First steps
- Your OneCard is your library card. New cards should be automatically registered.
- Working from home? Log in first
Finding a focus
Important hints
- identify more items than you need (some may be hard to find or off topic)
- keep track of where you look and the keywords you use
- start early (library staff can deliver articles from other libraries)
- use Boolean Searching (AND, OR) for best results
Reserve materials
- check the Reserve Catalogue to see if there are readings or Films for your course
Books
- How to find scholarly books (3:04)
- use the Primo Catalogue to identify books at Laurier, the Universities of Waterloo and Guelph, and the Annex
- Note: books about individual films are in a different place from books about directors
- see American Film Scripts Online for scripts of significant films
- where are the books? See floor plans
- use WorldCat to identify books available in other libraries.
- request books from other libraries
Film criticism and reviews
- see Criticism and Reviews for finding tools and a chart that compares these two resource types
Journal articles
- What is a peer reviewed journal? (1:42)
- Start with Film and Media Studies @ EBSCOhost to identify articles on your topic
- Other useful databases for finding articles
- Trying to find an article from a list of references? Finding an article when you only know the title (3:50)
Other
- Improving your thesis statement (5:25)
- Evaluating resources: checklist
- Citing sources: examples of MLA style
Having problems? Don't hesitate to contact me: email, call (519-884-0710 x3384), drop in, or make an appointment. My office, L3-312, is one floor up from the main floor of the Library on the Waterloo campus. Come up the stairs, then walk straight ahead.