*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Ad-Lib: A Monthly for Freshman Advisers adlib(a)fas.harvard.edu
March 2004 Issue 4
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
IN THIS ISSUE:
-- Concentration Fest, Part 2
8 more descriptions of how Harvard College librarians work with
academic programs and departments
-- Readings for Advisers
A Chronicle of Higher Education article on the undergraduate's
"fear of reference"
*********************************************************
FEATURED CONCENTRATIONS:
History, Folklore and Mythology, Anthropology, History and
Literature, ESPP, History of Science, Philosophy, History of
Art and Architecture, and Economics
*** HISTORY
Library Research contact: Barbara Burg, Research Services, Widener
Library [496-4222; bburg@fas]
Central to the work of a historian is access to original documentation of
events: personal papers, diaries, letters, organizational records, census
data, photographs, and artifacts. In Harvard's libraries and special
collections, students have opportunities to sample from a banquet of
materials that is unlike any other. One of my roles, as Widener Library's
liaison to this Department, is to invite them to partake of this feast.
If your advisee is leaning toward a concentration in history, he or she
can get a flavor for the kinds of primary source materials Harvard makes
available by browsing in a database called OASIS (Online Archival Search
Information System). OASIS provides access to the digitized guides that
describe, in detail, specific archival and manuscript collections at
Harvard. These collections are everywhere: in the Houghton Library, the
Harvard Law School Library, the Divinity School Library, Countway Library
of Medicine, the University Archives and the Schlesinger Library on the
History of Women in America. OASIS is available directly at this address:
http://oasis.harvard.edu and is also linked from the Harvard Libraries
Portal page (http://lib.harvard.edu).
I spend a good amount of time during the academic year working one-on-one
with history concentrators. These individual research consultations help
to ensure that students are able to identify and locate the variety of
research materials that are essential for their course-based assignments
as well as their senior thesis research. As they make their concentration
decisions, your advisees are more than welcome to get in touch with me if
they'd like to know more about historical research and historical
resources available to them at Harvard.
*** FOLKLORE AND MYTHOLOGY
Library Research Contact: Pam Matz, Reference Services, Widener
Library [495-8713; pmatz@fas]
The web site of the Committee on Degrees in Folklore and Mythology --
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~folkmyth/ -- puts the pleasures of a Folklore
concentration succinctly and emphatically: the concentration is a liberal
education in itself. The study of Folklore draws on the disciplines of
both the Humanities and Social Sciences. Students working in Folklore
will rely on electronic and print resources in the field of Literature;
they also become conversant with research techniques and methods in
important related fields, like Anthropology.
As the Widener Librarian assigned to work with this program, I introduce
students to key databases and other materials, schedule research
consultations with individual students, and work closely with Folklore
tutorials. I often participate in library instruction for courses outside
the department that have a folklore focus, as well. Last semester,
for example, I produced an online guide for an Expository Writing class on
"Storytelling." First years interested in the concentration may find it
useful. Direct them here:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/research/guides/classes/2003fall/expos20Chadbourne.h…
I'm always glad to talk with students about their research interests;
please tell your advisees to call, email, or come by the Widener Reference
Desk with their questions.
*** ANTHROPOLOGY
Library Research Contact: Greg Finnegan, Head of Reference,
Tozzer Library [495-2253; gregory_finnegan(a)harvard.edu]
Prospective anthropology concentrators benefit from having Tozzer Library
as a resource. Tozzer is the oldest anthropology library in the western
hemisphere and has one of the largest collections of the subject in the
world. In addition, Tozzer Library produces Anthropological Literature,
the major current bibliography of articles in journals and edited books.
AL indexes over 500,000 articles going back as far as the 1840's, covering
the entire history of anthropology as a discipline. We collect and index
the literature of the three sub-fields taught in the "wings" of the
Harvard department: biological anthropology, archaeology, and
social/cultural anthropology.
Because anthropology has such a long history at Harvard, students become
involved in long-running research projects. For example, Harvard has been
conducting research at the ancient Maya city of Copan, in Honduras, for
over 100 years--and all of these research reports are held at Tozzer and
indexed in AL. We also hold many sets of freshman seminar papers, not a
few by students who went on to distinguished careers in anthropology.
