Want to make sure that you have found quality resources?

When evaluating resources, consider:

• What is the source’s date of publication?
• Who is the publisher?
• What are author’s credentials
• Is there a possible bias?
•  Does your source meet your professor’s requirements for your paper?

For a full discussion on determining authorship, accuracy, and currency, see the Library’s

• FAQ: “How do I evaluate a resource?”
• Tutorial: “Evaluation of Resources” (PowerPoint)

Drop by the Reference desk for more information on evaluating your sources. We’re here to help!

Posted by the Reference Department

Toni Morrison Talks Writing

~ “When I said I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it, I meant it literally.  I had to finish it so that I could read it, and what that gave me, I realize now, was an incredible distance from it, and from what I have learned.  If what I wrote was awful, I would try to make it like the book I wished to read.  I trusted that ability to read in myself.”

~ from Conversations with Toni Morrison , p. 97

For more about why people write—and a variety of related topics!—check out the PEN  American Center, the national affiliate of PEN, an international association of poets, playwrights, essayists, editors and novelists. See the blogs of specific members to learn about their interests and experiences.

_________________________________________

Ruas, C. (1994). Toni Morrison. In D. Taylor-Guthrie. (Ed.),  Conversations with Toni Morrison (pp. 93-118). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. (Reprinted from Conversations with American Writers,  by C. Ruas, p. 215-43, 1984, New York: McGraw Hill)

Word of the Week: Ecotone

As in: “Ecotones, we know, are perilous places, where predators appear from both sides of the margin, but they are productive places, too, abundant in diversity” (p.131).

Marshall, I., & Simpson, M. (2006).  Deconstructing haiku. College Literature, 33(3), 117-134.  doi:10.1353/lit.2006.0042

• Explore definitions at the library’s E-Ready Reference Resources site using the Dictionaries listed on Research Guide: Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, etc..
• Learn about a Canadian ecotone at The Land Between.
• Read, listen, and watch haikus at the Poetry Foundation.

Posted by the Reference Department

Need country information? Try these sources first!

• Try the Country Information research guide on the Library home page
• Find demographic, government, and economic information on your country.
• Explore the Political Handbook of the World [REFERENCE JF37 .P6], The Statesman’s Yearbook [REFERENCE JA51 .S7], or our encyclopedias on countries in the print reference section of the Library.
• Don’t forget to use the online catalog to search for your country information.
• Additionally, try searching ebrary, which may be accessed through the E-Books link on the Library home page.

Don’t forget that the Reference  staff is available to help with your researching needs!

Posted by the Reference Department

Word of the Week: Raconteur

As in: “Your Grandpa is quite a raconteur.”

Crane, B. (2011, October 30).  Pickles [Comic Strip]. The Boston Globe.  

• Explore definitions at the library’s E-Ready Reference Resources site using the Dictionaries listed on Research Guide: Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, etc..
• Learn about cartoons and comic strip artists from these sources:
  - National Cartoonist Society
  - Bill Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, The Ohio State University
  - The Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco, CA

Posted by the Reference Department

Did you know Science Direct is also a business resource? Check out these tips for searching the database with business in mind!

Science Direct (Elsevier) is a database that provides access to full text of over 2,500 scholarly, peer-reviewed journals in the areas of: Biochemistry; Business and Management; Genetics and Molecular Biology; Chemistry; Immunology and Microbiology; Medicine; Psychology; and Social Science. The database also includes recently-accepted articles in press.

• To find Science Direct, go to the Library’s home page and select Science Direct from the alphabetical Quick Links to Library Resources drop down menu or from the Finding Articles: Database List.
• Select the Search tab to Advanced Search.
• Limit to Business, Management and Accounting or Economics, Econometrics and Finance resources using the Subject drop down menu. (Use the Ctrl key to select multiple subject areas.)

For more information on searching Science Direct for business resources, stop by the reference desk.

Posted by the Reference Department

Evacuation Day

March 17 is Evacuation Day in Boston!

Find out more about this holiday by clicking on the Freedom Trail picture below.

 

March 14, 2012

Due to the fire in Back Bay last night, the Central branch of the Boston Public Library at Copley Square is closed today. All computer resources including the catalog, website,and  phones are presently unavailable.

Need English/Literature research sources? Try the MLA International Bibliography!

MLA International Bibliography is available through the Emmanuel Library web site. Per the MLA International Bibliography web site, this database “provides a subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics.”

• To use the Bibliography, go to the Library’s homepage [link to www1.emmanuel.edu/library] and select Research Guides from the menu at left.
• Then, select English/Literature from the Areas of Study drop down menu.
• MLA International Bibliography is listed under Article Databases.
• Limit your search to Peer reviewed sources.
• Check for full-text to determine availability.

Please stop by the reference desk with questions about using the Bibliography. As always, we welcome your questions!