.
The Cornell Library Catalog currently includes all items from all Cornell libraries cataloged since 1973, many pre-1973 items including all of the items in the Cox Library of Music and Dance, and items on order or in process. Included in the catalog are books, periodicals, sound recordings (CDs and Vinyl), video recordings (VHS and DVDs), printed music and government documents located in the libraries at Cornell. The catalog provides the call number, the name of the library, and the circulation status for most materials.
WHEN TO CHECK THE CARD CATALOG
When the book you want was published before 1973 and it's not in the Cornell Library Catalog, check the card catalog in Olin Library. This catalog contains cards for authors, subjects and titles filed in an alphabetical, word-by-word arrangement for books cataloged through December 1972. If you cannot locate the material you need, ask at the Reference Desk for assistance.
Periodical articles are an excellent source for detailed analysis of a topic. Articles in research journals will provide a very detailed account of a research project, study, or experiment. Use the Cornell Library Catalog to find which library owns the magazines, journals and newspapers you need. Many indexes are directly linked to holdings in the library catalog. When using unlinked indexes, search the Cornell Library Catalog (CU) by the title of the periodical (i.e. Time, Scientific American, etc.). If you have questions, ask at the Reference Desk.
PERIODICAL INDEXES
A comprehensive author/subject guide to music periodical literature. A broad range of subjects are covered, including past and presentpersonalities, the history of music, forms and types of music, musical instruments from the earliest times to modern electronic instruments, plus computer produced music. In addition, book reviews, reviews of music recordings, tapes and performances, are indexed." (Preface)
The editor at Harmonie Park Press survey more than 640 international music periodicals and review new journals for possible inclusion. Topics concerned with every aspect of the classical and popular world of music are carefully categorized and organized according to the framework of an internal Subject Heading List. A broad range of subjects are indexed, plus book reviews, record reviews, first performances, and obituaries. Coverage is from 1979-. Remember to use the paper indexes for earlier information.
RILM is the major indexing and abstracting service for international scholarly literature on music including journal articles, books, essays in collections, congress reports and dissertations.
Indexes and abstracts national, regional, and international journals, book and media reviews, dissertations, and books covering American and Canadian history from pre-history to the present. Includes materials from archival, library, and historical society collections. This publication is an outgrowth of the earlier Historical Abstracts which attempted to cover U.S. history as well as world history.
A yearly author and subject index to about 25 Afro-American periodicals of general and scholarly interest. The journals which are included cut across such disciplines as psychology, sociology, education, history and popular culture, etc. It was formerly called the Index to Periodicals By and About Blacks, and is the best source available for articles from black journals. Black Studies on disc is available at Africana. It contains entries from the Index to Black Periodicals from 1989.
Indexes and abstracts over 1600 general interest magazines and scholarly journals. It also includes citations and abstracts to selected television and radio programs. Many of the articles found by searching in this database are available in full text electronic formats. The database can be divided by subject (general or business), format (newspaper or magazine and journal articles), or by date (current covers articles published from 1996 to the present, backfile covers 1986-1995).
Electronic index to thousands of periodicals in the humanities and social sciences, covering each periodical from its first issue. Every article is indexed. The scope is international, including journals in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and other languages. Coverage is currently from 1770-1993.
An interdisciplinary database combined from Women Studies Abstracts (1984-present), Women's Studies Database (1972-present), New Books on Women and Feminism (1987-present), Women of Color and Southern Women (1975-present), The History of Women and Science, Health, and Technology: A Bibliographic Guide to the Professions and Disciplines (1970-1995), Women's Health and Development: An Annotated Bibliography (1995), Women, Race, and Ethnicity: A Bibliography (1970- 1990), WAVE: Women's Audiovisuals in English: A Guide to Nonprint Resources in Women's Studies (1985-1990). NISC will add new databases as they become available.
Use search engines or Internet subject guides to find resources or sites on the World Wide Web on your topic. Search Engines are software that allow you to search the contents of web pages and Subject Guides are web pages that use menus and lists to sort and classify web sites.
Question and evaluate the information that you find on web pages. As you would do with books and journal articles, look to see who is responsible for producing the web page or site that you are accessing. How objective is the information? How accurate or truthful? How authoritative? Go to the Evaluating Sources section of this page for more information on how to assess the web sites you have accessed.
Return to Table of Contents
Evaluating the sources you find is a crucial step in the process of library research. The questions you ask about books, periodical articles, or multimedia sourcesare similar whether you're looking at a citation to the item or have the item in hand.
How to Critically Analyze Information Sources lists some of the critical questions you should ask when you consider the appropriateness of a particular book, article, media resource, or Web site for your research.
Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria shows how to evaluate periodicals by looking at their format, intended audience, and appearance.
Evaluating Web Resources lists ways to analyze the Web sites you find.
Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites offers a table of suggestions.
For additional suggestions specific to Web sites, see Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools.
Give credit where credit is due. Cite your sources using the style listed below or another style approved by your instructor. A handouts summarizing the MLA style is available at Uris and Olin Reference.
This handbook is based on the Chicago Manual of Style which is also iavailable in the Music Library Reference Section (Z253 .C53) and is intended as an aid for college students writing research papers. Included here is information on selecting a topic, researching the topic, note taking, the writing of footnotes and bibliographies. Very useful for the beginning researcher.
REFERENCE SERVICE IN the Cox library of Music and Dance
You can ask questions in person at our reference and information desks, or by telephone, or via e-mail.
DESK HOURS:
| Monday-Thursday | 9am- 10:45pm; | Friday | 9am-4:45pm |
| Saturday | Noon-4:45pm | Sunday | 2pm-10:45pm |
TELEPHONE SERVICE:
Call us at 255-4011 (Cox Library of Music and Dance Reference desk).
E-MAIL REFERENCE SERVICE:
Send reference questions to the Reference desk via electronic mail at musicref@cornell.edu
Photo Credits:
[Portrait of Louis Armstrong, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946].
Gottlieb, William P. 1917- photographer.
Credit Line: William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress.
Obtained from William P. Gottlieb: Photographs from the Golden Age of Jazz
Revised August 28,2002
Send comments to Webmaster, Music Library, Cornell University
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/music
Updated: 29 August 2002
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/music/Pondjazz.html
