Library Guide for Africana Studies 100.7
Black Humor

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/asrc100_7.html

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture 		  Developing a Search Strategy
  Library Gateway Overview
  Finding Background Resources
  Finding Books
  Finding Articles
  Finding Images
  Internet Resources
  Evaluating Sources
  Citing Sources
  Research and Reference Help

     

DEVELOPING A SEARCH STRATEGY

Search strategy is 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

  1. Choose your topic
  2. Find background information
  3. Find books on your topic
  4. Find periodical articles
  5. Find networked resources or relevant Web sites
  6. Evaluate your sources
  7. Cite your sources

For more information about library research strategy and using library resources, go to Research Strategy: a tutorial.

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CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GATEWAY

Library Catalog | Find it!: Articles Databases e-Journals Images | MyLibrary | Ask a Librarian | Individual Libraries

The Cornell University Library Gateway is the Cornell University Library's homepage on the World Wide Web. The Gateway lists information about the CU Library and provides access to library resources and services.

  • Library Catalog is used to identify and locate almost everything the CU Library owns in print, electronic, and other formats. This catalog reflects the majority of our collections, representing the holdings of 18 Cornell libraries plus the CISER Data Archive.
  • Find Databases provides access to over 1000 online indexes and abstracts, almanacs, catalogs, dictionaries, directories, and encyclopedias.
  • Find Articles allows you to search for journal article citations in more than one database simultaneously. In some cases, these citations will provide links to the full-text of the articles online.
  • Find e-Journals links to over 20,000 electronic journals licensed by Cornell University Library.
  • MyLibrary is a collection of personal electronic services, developed by the Cornell University Library, that can be customized to reflect your own personal interests and research needs.
  • Ask a Librarian lists numerous ways you can ask us your questions.
  • Individual Libraries connects to all of the CU Library's various libraries, divisions, collections, and programs.

Research Strategy and Process - An online tutorial offering instructions and suggestions on how to make your research skills and use of the Library more efficient and effective.

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FINDING BACKGROUND RESOURCES

Reference Sources

American Silent Film Comedies: an illustrated encyclopedia of persons, studios and terminology
Miller, Blair
Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1995
(Olin stacks   PN1995.9 .C55 M53x 1995)

"Many movie genres developed during the silent era, but none was as lasting as comedies. Actors and actresses stood in front of crude, hand-cranked cameras and invented a style that made people laugh and forget their troubles. This is a comprehensive reference work to the people, studios, technical companies and terms associated with silent film comedy. For people, there is a capsule biography, with birth and death rates and a summary of their contribution to the genre. For studios and companies, there is a brief history, focusing on their work in silent film comedy. For terms, a full definition is given." (Publisher)

Blacks in American Films and Television: an encyclopedia
Bogle, Donald
New York: Garland Pub., 1988
(Africana and Uris Ref   PN1995.9 .N4 B672, also Olin stacks   PN1995.9 .N4 B672 +)

Contains brief critical analyses of black-oriented films and television programs in America. Divided into three major sections: 1) Movies, 2) Television, and 3) Profiles. Entries are arranged alphabetically within each section. The Movie section emphasizes mainstream American films but does include some race movies and other films not familiar to the mass audience. (Introduction) Does not cover documentary films. An index and selected bibliography are included.

Blacks in Film and Television: a Pan-African bibliography of films, filmmakers, and performers
Gray, John
New York: Greenwood Press, 1990
(Africana Ref   Z5784 .M9 G72x 1990, and Olin stacks)

The chapters of this bibliography include: Cultural History and the Arts; African Film; Black Film in the Diaspora: Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America; Black Film in the Diaspora: United States; Blacks in the American television and video; and the Black performer. In addition, appendixes include "Reference Works" and "Film Resources." There are also artist, title, subject and author indexes. This is strictly a bibliography: aside from the introduction, there are no essays or annotations.

Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: the black experience in the Americas
Palmer, Colin A., ed.
6 Vols. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006

Also in print,
(Olin Ref   E185 .E54 2006 +)
Earlier Edition available, Vols. 1-5 [1996] (Olin and Africana Ref; with Supplement, Vol. 6 [2001] Africana Ref)

The Encyclopedia is a 5-volume set plus a supplement (Vol. 6) covering all aspects of the African-American experience from 1619 to the present day. Using biographies, historical essays, and thematic pieces -- many by the foremost scholars in the field -- it addresses a wide array of subjects in over 2,300 articles to fully define in one source the cultural roots and current conditions of the African-American community.

