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on
Literature and Film
July 15, 2008
Shirley Knight Ed Shannon, Professor
sknight@ramapo.edu, x7315 LITR 239-01
- 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.
- Use the Basic Search to find material using Keywords
- For example: search for film criticism or literature criticism to locate a broad range of materials the library has on these keywords
- Use quotation marks around a multi-word phrase so that the catalog system will treat it as a single word , for example: search for "mystery fiction" or "western films"
- When you find an appropriate title, click on the Subject etc. tab located at the top of a catalog record to see which Library of Congress subject headings are discussed in that particular book/DVD/periodical to get to more titles that deal with that subject
OR
- Use the Basic Search to find a specific title using
Title Phrase, for example: search for "Sherlock Holmes illustrated
omnibus: the complete text and original drawings of the Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes, the memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the Hound of the
Baskervilles, etc.."
OR
- Search the catalog using Subject Browse feature if you know the Library of Congress subject heading, for example:
Subject Headings |
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Tips
- Start with broad searches. It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
- If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Subjects, etc. tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.
- You can "virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.
III. Reference Material
- The reference stacks are located on the 3rd floor (this is also the library's entrance).
- Some useful materials for your projects:
Call Number |
Books for Literature |
Synopsis |
REF PN 41 .C83 1998 |
A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory | A single volume source that provides esoteric technical terms, semi-technical terms theatres, theatrical companies and more that has had an influence in the world. |
REF PN 41 .M48 2007 |
A New Handbook of Literary Terms | A delightful map to confusing terrain of literary theory at the beginning of the 21st century- from new criticism to queer theory. |
REF PN 41 .C67 2004 |
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms | Provides the most troublesome literary terms encountered by students. Extensive coverage of traditonal drama, rhetoric and literary history. |
REF PN 44.5 .Q56 1999 |
A Dictionary of Literacy and Thematic Terms | Offers not only a traditional literary vocabulary but the knowledge of related rhetorical, historical and cultural terms needed in the interdisciplinary world of contemporary literary studies. |
Books for Film |
||
REF PN 1993.45.C75 2000 |
Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory | Focuses on theoretical terms terms currently in use but briefly mentions film theories preceding the 1960's.. Especially, in relation to television and draws primarily on cultural studies. |
REF PN 1992.18 .T38 2007 |
Encyclopedia of Television Subjects, Themes and Settings | A chronology covering series, pilots, specials and experimental program information. |
REF PN 1997.8.I58 1990 |
International Dictionary of Film and Filmmakers | A multi-volume encyclopedic set providing Actors, Actresses, Directors, Films, Writers and Production Artists, and as well a Titlte Index. |
REF PN 1998.L63 1993 |
Film's by Genre : 775 Categories, Styles, Trends and Movements Defined, with a Filmography for Each |
Offers and alphabetical listing of entries with a brief description of genre, trend, or film grouping in the entry heading. |
REF PN 1993.45 .M3 |
Magill's Survey of Cinema | Includes information on film (release date, production, direction, screenplay, etc.) major characters and actors and a brief critique and plot summary of the film. |
IV. Electronic Resources
- Some useful Databases for your projects:
- These databases are for finding journal and newspaper articles
- They are available 24/7 ONLY to Ramapo students
- Off campus use requires Ramapo email and password
| Literature Resource Center | Provides access to biographies, critical analysis of authors from every age of literary discipline. You can run a search by Author, Authors by Type, Title, Keyword and Advanced. |
| MLA International Bibliography | Includes citations from 1963 to present with tens of thousands of author biographies, critical essays and journal articles in every genre. Linked in Literature Resource Center. |
| Historical New York Times | Offers full-text and full image articles for newspapers dating back to (1851-2003); for most titles the collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue cover-to-cover in downloadable PDF files. Use for reviews of film older than 10 years old.. |
| JSTOR | An archival database containing full-text scholarly articles. Do Not print from browser print button. Use the JSTOR print option. It does not have email feature. However, you can email yourself the article URL. |
| See Also: | |
| Academic Search Premier | A multi-disciplinary database containing 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. |
- Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Refereed articles have been reviewed by a selected panel of experts in the discipline covered by that journal. Many of the databases allow you to limit your search to these articles.
- Journal Finder: indicates whether full-text articles in the George T. Potter Library are in print, microform, or through a full-text database. This feature also appears in many of our databases
- Interlibrary Loan: allows students to borrow a book or article that the George T. Potter library does not own. There is a link from the Journal Finder page.
Both of these links can be found under QUICK LINKS on the library's homepage.
Tips
- Switch to the Advanced Search page in a database. This will give you more control over your results.
- Use Boolean Operators--AND, OR, NOT and Quotation Marks when running a search. For Example: "comedy and motion pictures"
- Always check your Spelling if the database results are zero.
- Use the Subject Terms or Thesaurus link, if available, to find the best terms to use in a database.
V. Web Sources
- Use the following Films and Literature links found under Subject Resources to locate supplemental film and literature reviews.
| Online Literary Criticism Collection | Over 2000 critical and biographical websites about authors and their works, easily browsable by author, title, nationality and literary period. |
| Literary Resources on the Net | Annotated list of scholarly links, organized by time period from classical through 20th century, including theatre and drama, ethnicity, wormen and feminism. |
| Internet Movie Databases | Includes more than 100,000 domestic and foreign films of all genres that date back as far as 1892 and more. Searchable by title, year or genre |
| Links to 23 studios, extensive lists by genre with actors, director, year, short synopsis, and more. Weekly box office figures and available videos are also noted. | |
| Film.com | Reviews of current films, a listing of major awards and film festivals, interviews, filmclips, and news. |
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VI. Some Suggested Web Sites
| New York Times Movie Reviews | Provide archived reviews from the past 20 years, as well as a limited selection back to 1929; "Critics Picks"recommendations from Times film critics Stephen Holden, Elvis Mitchell; "Reader's Reviews" tool where users can view other reader's opinion'; Movie Update and more. |
| Movie Review Query Engine | Perhaps the best single search engine for locating full-text reviews online, including published and unavailable movie reviews in national and regional journals, newspapers, user groups, and other miscellanea. Through more useful for locating more current film reviews, the depth of chronological coverage varies. |
| A good source for very current reviews, interviews, and articles covering the film industry. A " Review Archive" contains reviews for more than 900 films released since 1995. The"Classic Reviews" section includes critiques of 75 titles spanning the decades from 1931's " City Lights" to "Jurassic Park". |
- Use Evaluating Websites to determine if the site is authoritative enough to use in your paper.
VI. Bibliography
- Use Citing Sources for examples of "In-Text Citations" and "Works Cited"
- Help with the MLA Citation Style and examples
- Use the Citing Websites and Print Sources to get call numbers for paper copies of style manuals
- See Also, "The Open Handbook"
Need more help?
- Visit or call the Reference Desk: 201.684.7574
- Course Reserve: need either Ramapo ID (R#) or bar code (provided by the library)
- Use QandA NJ: a 24/7 virtual chat with a reference librarian.
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| George T. Potter Library | | 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah NJ 07430 | (201) 684-7575 | Design by Tibor Csokasi and Jon Jon Chua; Sketch Provided by Jon Jon Chua |
Please send your suggestions and comments to: Liz Siecke |