Tozzer Librarians are themselves trained anthropologists and working
scholars. Two members of our staff serve as Freshman Advisers, so they
are familiar with the kinds of questions that your students might want
answered as they make decisions about a field of study for next year.
Besides describing our resources and services, the Tozzer web site
includes links to major associations and institutions in the field; your
advisee will find much valuable information here:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/tozzer/links.html.
*** HISTORY AND LITERATURE
Library Research Contact: Joe Bourneuf, Research Services,
Widener Library [496-9183; bourneuf@fas]
Harvard's Library holds one of the premier academic research collections
in the world. This presents something of a challenge, but far more
importantly, offers incredibly deep resources for the researcher. The
fundamentally interdisciplinary nature of the History and Literature
concentration is well served by several of the College libraries, all of
which have highly trained reference staffs ready to discuss research
strategies and processes. Familiarity with Widener, however, is crucial
to successful progress through the program and completion of the senior
thesis.
The History and Literature homepage links to a guide to selected library
and internet resources most useful to students in this concentration.
Your advisees can also get to it directly at this address:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/widener/services/research/histlit/histlitguide.html.
Many of the sophomore tutorial groups meet me during the late fall and
winter for an introduction to both print and electronic resources
specifically directed to their common area of study. Juniors and seniors
are encouraged to take advantage of individual research consultations
devoted specifically to research for their major papers and ultimately,
their theses.
*** ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY
Library Research Contact: George Clark, Environment Resources
Librarian, Cabot Science Library [496-6158; clark5@fas]
First years interested in concentrating in Environmental Science and
Public Policy (ESPP) will want to check out these two resources:
"Environmental Research Resources at Harvard"
(http://hcl.harvard.edu/environment/research ) is a guide I prepared for
the web; it identifies major research tools, environmental news sources,
and initiatives at Harvard and elsewhere.
Environmental Issues and Policy Index is an online database that students
will find linked from the Harvard Libraries E-Resources page
(http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources). This database is one of several
good places to search for journal articles in the field, and students who
end up concentrating in ESPP will want to add it to their research
repertoire next year.
*** HISTORY OF SCIENCE
Library Research Contact: Fred Buchsted, Reference Services,
Widener Library [495-2411; burchst@fas]
In 1913, George Sarton, exile Belgian chemist and Harvard scholar, founded
the Isis Bibliography, a publication that to this day continues be the
pre-eminent source for scholarship on the history of science, medicine and
technology. We keep it, and other reference books in the field, in
Widener Library's Loker Reading Room, and concentrators typically have at
least one session with me there, so that they can become acquainted with
the major print tools they'll be expected to use for papers, research
projects, and senior theses.
The online equivalent to the Isis Bibliography is a database called the
"History of Science, Technology, and Medicine." Students can find it
linked from the Harvard Libraries Portal Page
(http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources). Information about using it is
included in my guide to "Finding Periodicals on the History of Science,
Medicine, and Technology"
(http://hcl.harvard.edu/widener/services/research/subindexes/perhistsci/perh…).
Widener Library contains the bulk of Harvard's history of science
collections, and concentrators will find a vast and impressive array of
both primary and secondary source material in its stacks. For students
who work on topics related to the history of medicine, Countway Library is
also an option, and an especially rich resource. First years who are
interested in knowing more about the range of materials available to them
at Harvard and in the vicinity can have a look at my "Resources for the
History of Science, Medicine, and Technology at Harvard University and the
Boston Area." The guide is available at this address:
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~burchst/HSresoHU.html.
*** PHILOSOPHY
Library Research Contact: Sarah Phillips, Reference, Widener
Library [384-9215; sphillip(a)fas.harvard.edu]
I welcome individual consultations on any paper topic, and can guide
students in Philosophy to using major research resources in their field,
including the all-important Philosopher's Index
(http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources). In addition to the substantial
research collections that Widener and other Harvard libraries make
available, the Department hosts the Robbins Library of Philosophy in
Emerson Hall, Room 211. This is a space where students can also get
access to key texts, reserve readings, and online resources on weekdays
from 12 noon to 10 p.m. For part of each week, a librarian is on site in
Robbins, too, and can answer questions that come up for students while
they are visiting the Department.
