Welcome! This site has been created to assist you finding and using library resources for your research on Utopia and Dystopia. Our library is the largest publicly funded university library in the world. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it is truly a treasure trove for scholars. All of the UIUC Library's resources are available to you as you do your research, so explore, have fun, and don't hesitate to ask questions!
ASK-A-LIBRARIAN FOR HELP WITH YOUR RESEARCH
Use our Ask-A-Librarian Service to IM, chat, email, phone or find a reference librarian. You can also type in the box to the right to instant message us.
For individual help with your research, don't hesitate to contact me:
JoAnn Jacoby
Office hours: by appointment.
Office: Education and Social Science Library, 100 Main Library
Email: jacoby@uiuc.edu
Or fill out an Individual Research Consultation Form to sign up for a one-on-one appointment with a reference librarian to learn about the best databases, search strategies and information sources for your upcoming project or paper.
FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND
We have over 40 departmental libraries on our campus. The libraries you will likely find most useful for this class are the Education and Social Science Library, English Library, History Library and Undergraduate Library. The first three are located in
the Main Library building. You might also hear it referred to as the "Graduate Library," but don't let that misnomer stop you from coming in and taking advantage of the resources we provide. It's your library, too!
LIBRARY HOURS
Education and Social Science Library, 100 Main Library, Fall & Spring semester:
M-Th: 8:30 am-11:00 pm
Fr: 8:30 am-6:00 pm
Sa: 11:00 am-5:00 pm
Sun: 1:00 pm-11:00 pm
Hours and contact information for all UIUC Libraries.
RESERVES
The reserve readings for this (and other) classes are available online via Course Reserves.
FINDING BOOKS
- Online Library Catalog - Look here to find books, magazines or journals containing articles that you need, DVDs, and many other resources. In addition to the 10 million volumes we have on this campus, you can connect to over 71 other libraries in Illinois and request books be sent to you.
When you find something you want in the catalog, write down the following:
Location - in which library the item is kept (or libraries, if we have multiple copies)
Call Number - this number is essential for finding the item on the shelf
Status - is it available for you to check out?
Hint: Library catalogs are used for two purposes: (1) If you know exactly what you are looking for - an exact title or author - you can use the catalog to locate your material (this works for book titles and journal titles); (2) You can also use catalogs to discover material that might be helpful to you by doing subject and keyword searching.
- I-Share Catalog - Find and place requests for materials located at I-Share libraries (over 50 academic libraries in Illinois).
- WorldCat - Search libraries worldwide. Can request loans of materials not available through UIUC or ILCSO network. You can also request books by filling out a form on the Interlibrary Loan page.
- How do I find...? - A series of brief tutorials on using the catalog.
HINTS FOR FINDING BOOKS ON UTOPIAS AND DYSTOPIAS:
- Search Online Catalog using one of the following SUBJECT HEADINGS (use the "Guided Keyword" tab):
(Note: You can add other keywords to focus the search, e.g. "African American" or "bibliography")
- Browse the Education and Social Science, History, English or Undergraduate Library in the following call number ranges:
(Note: You can also browse these call numbers online in the Online Catalog by choosing "Browse Call Number" in the "Quick Search" menu.)
FINDING ARTICLES
Journal articles are one of the primary means of communicating research and ideas in academia. They will be an important component of your research paper and give you some insight into ongoing debates and conversations about your topic.
Finding articles is a two-step process:
- First, find the citation to the articles you want. You can use bibliographies or suggested readings lists, or you can search for the topic you are interested in by using one of the article databases listed below. If you get stuck, ask your professor or a librarian for help getting started.
- Next, find the actual text of the articles you want. Some of our journals are online, but most still live on the shelves. If the article is not available electronically, you will need to use the Online Library Catalog to look up the source of the citation you have retrieved from the article database.
WHICH DATABASES WILL WORK BEST FOR THIS CLASS?
- America History and Life and Historical
Abstracts - indexes journal articles on the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Published since 1964, the database comprises almost 400,000 bibliographic entries.
- InfoTrac's Academic Index - Some newspapers, general and scholarly periodicals, and some full text documents.
- JSTOR (Journal Storage) - An excellent source for searching the full text of older journal articles. Hint: Select the subject area form the list at the bottom of the search page, then enter your search terms.
- Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLA) - Identifies articles, books, dissertations on literature, languages, film and folklore. Useful for finding research on literary utopias.
- Sociological Abstracts - The preeminent database for citations to scholarly journals in sociology. Indexes and abstracts over 2,600 journals and other serial publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations.
- Online Research Resources - Search a variety of online research resources to find citations to articles of interest.
WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GO FOR INFORMATION?
- The New York Public Library has created an online exhibit Utopia: The Search for Ideal Society in the Western World. The "RESOURCES" section includes an extensive listing of utopian texts arranged by century as well as an extensive bibliography of secondary sources.
- Library of Congress's American Memory Project provides online access to a rich collection of primary source material relating to U.S. history and culture. Contains over 7 million digital items, including photographs, newspapers, sound recordings, field notes, manuscripts, cartoons, letters, legal documents, and more. Try searching the "Social Sciences" collection.
- The quality of information available on the web varies tremendously. Evaluating Internet Sites 101 gives some valuable pointers on evaluating web-based information. Actually, these tips can be applied to print as well as online sources.
CITING SOURCES IN YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY
Style and Writing Guides - How to format citations, write papers, and do research in the social sciences.
Refworks - A great tool for writing papers, Refworks helps you export bibliographic records from databases, change the citation styles as needed and import the citation directly into a Word document so you can create bibliographies on the fly. For help using this utility, see Refworks Help.
MORE HELP ON USING THE LIBRARY
Library Research Guide for Sociology - A guide to sociology-related sources in the Education and Social Science Library.
How Do I...? - A series of brief tutorials about library services.
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