Welcome

This resource guide has been designed for students in Space and Place, a Fall 2019 Expository Writing course taught by Dr. Ricky Martin. 

The resources and strategies described on this page are specifically targeted: they represent our first best guesses at where you might find the information you'll need to execute your term project. See them simply as starting points for your research into current critical debates.

Remember that good research is often about following up on hunches, testing out a hypothesis and then seeing where else (or to what else) it leads. You may need to try several search combinations before you strike gold. 

Let me know how I can help as your work underway. We can triage by email or meet up for a longer talk about your project -- either on campus (if you're close by) or on Zoom (if you're not). 

Enjoy your work! 

Sue Gilroy, Librarian for Undergraduate Programs for Writing, Lamont Library

Serendipity and Strategy: Ways of Searching in HOLLIS

 

LIBRARY CATALOG OR EVERYTHING: WHAT'S WHAT?

 

HOLLIS combines the extensive contents of our library catalog, the record every item owned by every Harvard Library with those of another, large and multidisciplinary database of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles.

When you search "everything" you're searching both of these databases together, at once. For better or for worse, "everything" is our system default. 

 

The broad and panoramic approach to searching HOLLIS can be mind-opening, but if you find yourself overwhelmed by either the numbers or types of results your search returns, try one of these options: 

  • Limit your Everything search results set just to the items listed in the LIBRARY CATALOG

Your numbers will immediately get smaller. Keep in mind, though, that the results will be heavily weighted toward book-length studies.

  • Limit your Everything search results set to items that are identified as PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES.

You'll eliminate newspaper and magazine materials as well as books, of course, but you'll also raise the visibility of scholarly journal articles in what displays. 

 

  • Think about limiting your results to publications from the last 5, 10, 15, or 20 years.

By doing so you'll get a snapshot of the most recent research trends and scholarly approaches in a field (or around a particular issue).

 


Your "default" approach to searching Harvard's catalog, HOLLIS, is probably similar to your Google approach: enter some words, see what comes up, then try again or improve from there. 

But BROWSING in the catalog is an under-appreciated research strategy, especially when you're trying to discover your interest. It helps you see how writing ABOUT an author, an idea, an event, etc. has been broken down and categorized. So instead of getting the typical list of titles, you see results in terms of sub-topics. Inspiration may lie there!

 

HOW DO YOU BROWSE? 

Open HOLLIS. Click on the  link above the search box. Then select SUBJECT. 

 

Examples of subject terms in actiom (click to see subdivisions of each topic):

____________

TRANSFERABLE KNOWLEDGE TIP:  Words Always Matter

 

Browsing subject headings lists can teach you a lot about searching, because they rely on standardized language and standard ways of qualifying or further describing a give subject.  For example, these additional words may relate to a subject's geography (united states, massachusetts, canada, etc), or  the time period that's under discussion in a book (19th century, or 2lst century). Sometimes, a specific marker of the type of information is also included in a subject heading, like statistics; legislation; handbooks; case studies; etc.).

 BEST PRACTICES FOR SEARCHING HOLLIS:


  • Use QUOTATION MARKS for phrases "united states"   ||  "urban parks"

  • Connect search terms and phrases explicitly with AND/OR and do so with capital letters:  

      culture AND "public space"

  • Enclose synonyms or interchangeable concepts in PARENTHESES

  lefebvre AND (debate OR controvers*) AND space

  • Truncate words with an ASTERISK to pick up alternatives: 

politic* will also retrieve  politics, political, politician (etc.)

  • FILTER your results via right side limit categories. They'll help you sharpen up and whittle down your search results by date, language, resource type, to peer-reviewed articles, and more.
  • Take advantage of special system features: always sign in.
  • STORE the items you want to track down or read later via the    icon; SAVE a good search so you can remember what worked.

 

 

When you're far from Cambridge, identifying books in print and on shelves in Harvard's library buildings can seem like a futile exercise. You can, however, often get your hands on items your find in HOLLIS even if you live many miles away from the Yard.

Pierre Bourdieu1.  Borrow Direct Plus: currently enrolled Extension School students who live near a member library can obtain a card that allows access to the collections and privileges similar to those at Harvard libraries.  

2.  WorldCatthis is a database of library catalogs and useful for identifying college, university, and other  library collections that are in your vicinity.  Search for the title and then enter your ZIPCODE to identify your options.

