Did you know that you have free access to hundreds of newspapers via the BC Libraries, from as recent as today and, in some cases, as far back as 200 years ago? Learn how to find papers – including many you can’t get on the Web -- in print, via online databases, and in other ways at a 30 minute session this Thursday, September 28th, at 4 pm in O'Neill 105.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Finding Newspapers at BC:
Past & Present, Online & Off
Did you know that you have free access to hundreds of newspapers via the BC Libraries, from as recent as today and, in some cases, as far back as 200 years ago? Learn how to find papers – including many you can’t get on the Web -- in print, via online databases, and in other ways at a 30 minute session this Thursday, September 28th, at 4 pm in O'Neill 105.
E-Journals: New Issues This Week
New issues of the following journals are available online this week:
Click on a title to access the issue. (Login with your BC username and password is required for off-campus access.)
Click on a title to access the issue. (Login with your BC username and password is required for off-campus access.)
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Web Site Spotlight:
Presidential Rhetoric
Presidential Rhetoric at the American Presidency Project
The American Presidency project at the University of California - Santa Barbara has brought together an impressive collection of presidential rhetoric -- from George Washington to George Bush -- as part of this site focused on the study of the presidency.
The document archive includes:
- * Every presidential inaugural address from 1789 to 2005
- * Annual State of the Union messages to Congress from 1790 to 2006. (Until Woodrow Wilson -- and in some cases since -- these were written documents, rather than oral addresses delivered on Capitol Hill.)
- * Weekly Saturday radio addresses of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, plus a selection of Franklin Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats."
- * Transcripts of Presidential news conferences as far back as Herbert Hoover
- * Presidential nomination acceptance speeches back to 1932 for the Democrats and 1956 for the Republicans
- * Transcripts of Presidential debates back to 1960
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Tools You Can Use: "Find It" - From Citation to Source
(From Books & Bytes in Major Mail)
As you make your way through databases in communication and other disciplines, you will sometimes see a button with the words “Find It” next to the title of a journal article or book chapter. Don't overlook it; it is one of the most valuable tools you can use doing research at BC.
Integrated by the BC Libraries into many databases, "Find It" takes you outside the database you are in to other resources at BC and elsewhere. For example:
Some databases, like Communication Abstracts or PsycINFO, provide abstracts only, without complete articles. Others, like Communication & Mass Media Complete or ATLA Religion Database provide full text for some publications but not for all. "Find It" helps turn these databases and others into gateways to a wider world of resources at BC and beyond
As you make your way through databases in communication and other disciplines, you will sometimes see a button with the words “Find It” next to the title of a journal article or book chapter. Don't overlook it; it is one of the most valuable tools you can use doing research at BC.Integrated by the BC Libraries into many databases, "Find It" takes you outside the database you are in to other resources at BC and elsewhere. For example:
- If an article cited in one database is available in full text in another online source, there will be a direct link to the full article.
- If the journal in which an article appeared is available in hard copy in the BC Libraries, there will be a link to Quest, the BC Library Catalog. Click on that link and then on View Holdings to see where in the libraries you can find the specific issue.
- If the article is not available electronically or in hard copy at BC, there will be a link to Interlibrary Loan Request, which will bring up a form through which you can request the Libraries to obtain the article for you from outside BC.
Some databases, like Communication Abstracts or PsycINFO, provide abstracts only, without complete articles. Others, like Communication & Mass Media Complete or ATLA Religion Database provide full text for some publications but not for all. "Find It" helps turn these databases and others into gateways to a wider world of resources at BC and beyond
Monday, September 18, 2006
New Communication Books at BC
The September edition of New Communication Books in the BC Libraries is now online.This edition features 23 books added to the collection in recent weeks, including titles in such areas as: Communication Theory & Research; Rhetoric; Interpersonal Communication; Religion & Communication; and others.
Follow the links on the New Books page to view the catalog records for each of these titles and see if they are available. Links to past editions of New Communication Books are at the bottom of the page.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Beyond Google: Key Communication Databases at BC
(From Books & Bytes in Major Mail)
If you're not familiar with them already, you should get to know Communication Abstracts and Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC), two key tools for doing communication research at Boston College.
