Library Research Guide for English 111:
Irish Literature and National Identity

http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/english111.html

  Developing a Search Strategy
  Library Gateway Overview
  Finding Background Information
  Finding Books
  Finding Periodical Articles
  Citing Sources
  Research and Reference Help

      ask a librarian

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 or material 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. Cite your sources

For online help using on library research strategy and using library resources, try using Library Research, a Hypertext Guide - online, hypertext-based tutorial on library research.

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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.

  • Find it! Databases provides access to over 2000 online indexes and abstracts, almanacs, catalogs, dictionaries, directories, and encyclopedias.

  • Find it! Articles allows you to search for journal article citations in more than one database simultaneously. In many cases, these citations will provide links directly to online full text of the articles themselves.

  • My Library 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 INFORMATION

The materials listed below are a selection of reference resources for finding background information and context for topics you will be covering in this class. Note the call numbers and library locations for these materials and check the reference collections for additional sources of background information. The authors of articles in reference books often provide bibliographies of selected books and articles for further study.

A Biographical Dictionary of Irish Writers
Brady, Anne M. and Brian Cleeve, eds.
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985
(Olin Ref   PR8727 .B61 1985, and Uris Ref)

"Provides brief biographical and critical material about as many Irish writers as possible, from the time of St. Patrick to the present. Particular attention has been paid to present-day writers in both Irish and English. Part 1 lists writers in English, and Part 2, writers in Irish and Latin." (Preface)

A Dictionary and Glossary for the Irish Literary
Wall, Richard
Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire: C. Smythe, 1995
(Olin stacks   PE2406 .W35x 1995)

"This unique work provides the general reader, student, and specialist with access to an important but neglected element of Irish literature in English: its vocabulary and idioms. Numerous entries provide information on unfamiliar words and phrases or apparently familiar words used unconventionally, not only but writers of the Irish Literary Revival, but throughout the entire history of Irish literature in English from its origins in the seventeenth century." (publisher)

Dictionary of Irish Literature
Hogan, Robert, Zack Bowen ... [et al.], eds.
2 Vols. Rev. and expanded ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996
(Olin Ref   PR8706 .D55 1996)

Previous edition also available,
(Uris Ref   PR8706 .D55)

"This edition of the Dictionary of Irish Literature lists about 1,000 entries on authors who wrote mainly in the English language. The entries contain biographical data, critical evaluation, and a bibliography. It also includes about 200 short entries, mainly of very recent authors." (Preface)

Dictionary of Irish Writers
Cleeve, Brian Talbot
3 Vols. Cork, Ireland: Mercier Press, 1967-1971
(Olin stacks   PR8706 .C62 1967)

Vol. 1 of this three-volume set concentrates on fiction, novelists, playwrights, poets, short story writers in English. Vol. 2 focuses on non-fiction, while Vol. 3 covers writers in the Irish language.

The Encyclopedia of Ireland
Lalor, Brian, ed.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003
(Olin stacks   DA906 .E52x 2003b +)

"The Encyclopedia of Ireland is the most comprehensive book to date on all aspects of Irish life, culture, and history. It encompasses the whole of Ireland--its islands and seas, its people both home and abroad--and provides fascinating facts about subjects from prehistory to the present." (Publisher)

James Joyce A to Z: the Essential Reference to the Life and Work
Fargnoli, A. Nicholas and Michael Gillespie
New York: Facts on File, 1995
(Olin stacks   PR6019 .O98 Z53346 1995 +, and Uris stacks   PR6019 .O98 Z5329 1995)

James Joyce A to Z is written with the nonspecialist audience in mind. It provides a clear and comprehensive companion to Joyce's work. It includes entries not only on specific aspects of the work but also on culture, history, biography and criticism.

Literature Online (LION)
Available online through Find it! Databases or the Library Catalog

A full-text collection of poetry, drama, and prose with complementary references sources. Primary texts include English poetry from 600 to the present; American and African-American poetry from 1603 to the present; English drama; English prose; articles, monographs and dissertations from the Annual bibliography of English language and literature (ABELL); full-text articles from literary journals; and biographical information on widely studied authors.

Literature Resource Center (LRC)
Available online through Find it! Databases or the Library Catalog

A complete literature database combining biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information on authors and their works (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism). Draws from Gale Group's core literary databases including Contemporary authors, Dictionary of literary biography, and Contemporary literary criticism. Provides additional search capability for Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of literature and Gale literary index.

