2. About Scholarly Research Search several different places for sources Search several different ways for sources Be prepared to spend time searching for, selecting, and locating sources Start searching early; allow time for requesting materials that are already checked out or are not yet owned by Cornell Ask a librarian or your instructor for help if you are getting stuck or feeling unsure about your results
3. Some Types of Research Tools Subject encyclopedias (Garland, etc.) Good starting point for getting background information Bibliographies (pub’d separately, or with encyclopedia entry) Good starting point for choosing sources Periodical indexes/literature indexes (RILM, etc.) Good for discovering other scholarly sources on your topic Library catalogs Good for locating known items and discovering related items
4. Today’s Session: topic—dangdut Please open four Internet tabs: Google/Wikipedia Can be a good place to start; definitely a bad place to stop! Library Guide (from Blackboard) Links to various useful tools selected for this class Library Website Access to two different library catalog interfaces Research Databases TBA as the session progresses Links from Blackboard
5. Google—use sparingly Search “dangdut” Consult Wikipedia article for overview Look at list of bibliographical references—are these scholarly sources? (No, they are articles from magazines and newspapers. These can be of value, but they are not scholarly writings.) A general Google search is all but useless for scholarly research, but tools like Google Books and Google Scholar have value.
6. Garland Encyclopedia Access through Library Guide Major scholarly reference source for topics in world music—use in place of (or in addition to) Wikipedia Search “dangdut” Scan the bibliography, looking for items that are somewhat recent, and on topic (can be dangdut, or more generally Indonesian popular music) Look for citations of these items in the context of the entry—press Ctrl+F (or Mac equivalent) to find instances of “dangdut”
7. Library Catalog Search title of overall work cited in Garland bibliography (not title of article or chapter) to locate it in the Cornell Library system Advanced Search works well for known-item searching Do not rely on library catalog for article-level/chapter-level indexing—it is only done sporadically
8. RILM and Music Index Indexes to the scholarly literature in the field of music Can be searched separately or simultaneously Why are these useful? Article-level/chapter-level indexing Variety of material types, including books, chapters, articles, dissertations Detailed subject headings Abstracts Search “dangdut” as general keyword; can also specify to search for term in abstract, subject heading, title, etc.
9. Back to the Library Catalog Search title of overall work cited in RILM or Music Index (not title of article or chapter) to locate it in the Cornell Library system Advanced Search works well for known-item searching Do not rely on library catalog for article-level/chapter-level indexing—it is only done sporadically
10. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Access to the full text of dissertations and theses by music scholars (soon-to-be faculty) Keep in mind that each of these scholars usually publishes a book based on the dissertation several years later—search the author in the library catalog to find out if the book has been published yet Title usually differs somewhat Content is updated, so prefer the book over the dissertation
11. Library Catalog Again Try different keyword searches to discover more sources When you find something promising, look at the subject headings, and use them in a new search (by clicking a subject heading, or by entering subject terms in an Advanced Search by Subject) to find similar items Also look at the call number, and browse the call number area for similar books This can only be done in the “Classic Catalog” interface Try browsing ML3502.I5 (popular music of Indonesia) in the “Classic Catalog”
12. In Summary Expect to see some of the same sources turn up in different places—that’s a good thing Embrace serendipitous discoveries Think of searching for sources as an iterative process Find out about it Find it Find more like it