Communication Abstracts provides abstracts, or summaries, of scholarly communication articles going back to 1977. It does not provide the articles themselves, but the FindIt button that appears with every abstract can lead you to the full text of the article in another database, in the library's print collection, or, via Interlibrary Loan, from another library.
Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) indexes articles from academic journals as well as professional and trade magazines in the communication field. Complete articles are available in CMMC from approximately 200 of the 500 publications it covers. (FindIt links are available for others.)
These communication databases are by no means the only online resources for communication research. But they should definitely be on your radar as communication students.
If you're not familiar with them already, you should get to know Communication Abstracts and Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC), two key tools for doing communication research at Boston College.
Communication Abstracts provides abstracts, or summaries, of scholarly communication articles going back to 1977. It does not provide the articles themselves, but the FindIt button that appears with every abstract can lead you to the full text of the article in another database, in the library's print collection, or, via Interlibrary Loan, from another library.
Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC) indexes articles from academic journals as well as professional and trade magazines in the communication field. Complete articles are available in CMMC from approximately 200 of the 500 publications it covers. (FindIt links are available for others.)
These communication databases are by no means the only online resources for communication research. But they should definitely be on your radar as communication students.
E-Journals: New Issues This Week
New issues of the following journals are available online this week:
Click on a title to access the issue. (Login with your BC username and password is required for off-campus access.)
Click on a title to access the issue. (Login with your BC username and password is required for off-campus access.)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Web Site Spotlight:
She Made It
She Made It: Women Creating Television and Radio
What impact have women made in the broadcasting industry?
This well-presented and content-rich Web site, part of a multiyear initiative from the Museum of Television & Radio, offers an in depth look at the achievements and legacy of 50 women writers, directors, producers, journalists, sportscasters, and executives, past and present, in broadcasting.
In addition to lengthy profiles of each of the women, there are brief audio and video clips for many of them. See, for instance, Lucille Ball talking about her little-known role as director of some of her shows (in an excerpt from a 1985 Museum seminar.) Or listen to a radio broadcast of Dorothy Thompson responding to Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939.
Other women profiled on the site include: Christiane Amanpour; Fanny Brice; Julia Child; Katie Couric; Joan Ganz Cooney; Ellen DeGeneres; Tina Fey; Phyllis George; Terri Gross; Sarah Jessica Parker; Cokie Roberts; Barbara Walters; Oprah Winfrey; and 35 more.
The site also presents video of She Made It panel discussions, including one on the evolution of the family sitcom and another on the women of National Public Radio. There are also online discussion forums (though these, unfortunately, are marred by lots of spam).
For more on the She Made It initiative, including the Web site and the Museum of Television & Radio's growing collection of programming created by women, see the Museum's press release.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Research Support from the Communication Librarian
(From Books & Bytes in Major Mail)
Welcome to the 2006-2007 Academic Year! Many of you know me from years past, but whether we've met or not, I'm here to help with papers, projects, coursework, and making the most of the incredible -- and sometimes bewildering -- array of research resources available to you as a communication student at Boston College.
Here are some of the ways I can help:
I look forward to working with you. Let me know how I can help.
Welcome to the 2006-2007 Academic Year! Many of you know me from years past, but whether we've met or not, I'm here to help with papers, projects, coursework, and making the most of the incredible -- and sometimes bewildering -- array of research resources available to you as a communication student at Boston College.
Here are some of the ways I can help:
- Classroom Sessions: I'll be visiting many of your classes (about 15 lined up so far) for research instruction sessions specific to the needs of the course.
- Individual Consultations: I'm available for customized help on research questions large and small. E-mail, call, or drop by my office. (My contact info is on this page.)
- Books & Bytes in Major Mail: Watch Major Mail each week for news, tips, suggestions, and ideas about communication information resources available to you. [Books & Bytes infotips will be archived here on CommTopics.]
- CommTopics: The BC Communication Studies Blog: CommTopics highlights and reviews important, useful, or just plain interesting databases, books, Web sites, journal issues, and communication-related stories in the news.
- My Home Page: Visit my home page for links to key databases, course support pages, research guides, an RSS feed of new items from CommTopics, and more.
I look forward to working with you. Let me know how I can help.
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