Grammar: Theory & Pedagogy

ALIT/MEDU 314: Prof. F. Shapiro-Skrobe

Guide for finding sources at the George T. Potter Library

October 26, 2006

Susan B. Kurzmann

skurzman@ramapo.edu

 I. Library Homepage: http://library.ramapo.edu

   Provides access to the catalog (OPAC), databases, interlibrary loan forms, etc.

II. Finding Books at the Potter Library

  • Catalog: Use this to find books, periodical titles (NOT articles ), government documents, reserve items, music, and movies owned by the Library. You may limit a search by language, year(s) of publication, type of material, etc. This may take a few seconds to load.
  • In Basic Search, search the catalog using Keywords to find material
    • For example: search for english and dialects to locate a broad range of material and look for ideas for your project
    • The system will pull up many results in order of relevance. Look over the items that have five red bars, four green bars, and three blue bars: these are the most relevant for your search.
    • If you would like to search for a phrase of two or more words, enclose them in quotation marks, i.e., "spoken english"
      • This forces the system to look for that particular set of words in that specified order
      • You will get fewer, but more relevant, results
    • When you you find an appropriate title, click on the Related Records tab located at the top of a catalog record to see which Library of Congress subject headings are addressed in that particular book/film/periodical
      • Click on any of the subject headings listed to get to more material on the same topic
  • Also in Basic Search, use the Subject Browse feature if you know the relevant Library of Congress (LC) subject heading, for example:

      • English language

        • many subheadings, i.e.,

          --Foreign words and phrases

          --Punctuation

          --18th century

      • Oxford English dictionary
      • Black English
      • Americanisms
      • Lanaguage acquisition
      • Linguistic change

OR

  • Go to Advanced Search
    • The Boolean search terms are built in for your use
      • AND: you are commanding the system to search for material that addresses both terms you've entered
      • OR: you are commanding the system to search for material on either of the search terms you have entered
      • NOT: you are commanding the system to search for material on the first term you have entered and to exclude any material on the second term you have entered
    • The catalog system will provide more focused results
    •  

               Tips

    1. Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
    2. If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Related Records tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
    3. Can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record

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III. Reference Material

  • The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).
  • Some useful reference titles for your projects:
    English Language  

    AskOxford.com

    (Takes a few seconds to connect)

    		In addition to searching a dictionary of words, names or quotations, this site will answer questions on English grammar, spelling, and usage.
    A Biography of the English Language Ref PE1075.M64 1996
    The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language Ref PE1072.C68 1995
    The Cambridge Guide to English Usage Ref PE1464.P47 2004

    The Literature of Slang

    (a bibliography)

    		 Ref Z2015.S6 B9 1965 (originally published 1939)
    Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language Ref PE3102.M4 S63 2003
    Grammar  
    Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language Ref PE1106.C65 1985
    English Grammar Ref PE1105.C77 1947
    A Grammar of the English Language Ref PE1105.C78
    The Oxford Companion to the English Language Ref PE31.)84 1992
    Dictionaries  
    Americanisms: A Dictionary of Selected Americanisms on Historical Principles Ref PE835.D52
    A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Ref PE279.H3 1961
    A Dictionary of American English Ref PE2835.C72
    Dictionary of American Regional English Ref PE2843.D52 1985
    The Dictionary of Bias-Free Usage Ref PE1460.M26 1991
    The Oxford English Dictionary

    Print edition:

    Ref PE1625.M7

    Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang Ref PE2846.H57 1994
    Right, Wrong, and Risky: A Dictionary of Today's American English Usage Ref PE2835.D38 2006
    Word-Hoard: An Introduction to Old English Vocabulary Ref PE274.B3

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IV. Electronic Resources

  • Some useful Databases for finding articles:

MLA Bibliography

(also included in Literature Resource Center database)

For research in literature, language, and linguistics. Please Note: Click on the Check Availability link within each citation to see if you have access to the journal being cited.

JSTOR Complete

Full-text articles in more than 500 academic journals, includes coverage from volume one, issue one of any title. Coverage ususally does not include the most recent 4-6 years.

Depending on your topic, see also:  

ERIC: the Educational Resource Information Center database: We now have this database through two vendors:

ERIC CSA

     and

ERIC Ebsco

Provides access to education literature and resources.

Please Note: To locate full-text of articles, open another window, go to the library's homepage, and click on Journal Finder to see whether or not we have access to the publication being cited.

Additionally, check in Ulrich's (another database) to see if the periodical is peer-reviewed--ERIC has its own criteria that might not be approved by your professor.

Education Journals

Please Note:

1. If article is not available in full text, click on the "Find a copy" link included in each citation, and then click on Check for full text via 1Cate to see if you have access to the journal being cited.

2. At top of the results screen, see features: "Suggested Topics" and "Browse Suggested Publications".
The Oxford English Dictionary The authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium

*Academic Search Premier

and

Expanded Academic ASAP

Multi-disciplinary databases that contain both full-text articles and citations.

NOTE: When only a citation is included, click on the Check availability [at Ramapo] link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.

America: History & Life

*An abstract database useful for historical overview topics.

Please Note: If a citation is not linked to the full text in JSTOR Complete, click on the Primary Catalog link within each citation to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Published every weekday, it is the top destination for news, advice, and jobs for people in academe. Includes articles published since September 1989.
Communications and Mass Media Complete

For areas related to communication and mass media.

NOTE: When only a citation is included, click on the Check availability at Ramapo link to see if the full text of the article is available in our collection.

  • Choose database you would like to search

OR

  • Journal Finder : determine if a journal is available full-text online, in print in the library, or available on microfilm       

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V.  Websites

  • "Directory of Open Access Journals" (DOAJ) :  you can select specific journal, i.e., English Teaching: Practice and Critique, or choose subject area Language and Literatures

    •  
  • For Internet searching, use the library's link to Evaluating Websites t o determine if the site is authoritative enough to use in your paper

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VI. Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan: allows students to borrow a book or article that the Potter library does not own. There is a Quick Link as well as links from the Journal Finder page and under Library Services.

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VII. Preparing Bibliographies

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Need more help? Visit or call the Reference Desk: 201.684.7574

Q&A New Jersey  Reference assistance when there is no reference librarian available

 
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