Table of Contents
Reference Sources
Reference sources can be a good source of preliminary information on a topic and a means to collect useful keywords. They also often contain bibliographies that cite key texts and thinkers associated with a specific topic. The online resources listed here are a small sample of the reference materials Stanford has to offer; many are in print form and can be found by searching SearchWorks, physically browsing the libraries' reference areas, or consulting a librarian.
Tips for using reference sources:
1. Look at the cross-references that many entries provide. These can be helpful in pointing you toward a related or more accurate idea/term.
2. One of the most important elements of any good reference source entry is its bibliography. Take note of the books or articles that the entry's author deems elementary to understanding the individual or idea.
Suggested online reference sources:
Books
SearchWorks is Stanford’s online catalog/database for library resources: books, magazine and journal titles (but not the individual articles within them; for a discussion of these see the "Finding Articles" section), e-books, DVDs, etc. SearchWorks allows for two main methods of searching: the Basic Search, which is the default mode, and the Advanced Search, which can be accessed by clicking on "Advanced" underneath the search box.
The Basic Search performs a lot like a typical Web search engine, bringing back hits from a keyword search, sorted by relevance. You can try simply entering the name of a photographer in the search box and then hitting the "Search" button--or you might try entering the photographer's name and then switching the button to "Subject terms."
The Advanced Search allows for more specificity and flexibility, as you can limit a keyword search to specific fields (e.g., title, subject terms) and/or restrict results to a certain library, language, etc. In either mode you can elect to sort results by a method other than relevance: by year (old to new or new to old), title, or author.
Examples of subjects (Library of Congress) that relate to this class:
As you find good titles on your topic in SearchWorks, note the Subjects in the item's records. Find additional titles on those same subjects by clicking on the subject term link. Note how a main heading may further subdivide by place, type of material, or time period. The following examples stress material on the United States. Key subject terms such as "Political aspects," "Social aspects," "Pictorial works," and so on should become part of your research vocabulary when using SearchWorks.
Databases
In the academic world the term “database” usually refers to specific resources that retrieve items—usually from the periodical literature—not usually listed in a library’s online catalog. Databases are typically oriented toward specific subjects, and therefore they can go into far more specificity than Stanford's own online catalog (SearchWorks/Socrates) can. While journal articles are the most common items to be included in databases, many also include citations (i.e., listings for and descriptions of) for book and exhibition reviews and for chapters or essays within anthologies.
Tips for using databases:
1. Start on the Databases page, linked from SULAIR’s home page. The list of subjects is a useful place for beginning research; for art start in Art, Architecture and Design.
2. After selecting a relevant database, treat your search similarly to how you would search in SearchWorks. Most databases are structured in essentially the same way, though often with their own proprietary sets of keywords and subject headings.
Suggested databases:
Stanford University Home