introduction to library resources and research methods in literary studies

Introduction to Library Resources and Research Methods in Literary Studies

French 2601

Today’s class

• Types of references needed for your recherche bibilographique

• Library Resources (how to find the references you need for your assignment)

• Research Strategies (how to make the best use of library resources)

Types of References

• A Scholarly Monograph (un livre critique)example: a book about the novels of Annie Ernaux.

• A First Edition (première édition)example: the first published edition of Albert Camus’ novel La Peste.

• Three Scholarly Journal Articles or Book Chapters (articles ou chapitres critiques)examples: an article about Amélie Nothomb’s Robert des noms propres published in the journal French Studies; or a chapter about Marcel Proust’s writing in the book, The Cambridge Companion to Proust.

Types of References & How to Find Them

• A Scholarly Monograph (un livre critique)Where to search: Library Catalogue, other library catalogues

• A First Edition (première édition)Where to search: Reference book + Library Catalogue/WorldCat

• Three Scholarly Journal Articles or Book Chapters (articles ou chapitres critiques)Where to search: Library databases (such as the MLA database) and print journal indexes (such as French XX).

How to Find Books

How to Find Books

• Mount Allison Library Catalogue

Also:• Other university library catalogues, WorldCat• Other books (scan the bibliographies of books

you’ve already found)• Browsing library shelves

Finding Books

Finding Articles

Finding Articles

You cannot search for article in the Library Catalogue…

Finding ArticlesUse a journal index/library databaseExamples of journal indexes/library databases for French literary

studies:

Databases: • MLA International Bibliography (aka, the MLA

Database), Repère• also: JSTOR, Project Muse, CBCA Reference, etc.

Print Indexes: • French XX Bibliography, Bibliographie d'histoire

littéraire française

Finding Articles

Finding Articles

To find out if an article is available at our library (once you have a citation):

Use the Library Catalogue and/or Journal Finder to search for the title of the journal (not title of the article).

Sample citation for a journal article:Oscherwitz, Danya. “Once Upon a Time that Never Was:

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain.” The French Review 84.1 (2011): 504-15.

To Find out if the Library has a Particular Journal

Finding Articles: Recap

You cannot search for articles in the Library Catalogue! Step 1: Use a Journal Index/Library Database to

search for articles on a topic (eg. MLA Database)The full text of the article may be available in the database you search, or there may be a link to the full text. If not…

Step 2: Check the Library Catalogue and/or Journal Finder to find out if the library has the journal in which the article appears

Search Strategies

Searching for books:• You may need to use less specific search terms

Searching for articles: • You can generally use more specific search

terms

Search Tip

Truncation Symbol• $ in the Library Catalogue• * in most other library databasesExample:

Canad$ will find: Canada, Canadian, Canadians, Canadiana…

Print Indexes

• Serve the same purpose as online databases: an index to published literature in a particular field of study (eg. French-language literature)

• Usually appear annually – one volume represents one (and only one) year’s worth of publications (i.e. volumes are not cumulative)

• To search for articles published in the last five years, you would have to consult five volumes

Print Indexes

• Organized alphabetically by author: to find articles about Michel Tremblay, look up Tremblay

• Under the author’s name will appear a list of articles, books or book chapters about that author’s works.Check the list to see if any are about your

novel and about the specific subject(s) you’ve been assigned.

Print Indexes

• Each entry (reference) will have an entry number (numéro de l’entrée).

• These numbers identify each item within the index and are used for cross-references.

• Your assignment asks you to provide the entry number for references you find in print indexes.

Keyword Selection

Sample essay topic:

Discuss the depiction of the poor in the works of American playwrights.

What are the relevant keywords?

Keyword Selection

However…A search in the Library Catalogue for “poor and

american and playwrights” yields ZERO results.

Keyword Selection

However…A search in the Library Catalogue for “poor and american

and playwrights” yields zero results.

Try using: synonyms, related words, variant spellings, French words, etc.

In other words: try to account for the various ways different authors may express the same or similar ideas, topics, concepts, etc.

Keyword Selection

Original search:poor and american and playwrights = 0 items

Search using synonyms and related words:(poor or poverty or class) and (america$ or

united states) and (play$ or drama or theatre or theater) = 38 items

Keyword Selection

Sample topic (similar to the ones on your assignment):

• Prochain épisode de Hubert Acquin (analyse temporelle…)

Keyword Selection


Prochain épisode de Hubert Acquin (analyse temporelle…)

MLA search: aquin AND prochain episode AND temporelle = 1

Keyword Selection


Prochain épisode de Hubert Acquin (analyse temporelle…)

MLA search: aquin AND prochain episode AND temporelle = 1

MLA search 2: aquin AND prochain episode AND (temporelle OR temps OR time) = 4

Search Strategy Tips

introduction to library resources and research methods in literary studies

Documents

scholarly journal articles

particular journal

journal french studies

university library catalogues

foundbrowsing library

print journal indexes

worldcatother books

french literary studies