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The Lamont News-List lamref(a)fas.harvard.edu
April 29, 2005 http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont
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In need of some Research Rx these days? Lamont librarians are on call!
Drop by the Reference Desk for on-the-spot help, Monday-Wednesday 9 a.m.to
9 p.m., Thursday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday between 1 p.m. and 9
p.m. We'll answer your questions (or put you in touch with another Harvard
librarian who can).
And keep in mind: after hours, Lamont Reference Desk Prefects can help,
Sunday-Wednesday nights, 9:00 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
-- We're Looking for a few Good Summer Books!
Share your favorite titles with Lamont News-List readers and
you'll qualify for a special **prize**!
-- Power Searching Tip
no. 8: Special words and phrases that can give your HOLLIS
catalog searches a real boost!
-- Getting Ready to Write That Thesis?
How to find models of good research and writing by Harvard students
-- It's Spring at Last in Lamont's Dudley Garden
Enjoy this quiet green space, located behind the Library
-- Lamont Library Hours During Reading Period and Exams
We're open late, May 8-May 26
-- Hilles Becomes the Quad Library this Summer
Information you need to know now is here:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/hilles/
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RECOMMEND A SUMMER BOOK
Share your picks with Lamont News-List Readers--and win a prize!
It's an annual rite of Spring for Lamont News-List readers: our call for
summer reading suggestions. Perhaps you've read a book this term that was
so important, timely, or life-changing that you want other people to know
about it. Maybe you're a mystery or sci-fi fan with a favorite author to
share. Maybe you've happened upon a book that's unusual, eccentric,
visually interesting, or verbally stunning. Maybe you've recently re-read
or remembered a book that meant a lot to you at another point in your
life. Or maybe you've got a book on hand that you're simply dying to read
once you've gotten past papers and finals next month.
Tempt us! We're planning to publish the list of reader recommendations in
our mid-May final issue of the Lamont News-List--just before you head out
for vacation.
Send us authors and titles AND tell us why you've made this choice.
We'll enter your name in a raffle for one of our much-coveted Lamont
stainless steel travel mugs.
We'll throw in a $10.00 Starbucks coffee card, too.
Two mug-coffee card combos will be awarded!
Deadline for entering is **WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 .** Winners will be chosen
in a random drawing and notified by email on Friday, May 20.
Email your book suggestions to sgilroy(a)fas.harvard.edu
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POWER SEARCHING TIP:
No. 9: Words and phrases that can give your HOLLIS searches a real boost!
The more time you spend searching the HOLLIS catalog, the more apt you are
to notice that there are patterns to the way information is presented and
described. Catalog records, for instance, clearly observe a set of rules
or conventions; thus, author names always precede titles, titles always
precede publication details, library locations are listed alphabetically,
and so forth.
HOLLIS records use language in regular and predictable patterns as well.
Next time you're searching HOLLIS, take a look at the list of "SUBJECT"
terms that appear toward the bottom of the screen. Subject terms (or
"headings") are always drawn from a special approved vocabulary list and
librarians use them to help identify the actual intellectual content of a
particular book, video, document (and so on) that a Harvard Library owns.
Only certain words may be used, only certain combinations of words are
allowed, and these combinations must be entered in very exact, fixed ways.
Unless you become a library cataloger yourself, you'll never be expected
to master this vocabulary or know its "rules of order" by heart. By using
your powers of observation, however--by keeping an eye out for subject
words or phrases that seem to appear frequently, under particular
conditions or in particular contexts--you can learn quite a lot about the
catalog's intellectual design. You can also put that learning to very
good use building smarter, better, more efficient searches. After all,
every minute saved searching means more time for reading, writing, and
critical reflection.
If you're facing an end-of term research crunch, the words and phrases
we've listed below may help you shortcut your way to good information.
Try adding one to your next keyword search and watch what it can do.
We've highlighted 14 examples, based on the questions we most often get
from anxious students at this point in the semester. If our list doesn't
match your need, however, ask a Reference Librarian for other options or
for an alternative search strategy. That's what we're here to do!
*** "CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION"
Type this phrase (include the quotation marks) into your keyword search
when you're interested in finding works that discuss or analyze a writer,
a literary work, an artist, an art work, a musician, or a musical work.
EXAMPLES: monet and "criticism and interpretation"
Sidney and sonnets and "criticism and interpretation"
*** UNITED STATES
The official subject term for what we abbreviate as "U.S." and also call
"America."
*** BIBLIOGRAPHY
Add this term to a keyword search when you are looking for publications
which reference (compile) research and scholarship on a
person, event, or topic.
*** "DESCRIPTION AND TRAVEL"
Add this phrase to a keyword search when you're interested in finding
travel literature, travel aids, or accounts of a geographic
location.
