Life @ Otis : Library

Photo Documentary Culture

Review How to Do Research
Refresh your information literacy skills here: Information Literacy Tutorials.

Free Web vs. the Invisible or Deep Web
Although there is a great deal of good free information available on the free web, there is often better quality and more reliable information available through databases. Much of that information was first published in books and magazines, then sold and agregated into online databases. That information is not ususally free, no more than the original printed sources were free. Publishers often earn a great deal of money by selling the previously published content to information vendors who, in turn, resells the content to libraries who make it available for their patrons.

Note: Be especially cautious of Wikipedia. Read more here about why.

The following Steps will guide you in finding images and historical information for your project of analyzing an image from popular culture and its context.

Step 1: Find an Image

Pick from one on the following Library books:

Life: 100 Events that Shook Our World		on RESERVE at Circ. Desk

Century: One Hundred Years of Human Progress, Regression, Suffering and Hope		REF D 26 C46

Life: Our Century in Pictures		REF CB 425 L44

Photos That Changed the World		on RESERVE at Circ. Desk

Picture Machine: The Rise of Ameriacan Newspictures		on RESERVE at Circ. Desk

Step 2: Find Background Information

One very easy way to start is search in online encyclopedias or dictionaries. For instance, Britannica Online has basic information on a huge range of topics. Click on the Library Databases button.

There are books which you can browse which will be extremely helpful to you in learning about the cultural, social, and historical context of a particular time or period.

20th Century Day by Day: 100 years of News	Headlines and front pages of newspapers from 1900 through 1999. This should be your first stop to find out what else was going on for your time period.	Ref. D 422 C53
This Fabulous Century 7 volumes	One volume per decade beginning with 1900-1950. Overview of the popular culture of the period. Mostly images.	Ref. E 161 T55
Ads That Put America on Wheels	Early 1900s through 1960s. Shows through actual ads how automobiles were marketed.	HF 6161 A9 D74
Advertising and the Motorcar	Early 1900s through 1960s. Shows through actual ads how automobiles were marketed. An essay is included.	Reserve HF 6161 A8 F74
American Century: Art & Culture 1900-1950	Based on a Whitney exhibition, this is an in-depth overview of art of the period.	Reserve N 6512 H335
American Decades 4 volumes	One volume per decade beginning with 1950s. Organized with chapters on world events, education, politics, lifestyles, media, the arts, etc.	Ref. E 169.12 A419
Fashions of a Decade 8 volumes	Just fashion. We have the '20s through the '90s.	Ref. GT 596 C837
Hulton Getty Picture Collection 6 volumes	One volume per decade. All pictures with captions. We have the '20s through the '70s.	D 426 Y367 1998

NEW Encyclopedia/Database: Pop Culture Universe, a comprehensive and authoritative collection of information on popular culture in America and the world, both past and present.

Websites of Interest

Ad Access	d	Images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.
AdFlip		Archive of classic ads from 1940 to the present.
American Cultural History: The Twentieth Century		The purpose of these pages is to present a series of web guides on the decades of the twentieth century. The pages are prepared by the Reference Librarians. Period pictures used.
Year by Year 1900-2001		This site describes historic events of the twentieth century by year and by decade.

Step 3: Find an Article About Your Topic

Once you've browsed and become more familiar with the cultural context of your photo, you should be able to create a list of generalized subjects that you can search for in the Library's databases. You should be able to find one or two in-depth articles in ProQuest, E-Library, and Wilson Omni. Remember: Each databases is much smaller than the entire web. If you put in a very specific term and get no hits, you will need to broaden your search. See also: How to Clarify Your Topic.

Step 4: The Bibliography

Use an ORE form and a "works cited page." There's an excellent guide to Citing Sources online. The Art History Faculty use the MLA style.

Remember:
The librarians and the library staff are available. Ask for reference/research assistance at any time. It's our job. You're not bothering us.