The ANSS website is an interesting mix of organization-specific news and features and resources helpful to any librarian. In each newsletter, there are reviews of new databases, websites, or print resources, as well as insightful articles which discuss issues important to academic librarians. The authors often write about their own experiences with day-to-day librarian work; using a new tool to create a library guide or working with a new research database. The newsletters also provide updates as to what events are going on, and what different organization members are up to. While I wouldn't read these typically, it is a good way to stay up to date on trends going on in the social sciences and to look at model-librarians for inspiration. Aside from the publications, there are also resource bibliographies, links to select subject guides from which to draw inspiration, and various assessments and standards to put to use in your library. I really liked the linked tool kits from the ALA, which provide key resources not only for patrons in sociology and anthropology but resources for librarians, such as publications through which to find book reviews, and best practices.
http://connect.ala.org/node/173714
I had never looked at the Library of Congress Teacher Resources before, but I will definitely consult this page in the future. The guide for non-LOC sociology resources is extensive, and while some of the links are dated or broken, most of the resources are valuable. I would recommend them to teachers and librarians alike. There are similar lists for other subjects and I will be sure to look in to them in the future.
I like videos like Cale Brook's sociology theories introduction. I think these are great ways to brush up on a subject. As librarians, we will undoubtedly come into contact with more subjects and information-situations than we could possibly be prepared for. We won't be able to go in to every reference transaction already matching the patrons understanding of a topic, nor will we be able to enter every classroom with the same grasp as the students or professor. While we are surely equipped with the tools to find any book we could need on a subject, sometimes little explanations like these are all we need to get up to speed on a subject, at least until we have a better understanding. If I was asked last minute to provide bibliographic instruction to a sociology class, I might not have time to wade through all of the necessary material to understand sociological theories in full. A short video like this, made specifically to teach people would be a great resource to consult for a quick refresher. The multitude of informational videos on Youtube from amateur and professional teachers alike eases my mind that I will never know nothing about a topic, even on short notice. The same can be said for free online courses and podcasts. Understanding even the gist of sociological theories would allow me to provide better instruction to sociologists. The same goes for any topic.
http://libguides.bc.edu/content.php?pid=174749&sid=4431332
When I'm looking for resources on my own I always try and look for ones that are open access. I liked this guide provided by Boston College for open-access sociology resources. The Directory of Open-Access Journals is a great portal to journals freely available to anyone. The link in the LibGuide takes you to the social sciences section, where there are many journals to look through. You can also search the entire DOAJ for articles of interest. The other pages include the open-access publisher/repository of the University of California. It would be great to one day see all state universities follow suit!
https://support.google.com/fusiontables/answer/2571232?hl=en
Fusion Tables is a visualization tool that sociologists can use to analyze and publish their data in an accessible environment. I have not played around with it too much yet, but it uses spreadsheets to visualize or map data. What makes it special is that you can take other people's public data and incorporate it into your own projects. The "merged" tables are live and will change as others modify or add their data. This could be a really interesting collaborative tool students and researchers. Of course, it works with Google Drive, and so any spreadsheets you already have will be ready to go. Unfortunately, it does not seem to do statistical analysis, so one would have to do that sort of work in another environment.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Encyclopedia of Social Measurement
The Encyclopedia of Social Measurement is another methodology resource for social scientists. This 3 volume set is an extensive kit of research methods, models, tools, data sources, and other topics relating to social sciences. I think this source would be appropriate for undergraduate levels and up, for any area relating to the social sciences.
The subject areas included in this encyclopedia are: analytical techniques, constructs and variables, data collection, data sets and websites, data sources and subjects, fields and applications, historical events and figures, interpretation and data limitations, measurement models, research designs, and sampling design. If this list seems exhaustive it is because there are 356 articles in total. The different areas covered allow for all facets of social measurement to be covered; this is not limited to one part of research, but to all. A foreword by Bent Flyvbjerg lauds this text for its comprehensive and inclusive approach to social science, particularly for its equal consideration of qualitative and quantitative methods. He calls the text a guide on "how to do science." This is as apt a description as any that I could come up with.
Each article includes its main text, along with an introduction, glossary, cross references to other articles, and a bibliography. When appropriate, the articles include illustrations, graphs, charts, equations, and other visual aids. I think the inclusion of a glossary for each article makes the encyclopedia more accessible. The well over 200 contributors come from a wide range of subject areas and institutions. The articles are arranged alphabetically but are also listed at the beginning organized the subject areas I listed. The index has 130,000 items, so this can be a very helpful tool for locating needed information as well.
This resource is especially interesting because it is not limited to simple instruction on how to formulate research, but provides background in to the different schools of thought and methodologies in social science. It includes historical context in to methods, disciplines, and people, as well as covering emerging trends in the social sciences (as of 2005).
Kempf-Leonard, K. (Ed.). (2005). Encyclopedia of Social Measurement. Oxford, U.K.: Elsevier.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Geography
Geography really does encompass any and all topics you could possibly think of. I think Reddit user the60thparallel sums it up nicely...when asked the question, "What is geography?" they make the case that it is more appropriate to ask "What isn't geography?" I think this is spot on. In fact, every module we have studied so far in this class could be considered geography. Political science? It is hard to separate geography from that field. History? How can you understand the events and people of the past and present without taking in to consideration space and place? Even psychology can be related back to geography; how we mentally perceive and create places, how our mental maps function, etc. The60thparallel says, "There is a spatial component to every aspect of this world," and I think this is what geography is all about. In geography you learn to think about how every little piece of the world works together as a system. There are no islands. We are constantly looking at both the big picture and the little picture, and everywhere in between. Scale is a word that gets used a lot in introductory courses; we learn about map scales at a relatively early age, and this same principle holds true in geography. There is always another of looking at an issue, and another way we can frame what we are looking at.