EXAMPLE: provence and "description and travel"
*** SOURCES
This term is used to identify collections of "primary" documents or
discussions of writings that were contemporaneous with a particular event.
These might be legal documents, letters, diaries, family papers, etc.,
that have been assembled and reprinted for use by students or scholars
working on the topic.
EXAMPLE: England and reformation and sources
*** CORRESPONDENCE
The official "library" way to look for letters by or to an individual or
group.
Remember that "correspondence" may be an option to consider when you're
asked to incorporate primary source material into your research paper.
*** "PERSONAL NARRATIVES"
Add this phrase to a keyword search when you're interested in locating an
eye-witness account of an event (e.g., a war).
EXAMPLE: vietnam and war and "personal narratives"
*** STATISTICS
Add this word to a keyword search when you're interested in turning up
numbers (i.e., data sources) on a topic or a place.
EXAMPLES: developing countries and statistics
pisa and italy and population and statistics
*** BIOGRAPHY
In addition to using this term for individuals, you can add it to a
search for information on a particular place (like a country or city), an
ethnic group, or a class of people. "History" is an option to consider
pairing with place names and certain classes of people, too.
EXAMPLES: long island and biography
south africans and biography
political refugees and biography
*** "SOCIAL LIFE OR CUSTOMS"
Pair this phrase with a country or city name, with ethnic groups or other
classes of people.
EXAMPLE: aborigines and australia and "social life or customs"
*** "SOCIAL ASPECTS" or "ECONOMIC ASPECTS" or "PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS" or
"RELIGIOUS ASPECTS"
EXAMPLES: slavery and "united states" and "economic aspects"
genocide and "psychological aspects"
renaissance drama and "religious aspects"
*** PUBLIC OPINION or PUBLIC OPINION POLLS or ATTITUDES
*** You can power up a keyword search by thinking in terms of familiar
forms, too: e.g., "ENCYCLOPEDIAS," "DICTIONARIES" or "HANDBOOKS" are
great terms to add to a topic description when you're looking for
subject overviews, term definitions, and the like.
*** Sometimes, general chronology markers will focus a keyword search:
"19th century." "20th century," etc.
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GEARING UP TO START YOUR THESIS IN THE SUMMER?
Here's how to find models of exemplary research and writing
If you're a rising senior, you may be wondering already what the thesis
writing process will really involve. You may also be curious about what
the finished product should look like and what qualities separate a pretty
good thesis from one that's superior--or even better yet, superb.
Your professors may have advised you to have a look at some recent
undergraduate theses in your concentration (or a field related to it) and
often they'll encourage you to spend some time with Hoopes prize-winning
essays. So how do you track theses down?
If you're up for some browsing, you'll find the most recent two years of
Hoopes Prizes next to the New Book Shelf on the main level of Lamont.
Undergraduate theses are also cataloged in HOLLIS and we've put together a
handy guide that will help you construct several good keyword searches to
call them up. You'll find the guide here:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont/resources/guides/harvardtheses.pdf
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LAMONT LIBRARY'S EXTENDED HOURS DURING READING PERIOD
Don't forget: as is our custom during Reading Period and Exams, Lamont
remains open *every* day--including Fridays and Saturdays--from 8 a.m. to
12:45 a.m.
So arrive early . . . and study late between Sunday May 8th and Thursday,
May 26th.
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THE DUDLEY GARDEN:
Now that it's Spring, enjoy this quiet space behind Lamont
Nestled behind Lamont, the Dudley Garden is one of the hidden gems of
Harvard Yard. Although it runs along Massachusetts Avenue, you'd hardly
know the Dudley Garden even existed from the street. Sheltered from the
haste and noise of the Square by a long and high brick wall, it's a
perfectly lovely pastoral space to bring your thoughts, a good book, or a
good friend.
The next time you're in a mood to retreat for a bit, consider
taking a walk in; you'll find the entrance to the Garden between Lamont's
West Door and the A-entry of Wigglesworth Hall. From now until the end
of the academic term, the Dudley Garden will be open for daytime use.
Like so much else at Harvard, the Dudley Garden has an interesting story
behind it. Intended as a memorial to Governor Thomas Dudley (1576-1653),
the Garden was funded by a descendant, the philanthropist Caroline Phelps
Stokes. At her death in 1909, Harvard received $25,000 for the project
from her estate.
The original Dudley Garden featured an ornate wrought iron gate, two
semi-circular stone benches, a statue of Governor Dudley, a clock tower,
and several inscriptions. One of these erroneously identified Dudley as
the first Governor of Massachusetts. He was actually the second, after
John Winthrop. Harvard--as you can probably imagine--was roundly
criticized in the press for the historical inaccuracy.