Encyclopedia of American Film Comedy
Langman, Larry
New York: Garland, 1987
(Olin stacks   PN1995.9 .C55 L28 +)

"This work brings together for the first time within one volume all the major American screen comedians, comediennes, comedy teams, light actors and actresses, and directors and screenwriters ho have contributed substantially to silent and sound comedy films. It also includes most of the supporting and character players who have lent their unique talents to the genre.
The book also covers a variety of comedy genres such as screwball comedy, war humor, and romantic comedy." (Preface)

Encyclopedia of Black folklore and Humor
Spalding, Henry D., ed.
Middle Village, NY: Jonathan David Publishers, 1972
(Africana and Uris stacks   GR103 .S73, also Olin stacks   PN6231 .N5 S73)

"The transcendental purpose of this Encyclopedia is to illustrate the interrelationship of folklore and orthodox history. As we know, the former revolves around social, environmental, philosophical and religious factors, while the latter is primarily concerned with the political, military and economic events of the past. A hoped-for goal is to awaken or rekindle a desire in the reader to explore the circumstances in black history to which the folk takes, poems and folk songs allude. The cement which binds classic history and folklore in this work is humor." (Preface)

Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor
Nilsen, Alleen Pace and Don L.F. Nilsen
Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, 2000
(Olin stacks   PS438 .N55x 2000 +)

"This unique encyclopedia treats the concepts, persons, themes, and media of 20th-century American humor and humor studies. More than 100 alphabetically arranged entries highlight a broad range of humor-related topics from wit, understatement, and ambiguity to late-night talk shows and the Internet.""Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2001.

Frame by Frame: a black filmography
Klotman, Phyllis Rauch
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997
(Olin stacks   PN1995.9 .N4 K57x 1997)

"Films listed are those with black themes or subject matter--even before Blacks acted in them; films that have substantial participation by blacks ..., and films in which blacks appeared in ancillary or walk-on roles." (How to Use this Volume) This is a standard filmography for the period 1900 to 1977. Entries are brief, but many are annotated.

Frame by Frame II: a filmography of the African American image, 1978-1994
Klotman, Phyllis Rauch and Gloria J. Gibson
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997
(Africana Ref   PN1995.9 .N4 K58x 1997, and Olin stacks)

"A compendium of approximately 3,000 productions made between 1978 and 1994. ...; films featuring substantial participation by African Americans as screenwriters, actors, producers, directors, musicians, and consultants; and films in which they play incidental roles." (Publisher's Web site)

Frame by Frame III: a filmography of the African diasporan image, 1994-2004
McCluskey, Audrey Thomas, ed.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007
(Olin Stacks   PN1995.9 .N4 F73 2007)

Documents the participation of African Americans in cinema and their contributions to the art of filmmaking. This book covers the years from 1994 to 2004, including listings of black cast members, directors, executive producers, film composers, performers, producers, screenwriters, and Academy Award winners and nominees.

The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers
Pendergast, Tom and Sara Pendergast, eds.
4 Vols. 4th ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000
Available online through the Library Catalog

Also available in print,
(Olin Ref   PN1993.45 .I61 2000, and Uris Ref)

Vol. I of this four-volume set lists and describes approximately 650 international and historical films. Descriptions include production information, a cast list, a plot summary, an essay of the film's place in film history, and a lengthy bibliography.
Vols. II-IV focus on Directors/Filmmakers, Actors and Actresses, and Writers and Production Assistants.

Multicultural films: a Reference Guide
Welsch, Janice R., and J.Q. Adams
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005
(Olin Ref   PN1995.9 .M56 W45 2005 +)

"Arranged by race/ethnic group, Multicultural Films identifies and analyzes films relating the experiences of the following groups: African Americans, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Latino/a Americans, Native Americans, and includes Intercultural films, those depicting the experiences of more than one group. After providing a plot summary of each film, the authors critique it, proposing points of focus and discussion for the viewer. Films that will appeal to a variety of different ages are included, with ratings given when possible, and all are currently available for purchase. A thematic guide will help identify films for students and educators on specific topics and issues for each minority group." (Publisher's web site)

St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture
Pendergast, Tom and Sara Pendergast, eds.
5 Vols. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000
Available online through the Library Catalog

Also in print,
(Uris Ref   E169.1 .S764x 2000)

Includes more than 2,700 signed essays ranging from 500 to 2,500 words, written by subject experts and edited to form a consistent, readable, and straightforward reference. Entries include subject-specific bibliographies and, where appropriate, photographs and textual cross-references to related essays.

