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ARTH 488F: Colloquium in Art History: Contemporary Chinese Visual Culture and Film

ARTH 489F: Special Topics in Art History: Modern Chinese Visual Culture and Film

Web Page created by Joan Stahl and Carleton Jackson, UM Libraries

Course Instructor: Jason Kuo

SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF LIBRARY INSTRUCTION CLASS: The University of Maryland Libraries have many resources that will help with research for ARTH 488F and ARTH 489F. This class will provide students with an understanding of key research tools and review basic skills for searching the Library's online catalog for materials and using subject-specific electronic databases to locate newspaper and journal articles and case studies. Additionally, this class will introduce the user to the Nonprint Media Services Library, the central audiovisual research facility for the campus.

For information about the full range of library materials and services, consult the UM Libraries' home page. If you need additional information, please contact Joan Stahl or Carleton Jackson.

Because of licensing agreements, access to bibliographic databases,electronic journals, and digital film collections is restricted to UM faculty, staff, and students. Most databases and electronic journals may be accessed via Research Port. Due to licensing agreements, access to digital film collections is restricted to campus use; digital films may be accessed via Digital Collections.

Outline

The University of Maryland Libraries have eight branches and various special collections on the College Park campus. For research in visual culture and film five locations should be of particular importance: Art Library, Architecture Library, McKeldin Library, Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library(PAL),and Nonprint Media Services Library.

Note: Nonprint Media staff created a helpful mediagraphy of Chinese-language films in our collections.

The College Park library system is also part of a larger state-wide consortium (USMAI) from which you may borrow material. From the Library Homepage, you can search the library catalog. From the library catalog, you can find your Course Reserves. My Acccount is where you can check on due dates for borrowed items and renew materials online.

Finding Books, Journal Titles, Videos, and Other Materials

Finding Databases, Journal Articles, and Electronic Journals

The most efficient way to locate a specific journal/magazine article (when you have the citation from another source - not when you are using a database) is to use the Specific Article search in Research Port (right side of the screen).

Film Reviews and Film Essays

Note: While many films from China and Hong Kong are distributed in North America under accepted English international titles, many are not. It is important to verify spellings and transliterations of titles and peoples names. To be thorough, search through all variations in databases and catalogs.

Also Note: Until recently many English language databases and reference works neglected “non-western” filmmakers and film listings by title unless they are considered “international” in appeal. You will often have to search by country origin, genre or filmmaker to be successful. And when searching names, for example, try both Chen Kaige and Zhen Kaige

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Databases

• Academic Search Premier
  Provides abstracts and indexing for over 7,000 journals. Full text of articles for over 4,000 scholarly publications, including more than 3,100 peer-reviewed publications. Search by subject: motion pictures, Chinese. Or use geographical term China with specific subject terms. Search by subject: motion pictures, Chinese. Or use geographical term China with specific subject terms.
  
  
• Arts & Humanities Search
  An index, to articles published in over 1,100 arts and humanities journals and selected articles from related science and social science journals. Also useful for finding book, film, music and performance reviews as well as creative writing published in journals. Also provides cited reference searching. Search by subject key words, film titles and personal names.
  
  
• Digital Dissertations
  This database is the an authoritative source for information about doctoral dissertations and master's theses. The database represents the work of authors from over 1,000 graduate schools and universities. Full text is available from 1997 to the present. Use advanced search for keywords in “citation and abstract” field.
  
  
• Film Literature Index
  Indexes articles in film and television periodicals and selected articles from related periodicals. Useful for finding critical articles on film study as well as movie reviews. The print version of the Film Literature Index, which is available from 1973 to the present can be located in the McKeldin Library Reference Stacks at Z5784.M9F45. A full range of cinema-specific advanced search fields are available along with key word searching.
  
  
• MLA International Bibliography
  Indexes journals, books, essay collections, proceedings, dissertations, and bibliographies published worldwide in the areas of literary criticism, language, linguistics, rhetoric, and folklore of all countries. Search for specific film information by key word, film title, and filmmakers.
  
  
• JSTOR
  Electronic archive of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Includes complete runs of journals with full-text of all articles published prior to the most current five years. Use advance search for key words, filmmaker name, etc., but search in abstracts first to focus hits.
  
  
• LexisNexis Academic
  Full-text database that offers a wide range of news and reference information in full-text format. Primary source of newspaper articles, including those from the Washington Post and the New York Times. For film subjects, start with Power Search, but use publications field to limit as necessary. Also, when you find focused document, use the “Find Documents with Similar Topics” search at bottom to locate more.
  
  
• WorldCat
  Also known as OCLC and First Search, this is a meta-catalog of books, serial publications, media, visual materials, musical scores, and archival materials in libraries worldwide. It is used by students, researchers, faculty including librarians to locate, verify and catalog library holdings.
  

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Other UM Libraries Resources

• Ask us!: Librarians are available to help you in-person, by phone, by email, or by live chat.
  
• Citation Systems and Style Manuals: A basic introduction to the citation process. It discusses why citing is important, what needs to be cited, and gives an overview of two types of citation systems
  
• Evaluating Web Sites: Provides the necessary guidelines used to determine the quality and accuracy of the information found on the World Wide Web.
  
• Guides to Information Resources: Online guides to information resources, produced by librarian subject specialists.
  
• Films@UM: Over 700 digital videos on a wide variety of subjects which can be used in the classroom or independently.
  
• RefWorks: Online tool for managing citations.
  

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Web Resources

• All Movie Guide (AMG): Includes plot summaries, bioographies, cast and production credits, release dates, and more. International coverage.
  
  
• Hong Kong Movie Database (HKMDB) : Lists movies not included in AMG or IMDB.
  
  
• IMDB: Internet Movie Database: Includes release dates, cast and crew information, plot summaries, reviews and much additional information on thousands of films.
  
  
• MRQE: Movie Review Query Engine : Links to full text reviews of thousands of films.
  
  

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