*** HISTORY OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Library Research contact: Mary Clare Altenhofen, Head of
Research, Fine Arts Library [496-3592; altenhof@fas]
The Fine Arts Library is the primary resource for the study of the history
of art and related disciplines at Harvard University; it is also one of
the academic world's most comprehensive libraries for Western and
non-Western art and architecture from antiquity to the present.
Concentrators will find a wide variety of materials here: books and
journals covering the fine arts, an extensive slide image collection, a
historic photography collection, and more.
Concentrators also have many databases at their disposal, including the
Grove Dictionary of Art Online and several excellent resources for
accessing art journals and magazines. These are available from the
Harvard Libraries E-Resource page (http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources).
Your advisee will find them described and linked, too, from the online
guide to Art History Research that the Fine Arts Library has produced:
(http://hcl.harvard.edu/finearts/haa_research_guide/index.html).
Among their many options, students will find Art Abstracts and Art Index
Retrospective good launching pads for research on art historical topics
from all time periods and geographic areas. To add depth to their search
results, students can turn to the Bibliography of the History of Art
(BHA). For topics on architecture, we recommend that they also use the
Avery Architectural Periodicals Index.
Concentrators who have interests in topics like landscape design, American
architecture, and urban planning will probably spend some of their time
roaming in the stacks of the Frances Loeb Library of the Graduate School
of Design (http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/library/ ).
*** ECONOMICS
Library Research Contact: Meghan Dolan, Data Reference Librarian,
Littauer Library [495-2106; dolan2@fas]
Economics concentrators can be sure of one thing: when conducting research
within their field, they will need to rely heavily on journal literature
and numeric data. Littauer Library is the best place for concentrators to
begin that kind of work.
Given the great size of the Economics department, we make an effort to
reach students in as many ways as we can. Some make appointments to
discuss their projects and get advice on research strategies. Others
establish relationships with us via email, and concentrators should never
feel shy about sending their questions to us at this address:
dataquest(a)data.fas. harvard.edu.
For students who prefer to work more independently (or just like to figure
things out on their own), we have created a suite of research guides that
identify good resources for everything from public opinion polls and
census information to intergovernmental and international trade data.
Included in this mix is a guide to EconLit, the principal database that
concentrators will use to access journal articles published in the field.
The guides are available from our homepage:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/numericdata/ under the "Conducting Research" link.
One of the other ways we try to familiarize students with data resources
is through a one-hour "Introduction to Economics Data Resources" workshop,
which is taught in conjunction with the Harvard-MIT Data Center several
times each academic term. It will offered one more time this Spring, on
April 20th, from 3-4 p.m. First-years who want to get a head start on
learning how data is collected and stored should consider signing on.
More information about the class is available here:
http://www.hmdc.harvard.edu/jsp/topic.jsp?id=36&bct=dData%2BServices.s7.t36
should you want to pass the information on to your advisee.
*********************************************************
READINGS FOR ADVISERS
Fister, Barbara. "Fear of Reference." _The Chronicle of Higher
Education_, 48.40 (June 14, 2002): B20.
Last year, I asked a number of graduating seniors why they thought
some students were reluctant to use our library's reference desk, and what
we could do to make the service more appealing. The most creative
suggestion I got was to move the reference desk to a more private spot, so
that nobody would face the humiliation of being seen asking for help in
public. I toyed with the idea of installing a disused confessional:
'Bless me, librarian, for I am lost.'
Why do undergraduates find it so embarrassing to ask for help in a
library? . . .
Read the entire article:
http://homepages.gac.edu/~fister/FearofReference.html
*********************************************************
Ad-Lib is a monthly newsletter for Freshman Advisers, brought to you by
the Lamont, Hilles, and Cabot undergraduate libraries in the Harvard
College Library. We welcome your suggestions, questions, or thoughts! Send
them to adlib@fas OR contact us directly. Here's how:
Susan Gilroy, Lamont Library sgilroy@fas 6-5403
Ellie Clement, Cabot Library clement @fas 6-8442
And if you like Ad-Lib, consider sending it on to a friend!
*********************************************************