The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons
Horn, Maurice and Richard marshall, eds.
2 Vols. Detroit: Gale Research Co., in association with Chelsea House, 1980
(Olin Ref   PN6710 .W91 ++, and Uris Ref)

"The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons is the first book to survey on an international scale the entire cartoon field: caricature, editorial and political cartoons, sports cartoons, syndicated panels and animated cartoons. It examines and evaluates all aspects of caricature and cartooning -- historical, ideological, aesthetic, sociological, cultural, commercial. To give unprecedented depth and scope to this undertaking, a team of 22 contributors from a dozen different countries has been assembled, each with personal knowledge and experience of the field (see Notes on the Contributors)." (Foreword)

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FINDING BOOKS

The CU Library Catalog

  • Includes the holdings of 19 Cornell University libraries (over 7 million items).
  • Contains records for books, DVD's/videos, sound recordings, magazines/newspapers/journals, computer files, government documents, manuscripts and archives, maps, musical scores, and more.
  • For help searching the library catalog, see a librarian or go to the catalog's help pages.
  • Not finding what you need? Try searching library catalogs worldwide.

If we do not have a BOOK in our holdings, or if the book you need is already checked out:

Borrow Direct
Click on the link above, connect to Borrow Direct, search for the book and if it's available from another Ivy League university, we will have it shipped to Cornell. Borrowing period is one month. Books arrive in 3-4 business days. (This service is for BOOKS only).

If we don't own an item that you need (any item -- journal article, DVD, dissertation, etc.):

Interlibrary Loan Services
If Cornell Library does not have an item you need, Use ILLiad (InterLibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database) to request that we borrow materials from other libraries. Loan period is usually one month. Items can arrive in as little as a few days to a couple of weeks.

Please also familiarize yourself with our other delivery services.

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FINDING ARTICLES

Periodical Indexes

Periodical indexes are resources that identify and locate articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers. Increasingly, indexes are available as online databases that will often provide access to the full text of the articles.

Academic Search Premier
Ipswich, MA: EBSCO Publishing, 1984-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Provides citations and abstracts for articles from over 4,140 journals, and includes full text from over 3,170 journals.

Black Studies Database
Baltimore, MD: National Information Services Corp., c1997-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Covers events of Black life and culture outside of Africa including notable figures in Black history, culture, and sports; the Civil Rights Movement; the growth of the NAACP and the National Urban League; the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; jazz and soul music.

Ethnic NewsWatch
Stamford, CT: Softline Information, 1990-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Ethnic NewsWatch is a full-text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press from 1960.

Index to Black Periodicals
Detroit: Gale Group, c2000-.
(Africana Ref   Z1361 .N39 I38, and Olin Ref)

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. It contains entries from the Index to Black Periodicals from 1984. Black Studies on disc (1995-2004) is available at Africana.

International Index to the Performing Arts: IIPA Full Text
Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, Inc.; Ann Arbor, MI: Bell and Howell Information and Learning Company, 1998-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

IIPA Full Text covers a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry--including dance, film, television, drama, theater, stagecraft, musical theater, broadcast arts, circus performance, comedy, storytelling, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic and more. Each full text in the file contains an abstract.

JSTOR:
New York, N.Y.: JSTOR, 1996-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

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.

MLA International Bibliography
New York, N.Y.: Modern Language Association, 1926-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

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.

Periodicals Index Online
Ann Arbor: ProQuest Information and Learning Co., 1770-1993
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Previously known as Periodicals Contents Index (PCI). 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. Not only a good source for academic articles on film, but for film reviews as well (e.g., a title keyword search, strangers AND train, will retrieve several original reviews of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train).

ProQuest Research Library
Ann Arbor, Mich.: ProQuest Information and Learning Co., 1986-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Research Library, formerly known as Periodical Abstracts, is a comprehensive database available through the ProQuest online system. It indexes and abstracts general interest magazines and scholarly journals in the social sciences, humanities and sciences.

Web of Science: Arts & Humanities Citation Index
Stamford, CT: Thomson Corp., 1975-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

ISI citation databases are multidisciplinary databases of bibliographic information indexed to be searched by subject, author, journal, and/or author address. The Arts & Humanities component covers back to 1975.

Film Indexes

FIAF international filmarchive database
Boston, MA: SilverPlatter Information Services, 2001-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Also in print,
(Olin Ref   PN1993 .I61 + 1972-)

Contains: International index to film periodicals, 1972-; International index to television periodicals, 1979-; List of periodicals indexed; Treasures from the film archives; International directory of film and TV documentation collections; and Bibliography of FIAF members’ publications.