Modern Irish Writers: a Bio-critical Sourcebook
Gonzalez Alexander G.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997
Available online through the Library Catalog

Also available in print
(Olin Ref   PR8727 .G66x 1997)

"Intended to serve as a reference work for scholars studying modern Irish authors, whether those scholars be entirely new to the field or experienced researchers simply moving on to study the work of authors new to them. Arranged alphabetically." (Preface)

Myth, Legend, and Romance: an Encyclopedia of Irish Folk Tradition
Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí
New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1991
(Olin stacks   GR153.5 .O11 M9 +)

This encyclopedia "provides a comprehensive key to the rich tradition of storytelling in Ireland. The material ranges from the country's early literature too its late folklore, and the discussion covers all narratives of importance which have survived in either written or oral form." (Introduction) Also contains a guide to language and pronunciation.

The Oxford Companion to Irish History
Connolly, S.J., ed.
Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2002
(Olin Ref   DA912 .O94x 2002)

"The Oxford Companion to Irish History offers a radically new and eminently readable introduction to all aspects of the history of this fascinating and complex land. Written by a team of 87 specialists, its 1,800 entries explore Irish history from earliest times to the recent past. Key figures and events are re-evaluated in the light of recent research, while emerging areas of scholarship, such as women's history and public health, are discussed in depth. Many entries focus on enduring themes of Irish history, including nationalism, unionism, and Catholicism, breaking away from a purely chronological approach to examine the contexts and traditions that underpin Irish identity." (Publisher)

The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature
Welch, Robert and Bruce Stewart, eds.
Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 1996
(Olin Ref   PR8706 .O98 1996, and Olin stacks)

"This book aims to be a reliable guide and stimulating companion to the reader of Irish literature in all its phases, from the earliest times to the present day." (Preface)

The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland
Eagle, Dorothy and Hillary Carnell, eds.
Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1981
(Uris stacks   PR109 .E12 1981)

"The main part of the book consists of entries for places in Great Britain and Ireland with literary associations. ... The place-names are arranged in alphabetical order. ... With illustrations throughout selected from reproductions of ancient manuscripts to modern photographs of people and places. Some places, well known in literary allusions but no longer to be seen, are illustrated from contemporary engravings." (Preface)

Oxford Reference Online
Gonzalez Alexander G.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997
Available online through Find it! Databases, or the Library Catalog

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 subjects.

A William Butler Yeats Encyclopedia
McCready, Sam
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997
Available online through the Library Catalog

Also available in print,
(Olin stacks   PR5906 .M44x 1997, and Uris stack)

"The aim of this book is to make available basic information about W.B. Yeats's life and work and to guide the reader to sources for further study. There is nothing new in this book. All the material has been drawn from reliable biographical and interpretative sources." (Introduction)

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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 PERIODICAL ARTICLES

Articles

Periodical articles are an excellent source for detailed analysis or up-to-date information on a topic. These articles are from materials that are published "periodically" or in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual or even irregular intervals. They are found in newspapers, magazines, journals, yearbooks, and other sources.

Periodicals are available in several formats: bound paper volumes (like books), microfiche or microfilm, and increasingly as electronic text.

Indexes and Abstracts

Periodical Indexes and Abstracts are Reference resources that identify and locate articles in periodical publications. They are often subject-oriented and list author, title, name of periodical, volume, pages and date of publication in entries called bibliographic citations. For information about bibliographic format and how to cite resources that you use in your research, go to the Citing Sources section at the end of this page.

Abstracts are specialized indexes that also include summaries of the content of the articles with their citations.

Periodical Indexes and Abstracts also come in several formats: traditional and historical bound paper volumes, stand alone CD-ROM computer workstations, and more recently as networked databases available via the Library Gateway at Find it! Databases, or through links in the Library Catalog.

Full-Text Articles

An ever growing number of periodical indexes offer access to the full-text of articles electronically. Use the Library Catalog to find full-text resources.

Periodical Indexes

Humanities International Index
Available online through Find it! Databases or the Library Catalog

Humanities International Index is a comprehensive database covering journals, books and other important reference sources in the humanities and provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracting for over 1,700 journals and contains more than 1.5 million records. Humanities International Index includes deep backfiles for some of the most important journals in the area of humanities. The database includes all data from American Humanities Index plus bibliographic records from a multitude of international journals, books and reference works. This database provides citations and abstracts for articles, essays and reviews, as well as original creative works including poems, fiction, photographs, paintings and illustrations.

MLA Bibliography
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.

ProQuest Research Library
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.

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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, room 403

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        Evaluate your learning in this class        

October 18, 2007 (nm)
Tony Cosgrave, ajc5@cornell.edu
Collections, Reference, Instructions and Outreach
Cornell University Library
URL: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/english111.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