In 1947, the Dudley Gate was taken down in order to make way for the
building of the Lamont Library. A _Crimson_ article from the time
reported that the memorial was being preserved and would be re-erected
upon the Library's completion.
The semi-circular limestone benches were returned to the site in 1949,
the inscriptions were corrected, and a terrace and sundial were added.
But at some point during the building project, the original Dudley Gate
seems to have disappeared. Harvard historians have not been able to
determine why it was not rehung when Lamont opened in 1949 or where it
ended up. A different Gate now graces the Garden. Its function is purely
ornamental now, too.
For a number of years, the Dudley Garden was fenced off and closed;
isolated and unlit at night, it was deemed unsafe for Harvard students.
In honor of Lamont Library's 50th anniversary in 1999, however, the Dudley
Garden was re-landscaped and re-opened. Since then, it has served more
than one Harvard student well as a spot for "green thought in a green
shade." Perhaps you'll be among the fortunate ones who find their way
there!
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HAVE A TOPIC you'd like to see us cover in a future issue of the Lamont
News-List? A research question you need answered? A tip you want
to pass along to other Lamont News-List readers? All suggestions welcome!
Send your thoughts and comments to sgilroy(a)fas.harvard.edu.
*********************************************************
You received this email because you subscribed to the Lamont News-List.
If at any time you wish to stop receiving this newsletter, point your
browser to http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/lamontnews-list.
Directions for unsubscribing are at the bottom of the page.
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Copyright 2005 President and Fellows of Harvard University
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The Lamont News-List lamref(a)fas.harvard.edu
April 10, 2005 http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont
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April is National Poetry Month! Read, listen, discuss and discover at the
web site of the Academy of American Poets, which sponsors the annual
event. Point your browser here: http://www.poets.org/index.cfm
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IN THIS ISSUE:
-- Power Searching Tip
no. 7: Creating "nested" searches in HOLLIS and other Harvard
e-resources
-- Cool Tool on the Harvard Libraries E-Resources Page
An extraordinary resource for research in the social and
behavioral sciences
-- On our Farnsworth Shelves
Murder, mystery, mayhem and international intrigue!
-- Looking for back issues of the Lamont News-List? They're archived
here: http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont/resources/tipsandtools/
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POWER SEARCHING
Tip no. 7: Creating "nested" searches in the HOLLIS catalog
Even if you've never heard the term "nesting" before, the principle behind
it is already familiar to you. Today's Power Searching Tip comes straight
out of basic math.
A long time ago, you learned to change the sense (and sum) of a string of
numbers, like 5 x 7 + 4, by introducing parentheses: 5 x (7 + 4). In the
HOLLIS catalog, it's possible to express--and change--the relationships
between a string of search terms by the very same means.
"Nesting" is a method of grouping words parenthetically in order to
clarify the logic of a search statement. The parentheses tell the
computer how to process the parts of your search: what to look for first,
what terms to combine, and in what way.
Here's an example: a simple keyword search for BIOLOGICAL AND MILITARY OR
DEFENSE in the HOLLIS catalog will produce more than 19,000 "hits"
(results). A nested search for the same terms--BIOLOGICAL AND (MILITARY
OR DEFENSE)--yields a mere 157.
What accounts for the discrepancy?
The second, nested search redistributes the "weights" of each term.
HOLLIS recognizes that you are treating "military" and "defense" as
synonyms, and that EITHER word is acceptable, as long it appears in a
catalog record that ALSO contains the word "biological."
Without the parentheses, the system will retrieve items that contain BOTH
"biological" and "military" OR any item at all in which the word "defense"
appears. Your chances of having to sift through irrelevant information
dramatically increase.
Like truncation (Power Searching Tip no. 2), nesting enables you to extend
the reach of a keyword search while preserving a good degree of precision.
Nesting is a far more sophisticated approach to searching than truncation,
however.
Truncation relies entirely on the flexible spelling of individual terms
(famil? = family or families or familiar or familiarity).
The key to nesting is logical strategy: careful word positioning and
attention to the relationships between ideas.
When should you use it? Whenever you need to separate primary and
secondary search emphases, and whenever you can anticipate alternative
search terms that might be worth a try.
Examples:
(TEENAGERS OR ADOLESCENTS) AND SMOKING
(SMOKING OR TOBACCO OR CIGARETTES) AND (ILLNESS OR CANCER OR HEALTH)
You'll find that truncation and nesting are often used together to create
elaborate, even elegant search statements. Next time you feel like
experimenting, see what happens when you enter this search string into the
HOLLIS catalog:
BIOLOGICAL AND (WEAPON? OR WAR OR WARFARE) AND (MILITARY OR DEFENSE)
**And by the way: nesting--just like truncation (Tip no. 2)--is possible
in most of Harvard's e-resources.
