Ohrstrom Blog » Humanities IV

The Primary Source Hunt: OAIster

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Are you too looking for primary sources? Most Humanities V teachers are requiring at least two for completion of a successful research paper. If you’ve looked in all the usual places (such as those listed here in our primary source round-up), yet still aren’t finding quite what you want, consider OAIster.

What is it? OAIster is an online catalog of digitized sources. It is made available by OCLC, a company that provides many library-related services.

It might help to compare this to Ohrstrom Library’s catalog. The Ohrstrom Library catalog searches through the records of our 70,000 print titles. OAIster searches through the records of 23 Million digitized sources from over 1,000 contributors.

What might you find?

A copy of Redon’s journal, contributed by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
Correspondence from Sigmund Freud to Albert Einstein regarding war contributed by I-Revues.
Sanitary Statistics of Native Colonial Schools and Hospitals by Florence Nightingale contributed by University of California Libraries.
An image of an Alice in Wonderland Float, from Mardi Gra 1938 contributed by the Indiana University Digital Library Program (see image above).
An abstract of a report from the National Program for Inspection of Non-Federal Dams regarding the St. Pauls School Dam contributed by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Repository.

Is it hard to use? The search function is very straightforward, offering a basic search or advanced search. As always, if you would like a little help using this resource please be in touch!

New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:00:08 +0000

Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography edited by Lynne Warren, Routledge, 2006.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 770.9 W25

Photography’s second century is recorded, analyzed and discussed in this new reference set. Photography is placed in a variety of contexts such as: geography, institutions & exhibitions, inventions and people. The set offers a glossary of photographic terms, bibliographies and B&W samples of artists work.

Check out entries on: Lotte Jacobi, Bracketing, Impressionism, Dada, and Works Progress Administration.

Looking for more examples of a particular artist’s work? Try searching the artist’s name in ARTstor.

Helpful for: Humanities V, Humanities V Research Paper, Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, Photographers, Art

New Reference Book: Consider the Source

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:50 +0000

Consider the Source: A Critical Guide to 100 Prominent News and Information Sites on the Web by James F. Broderick & Darren W. Miller, Information Today, 2007.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 070.579 B78C

Using news or newspapers in your research? Not sure of the quality, the bias or the history of the source? Consider consulting this volume.

Focusing on 100 news and newspaper sites this book provides an overview, type of coverage, leaning and the authors’ personal rating of each site discussed.

Examples include: Asia Times Online, BBC, Congressional Quarterly, Times of India, Rotten Tomatoes.

Helpful for: Humanities IV, Humanities V, Media Watchers, Journalism, Those conducting news and newspaper related research

New Reference Book: International Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:00:21 +0000

International Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities edited by Michael Flood, Routledge, 2007.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 305.31 F651

A one-volume guide devoted to the study of global masculinity. Articles are arranged alphabetically and range in length from half a page to several pages.

Examples include: Diasporic and Migrant Masculinities, Friendship, Gangs, Masculinity Politics, Police

Helpful for: Gender Studies, International Studies, Humanities IV, Humanities V, Social History

New Reference Book: The Measure of America

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:45 +0000

The Measure of America written and edited by Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis and Eduardo Borges Martins, Columbia U. Press, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom: REF 317 B89M

A collection of data, statistics and interpretive text that reflects upon and measures the well-being of Americans. The report focuses, using a variety of different measurements, on three main areas: health, education & standard of living.

Chapter/Essay Titles Include: The Essential Conditions for Good Health, Health Insurance: The Policy That Unlocks Many Doors, Access to Knowledge: How We Fare Internationally, Factors That Fuel Growth in Earnings InEquality.

Helpful for: Humanities IV, American History, Social History, Statistics, Gender Studies

New Reference Book: The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:30 +0000

The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television by John Kenneth Muir, McFarland, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 791.43 M91S

A one-volume guide discussing superheroes from American film and television. Each article focuses on a particular superhero, their history, creation and appearance in TV and/or film(s). When applicable, a complete TV episode-by-episode synopsis follows each entry.

Examples include:

The Amazing Spider-Man
The Ambiguously Gay Duo
The Bionic Woman
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Doctor Strange
Swamp Thing

Helpful for: Humanities IV, Art, Gender Studies, Social History, Pop Culture, Superhero Fans

New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of African American History

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:07 +0000

Encyclopedia of African American History: 1619 -1895 edited by Paul Finkelman, Oxford U. Press, 2006.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 305.896 F49A

Throughout three volumes this set discusses the history of African Americans from the earliest American settlements to the close of the nineteenth century corresponding with the death of Frederick Douglass. Entries focus on historical biography, politics, law, culture, religion, and economics.

Examples include: African Americans and the West, Black Seafarers, Haitian Revolutions, Hair and Beauty Culture, Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Helpful for: Humanities IV, American History, African American Studies, Social History

Encyclopedia of African American History: 1896 to the Present edited by Paul Finkelman, Oxford U. Press, 2009.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 305.896 F49A

In five volumes and 1,250 entries, this set “reflects the trauma, tragedy, hope and accomplishments of black culture and life since 1896” (xxiii). Entries focus on biography, politics, law, art, music, sport, entertainment, religion, and economics.

Examples include: Astronauts, Blaxploitation Films, Sean Combs, Family, Oprah, Railroad Segregation, and United Negro College Fund.

Helpful for: Humanities IV, American History, African American Studies, Social History

New Reference Book: Chronology of American History

Lura Sanborn — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:09 +0000

Chronology of American History by John C. Fredriksen, Facts on File, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 973 F87C

A lengthy, four-volume, chronology spanning American History 1400s-2007. Some events are given a brief mention (1-2 sentences) while others are discussed in more detail (2-3 paragraphs).

Find a place in time and read about:

Hannah Dustin
Business, Religion
Military and Slavery issues in 1703
Music in 1946 (one of the year’s most popular tunes was “Ole Buttermilk Sky”)
The Cold War

Scan political and business highlights from 2004 and find:

Democrats nominate John Kerry SPS ’62 for President
U.S. Supreme Court upholds Pennsylvania’s 2002 redistricting plan
Dow Jones closes the year at 10,783.01

Helpful for: Humanities IV, Humanities IV Research Paper, American History, Topic Finding

New Database: American History in Video

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:00:31 +0000

Ohrstrom Library is pleased to announce its subscription to American History in Video. This database provides access to over 5,000 titles from the 1920s to 2008 including: newsreels, documentaries and government footage.

Every video includes a complete and fully searchable transcript, readable alongside the video.

Videos can be selected from the database by keyword searching, or by multiple categories, including: subjects, historical eras, years, historical events, people, places and topics. Consider browsing by year to locate primary source videos created during the time period you are studying.

Click HERE to access the database.

To cite this source, be sure to give credit to both the creator of the video and to the database.
Example:

Burns, Ken, dir. Civil War. Episode 3, Forever Free (1862). PBS, 1990.

American History in Video. Web. 12 Dec. 2009. .

New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of the United Nations

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:00:24 +0000

Encyclopedia of the United Nations 2nd ed., by Jerry Pubantz and John Allphin Moore, Jr., Facts on File, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 341.23 M78U

Two volumes of essays related to the U.N. including topics about and related to:

International law
Disarmament W
Women
Sustainable development
Human rights and more

A variety of appendixes conclude the second volume including:

Charter of the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
United Nations Member States and year of admission
Statute of the International Court of Justice
Important United Nations Resolutions
Selected U.N. Conventions and Declarations
United Nations web sites
United Nations Chronology.

Helpful for: Humanities IV, Model U.N., Global Awareness, Humanities IV.