Film Literature Index
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1976-2001
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Also in print,
(Olin Ref   PN1993 .F479, 2002 to date)

The Film Literature Index (FLI) annually indexes 150 film and television periodicals from 30 countries cover-to-cover and 200 other periodicals selectively for articles on film and television. The periodicals range from the scholarly to the popular. More than 2,000 subject headings provide detailed analysis of the articles. The FLI Online contains approximately 700,000 citations to articles, film reviews and book reviews published between 1976-2001. You can search the citations or browse by subject headings, browse by person names, browse by production titles, or browse by corporate names. In print: 2002 - current volumes.

International Index to Film Periodicals
Boston, MA: SilverPlatter Information Services, 2001-
Available online through Find It! Databases or the Library Catalog

Also in print,
(Olin Ref   PN1993 .I61 +, 1972-)

An annual publication compiled by the International Federation of Film Archives. It indexes about 60 to 85 periodicals that are exclusively devoted to film.

Retrospective Index to Film Periodicals
Batty, Linda
New York : R. R. Bowker Co., 1975
(Olin Ref   PN1993 .B33 +)

Indexes 14 journals plus articles on film that have appeared in The Village Voice, a weekly newspaper covering art, film, music, and theater. The index is divided into three sections: films, titles, subjects and reviews. Indexing for most of the journals included -- the Village Voice excepted -- is continued in the International Index to Film Periodicals (described above).

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FINDING IMAGES

There are a number of databases available for finding images in Find It! Images.

Use the Quick search to search for images by keyword or words. A Quick search retrieves images from the following databases: AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive, American Memory (Library of Congress Web site), Artstor, Catalog of Art Museum Images Online (CAMIO), and NYPL digital (New York Public Library Digital Gallery).

Use the Images Subject Area list to identify and search additional image databases.

Look for the     icon in other Subject areas for subject specific image resources.

To browse for image collections owned or licensed by the Cornell University Library, go to Find It! Images, select Image Tools, then click on Find Image Resource.

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INTERNET RESOURCES

Use web portals, search engines, or Internet subject guides to find resources or sites on the World Wide Web on your topic. Search Engines are software programs 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.

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EVALUATING RESOURCES

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 sources are 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.

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

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CITING SOURCES

APA Citation Style
(American Psychological Association)

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.)

Africana, Hotel, Management, Olin, and Uris Libraries
BF 76.7 .P83x 2001x
(located at the Reference Desks)

Also in ILR and Mann Reference at
BF 76.7 .A51 2001.

APA Citation Style (CUL Gateway Help pages)

APA Reference Examples for Electronic Source Materials (Excerpted from the 5th edition of the Publication Manual)

APAStyle.org (APA's web site)

MLA Citation Style
(Modern Language Association)

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
(6th ed.)

Olin and Uris Libraries Z253 .M68 2003
(located at the Reference Desks)

MLA Citation Style (CUL Gateway Help pages)

MLA Style (MLA's web site)

 

RefWorks is a web-based program that allows you to easily collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by interfacing with databases. RefWorks also interfaces directly with Word, making it easy to import references and incorporate them into your writing, properly formatted according to the style of your choice. RefWorks workshops are offered at Uris Library, Mann Library.

EndNote allows you to build your own database of bibliographic references from a variety of resources, including library catalogs and periodical indexes. EndNote interfaces with several standard word processing programs and provides direct connections to resources, making it easy to import references and incorporate them in your writing. EndNote (or RefWorks) is highly recommended for researchers. EndNote workshops are regularly held on campus at Uris Library and Mann Library.

Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity

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RESEARCH AND REFERENCE HELP

Library Gateway Help

CU Library Catalog Help

LiveHelp     New online Reference Help service   ( See hours )

Olin Kroch Uris Reference e-mail address: okuref@cornell.edu

Reference Desk Directory

Reference Desk Schedules in Olin and Uris Libraries

Olin Library Reference phone number: 255-4144

Uris Library Reference phone number: 255-2339

OKU Research Consultations

OKU Workshop Schedule

Writing Walk-in Service (Knight Institute) -- available in Olin Library

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        Evaluate your learning in this class        

October 09, 2007 (nm)
Tony Cosgrave, ajc5@cornell.edu
Collections, Reference, Instruction and Outreach
Cornell University Library
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/asrc100_7.html


Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
PSA: Public Services and Assessment
Information and reference: 607-255-4144, okuref@cornell.edu
Circulation: (Olin) 607-255-4245, (Uris) 607-255-3537, olincirc@cornell.edu