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COOL TOOL ON THE HARVARD LIBRARIES E-RESOURCES PAGE
The International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:iesbsxxx
In print (26 v.): Lamont REF.ROOM H41 .I58 2001
The _IESBS_ is an amazing feat of international scholarship and an
extraordinary research tool. Years in the making, it's the largest
reference work ever published on the social and behavioral sciences, and
the first attempt in more than three decades to map the entire range of
knowledge encompassed by these fields.
College students sometimes shy away from using encyclopedias, under the
mistaken impression that they have limited value on the undergraduate
level and will carry less weight in their bibliographies than books and
journal articles.
It's true that GENERAL encyclopedias, like the _Britannica_,
tend to be broader than they are deep. An authoritative SUBJECT
encyclopedia, on the other hand, can be an absolutely indispensable
research aid when you need a solid overview of a topic, when you have a
knowledge gap to close, or when you want to place your research question
in its wider historical, intellectual, cultural, or interdisciplinary
contexts.
The _IESBS_ is among the favorite resources of Lamont Reference Librarians
because of its breadth, depth, and utility. We're as likely to recommend
it to you when you tackle a Core course assignment as when you embark on
your senior thesis. It's that good.
In fact, in the last two weeks, we've shown the _IESBS_ to a senior
preparing for her oral exams in Social Studies and a freshman who wants to
know a little bit more about what anthropologists "do" before he commits
to a concentration.
You'll find readable essays in the _IESBS_ on everything from Emile
Durkheim to hate crimes, from brain asymmetry to ecological imperialism,
and from "standpoint theory" in science to the social dimensions of World
War I.
Among the many reasons you might want to consult _The International
Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences_ (IESBS), we offer these:
* The _IESBS_ contains 4,000 detailed articles all written by recognized
experts. The fields that are covered exhaustively include (among others)
psychology, economics, political science, education, and sociology.
Perspectives from intersecting fields, like area and international
studies, neuroscience and psychiatry (for example) are also
well-represented.
*_IESBS_ essays summarize scholarly trends, evaluate methodologies, and
speculate on future research directions: challenges that lie ahead,
questions that remain unanswered, hypotheses that still need to be
tested. (More than one undergraduate has found a research project
suggested in an _IESBS_ essay, by the way.)
* All articles include a recommended reading list of materials chosen by
the author for their excellence. These research leads can save you time
and energy as you set about tracking down the work of other experts in
your field. Some of these bibliographical references are even linked to
articles in full-text.
* Articles contain cross-references to broader, narrower, and related
information covered in the _IESBS_.
Look up the essay on "false memory" (for example) and you'll also be
directed to entries on subjects like "Eyewitness memory, Psychological
Aspects of" and "Memory Development in Children" and "Reconstructive
Memory." By these means, the IESBS encourages you to think "around" a
topic, as well as to think "about" it.
A few search tips:
* If you're not sure of the keywords to use for a search, you can explore
broad subject classifications in _IESBS_.
* If you search by keyword, your search results will list entries in
alphabetical order. You can improve your results by clicking on the on
the option to resort results by RELEVANCE.
* If you want to truncate, the symbol to use is ! (exclamation point).
Let us know what you think of _IESBS_ if you're already using it. And if
you're not, now's the time to give this e-resource a try!
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ON OUR FARNSWORTH SHELVES
Just in case you're looking for that next good book to read
We know that April is the cruelest month for Harvard students. Just when
the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer, the pace of academic
life picks up: papers need to get researched and written, deadlines need
to be met, and decisions about the summer, the next academic year, or life
after Harvard need to be made. At this time of year, what a luxury it is
to lose yourself for an hour or two each day in a good book!
If you're already longing for a bit of respite from these end-of-term
pressures, perhaps you should pay a visit to the Farnsworth Room. Among
the many kinds of books there is a super selection of mysteries and
espionage fiction from all over the world.
This month, we've highlighted some of our favorites in an exhibit called
"Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem: International Intrigue."
You'll find the exhibit on Level 1, the books in Farnsworth on Level 5,
and a brochure of featured titles described here
http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont/news/intrique_intl_apr2005.pdf
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HAVE A TOPIC you'd like to see us cover in a future issue of the Lamont
News-List? A research question you need answered? A tip you want
to pass along to other Lamont News-List readers? All suggestions welcome!
Send your thoughts and comments to sgilroy(a)fas.harvard.edu.
*********************************************************
You received this email because you subscribed to the Lamont News-List.
If at any time you wish to stop receiving this newsletter, point your
browser to http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/lamontnews-list.
Directions for unsubscribing are at the bottom of the page.
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Copyright 2005 President and Fellows of Harvard University