With WorldCat, you're going beyond the BorrowDirect consortium and beyond our reciprocal lending agreements.  However, as long as any of the area libraries allow you in (often a phone call or a scan of the website will clarify policy), you'll be in luck!


3. Check the catalog of the large PUBLIC LIBRARY in your area.  Depending on the region, the size of the library, its mission, and its funding, a local public library may have a significant research component to its collection (The Boston Public Library at Copley Square is a prime example). 


4. Ask your local library about an INTERLIBRARY LOAN.  Libraries routinely borrow from each other on behalf of their patrons; if you have a library card, you should be able to request it (or have a librarian do so).  ILL can take a bit of time, however. You might wait a week or a bit more before the item arrives. Some places charge a small fee for the service.

IMAGE, above: Pierre Bourdieu

Going deep: finding scholarly conversations beyond HOLLIS

 

Academic Search Premier 

This database might be an excellent next step after you've sampled what's available in HOLLIS+. Academic Search Premier is also multidisciplinary in its coverage, also provides you with a range of article types (some scholarly, some not). But while still broad, it's a smaller universe than HOLLIS.

Depending on your topic, searching in ASP may even be a more efficient route to quality information simply because it will deliver a more manageable result set.

​AnthroSource 

A database that searches the contents of all of the journals published by the American Anthropological Society.


Anthropology Plus

This large database unites the contents of Anthropological Literature, a database created and maintained at Harvard and Anthropological Index (produced at the British museum. 

 

 

Social Sciences Premium Collection 

A core resource for researchers, professionals, and students working in the interdisciplinary social sciences. In addition to citations, abstracts, and (often) full-text of 2400 journal titles, this database will also identify selected books and book chapters, and association papers.

 

Urban Studies Abstracts

This database compiles information from some of the most important and most influential publications related to the "city" in all of its relevant aspects: urban affairs, design, community affairs, history, and more.  

 

 

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals 

Produced by the Getty Research Institute, this database is recognized as a  comprehensive guide to current (and recent) literature -- popular, scholarly, and trade publications -- on architecture and design, city planning, historic preservation, interior design, landscape architecture and urban planning.  U.S. state and regional publications are represented well here, as are major publications from Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America. 


 Art Full-Text 

An essential resource for finding the scholarly literature on the fine arts, folk arts, commercial and decorative arts. Issues around museum stuides and architecture are also covered to some extent here. 

 
 

 

PsycINFO

The premier database for locating research and scholarship in this discipline and its many subfields, PsycInfo is produced by the American Psychological Association and packaged in database form for us from a company called EBSCOhost.  Its content is drawn from more than 1800 journals (and in more than 24 languages), books and book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. 

News: Current, Historical, Themed

 

CURRENT

A news and business information database produced by the Dow Jones company, containing content from more than 200 countries (and in 28 languages, though English predominates). Material is drawn from newspapers, news sites, newswires, TV and radio transcripts.  Full-text coverage varies by title, but is generally better from 1980 forward. Factiva is the major competitor to NexisUni (see below) for current news access.

 A powerful news database which covers more than 3000 newspapers from around the globe, most in English (or English translation). Coverage varies by title but usually dates from the 1980s forward. NexisUni is also good for searching  transcripts of major TV  and radio news broadcasts (including BBC and NPR). 


HISTORICAL

 

 

Tools for Locating Full-Text and Managing Your Sources

 

Google Scholar Settings: One simple change can turn Google Scholar into what's effectively a Harvard database -- with links to the full-text of articles that the library can provide. Here's what to do:  Look to the left of the GS screen and click on the "hamburger" (); then click on .  Look for "Library Links."  Then type Harvard University into the search box and save your choice.  As long as you allow cookies, the settings will keep.  


If you've used NoodleTools or EasyBib in a past academic life -- or even if you've figured out the the pin and cite options in HOLLIS -- Zotero will take you to a whole new level. 

This free, open source citation management tool makes the process of collecting and organizing citations, incorporating them into your paper, and creating a bibliography or works cited page stress-free and nearly effortless.

It's worth the small investment of time to learn Zotero. A good guide, produced by Harvard librarians, is available here: http://guides.library.harvard.edu/zotero.