My presentation to your class
Here are the PowerPoint slides for my presentation to your class. Click in the lower right corner to expand the slides to full screen.
Advice for your course
The presentation and the final paper
You have two research projects in this class: a presentation and a final paper. Since your two projects will probably be about the same playwright, it may be helpful to think of them as one project with two pieces. I recommend creating one folder in which you can save all the sources that you find -- either a collection in Zotero, or else a regular folder on your computer.
Overviews
Learn the basics of a topic by reading overviews (also called "tertiary sources"). You can find overviews on the internet, on sites such as Wikipedia. You can also use encyclopedias in the Reference section of Simpson Library. I recommend an encyclopedia called Contemporary Film, Theatre, and Television:
-
Contemporary Theatre, Film and TelevisionCall Number: Reference PN 2285 .C58Includes extensive biographical and career information on more than 20,000 professionals currently working in the entertainment industry. The most recent volume is from 2012.
Databases
You can use Quest to search all subjects, or use individual databases to search specific subjects (such as theatre or history or literature). Out of the 200+ databases that UMW subscribes to, these are the most useful databases for this class:
-
Gale LiteratureThe best database for this class. Search for a playwright to find biographies of that playwright and analysis of their works (secondary sources).
-
MLA International Bibliography with Full TextSecondary sources, mostly articles from scholarly journals.
-
Theatre Performance and Design CollectionPrimary sources (images, audio, and video), and some tertiary sources (encyclopedias).
Locating books on the shelves
When you find a physical book in Quest, write down its call number, and then go to the shelves.
Books are shelved according to the Library of Congress Classification System. In this system, the library is divided into twenty-one broad subject areas, each of which is assigned one letter of the alphabet.
To use call numbers, read them from the top down.
For example, here's how you'd find this book:
- First, follow the alphabet to the PR section of the library.
- Next, within the PR section, look in numerical order for 8875.
- Next, within the books numbered 8875, look in alphabetical and numerical order for .P46.
- (1999 is the year the book was published.)
The main collection of books is shelved in the Stacks on the second and third floors. Other collections include the Reference collection, the DVD collection, and the Juvenile/Young Adult collection, all on the first floor.
Reference Librarian
Other guides
Advice and recommendations for FSEMs in general, and for Theatre and Dance research.
The Citing Resources guide gives you examples of perfectly-formatted citations. Zotero is a free app that keeps track of the sources you've found, and generates citations without any typing.
Quest
Use Quest to search the library's physical collection and the contents of most of the library's electronic databases.
Citing
There are many different citation styles. The library provides online guides to the most common styles. For this class, Professor Brewer wants you to use MLA style.
Here is the library's guide to MLA style.
You can use software to generate citations automatically. We recommend a free app called Zotero. Please note: Automatically-generated citations can contain errors, so proofread them before submitting them to your professor!