This fall in Kent State's geography department, students can take a variety of classes: Community Landscapes, Memory and Heritage, GIS and Health, Environmental Justice, Conservation of Natural Resources, Marxism and Geography, Spatial Programming, Geography of East and Southeast Asia, and my favorite, Geography of Wine; the list goes on. Many students from other departments enroll in geography courses; and likewise, we as geography students were encouraged to explore courses out of our department. At the reference desk and in the Map Library, I've helped students in anthropology, geology, translation, and public health look for geographic information. And I've helped geography students look for information on public health and musicology research. It's a little ironic how infrequently geography students need maps from the map library.
Of course geography IS also the study of places. Many geographers devote their research to studying a particular part of the world. Most of our introductions to geography involve a map or photographs of somewhere far away. National Geographic, though it may have forever biased many non-geographers to think that geography is just the study of places is a wonderful example of geography in action. Aside from telling people where they can find the magazine on our shelves, I can see the Education section of the webpage being a valuable tool to provide to education majors looking for resources to include in their lesson plans, where resources are organized by grade level. Is a patron going to be studying abroad next semester? I would direct them to the Travel section of the website to learn a little more about the culture they will be living and learning in.
Taking things a step further, Atlantic Cities is a really cool website that features articles with a geographic mind. The articles here would be interesting to geographers and non-geographers alike, and one of my favorite things about it is that the news that gets featured here does such a good job of showing how place and space matters, while rarely seeming to get academic. Readers would have to go a step further and research the principles and concepts behind the events and developments, but if you want to show someone why geography matters, Atlantic Cities is the place to send them.
Websites that I frequently use or would use are:
http://wikimapia.org/ This one totes itself as a map version of Wikipedia; anyone can edit the map, just like OpenStreetMaps, but Wikimapia lets you take the process a little further by describing the feature in Wikipedia like articles. Its a great tool for simple discovery and exploration of your neighborhood, but I could see this a good resource for documenting and mapping geographic phenomena.
http://walking-papers.org/ Walking Papers is a DIY paper atlas creator. It allows you to print off detailed maps of an area, mark up your paper maps however you like, and then upload the marked-up maps back up to the server. The website introduces itself as a way to improve on OpenStreetMaps data, but I think this would be valuable for researchers who want to map phenomena on the ground without having to use expensive and sometimes un-intuitive GIS interfaces. This could be another form of grassroots mapping. One cool thing about geography is that many researchers are concerned about not only learning more about a phenomena, but spurring social justice through change. Maps allow us to record something that is happening and communicate it geogrtaphically to others.
http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/ OSGeo4W is a package of several high-quality opensource geospatial programs. The industry standard in GIS is ArcGIS, a software package from ESRI. It is high quality but very expensive. Students and faculty at Kent are entitled to a free license, but I think libraries should be investing more in implementing open source software whenever possible. QGIS and GRASS, as well as the other programs included in this package are very capable. If individuals, groups, or whole departments and institutions needed to use GIS and were unable to get access to proprietary software like ArcGIS, I would definitely recommend looking in to OSGeo4W.
This fall in Kent State's geography department, students can take a variety of classes: Community Landscapes, Memory and Heritage, GIS and Health, Environmental Justice, Conservation of Natural Resources, Marxism and Geography, Spatial Programming, Geography of East and Southeast Asia, and my favorite, Geography of Wine; the list goes on. Many students from other departments enroll in geography courses; and likewise, we as geography students were encouraged to explore courses out of our department. At the reference desk and in the Map Library, I've helped students in anthropology, geology, translation, and public health look for geographic information. And I've helped geography students look for information on public health and musicology research. It's a little ironic how infrequently geography students need maps from the map library.
Of course geography IS also the study of places. Many geographers devote their research to studying a particular part of the world. Most of our introductions to geography involve a map or photographs of somewhere far away. National Geographic, though it may have forever biased many non-geographers to think that geography is just the study of places is a wonderful example of geography in action. Aside from telling people where they can find the magazine on our shelves, I can see the Education section of the webpage being a valuable tool to provide to education majors looking for resources to include in their lesson plans, where resources are organized by grade level. Is a patron going to be studying abroad next semester? I would direct them to the Travel section of the website to learn a little more about the culture they will be living and learning in.
Taking things a step further, Atlantic Cities is a really cool website that features articles with a geographic mind. The articles here would be interesting to geographers and non-geographers alike, and one of my favorite things about it is that the news that gets featured here does such a good job of showing how place and space matters, while rarely seeming to get academic. Readers would have to go a step further and research the principles and concepts behind the events and developments, but if you want to show someone why geography matters, Atlantic Cities is the place to send them.
Websites that I frequently use or would use are:
http://wikimapia.org/ This one totes itself as a map version of Wikipedia; anyone can edit the map, just like OpenStreetMaps, but Wikimapia lets you take the process a little further by describing the feature in Wikipedia like articles. Its a great tool for simple discovery and exploration of your neighborhood, but I could see this a good resource for documenting and mapping geographic phenomena.
http://walking-papers.org/ Walking Papers is a DIY paper atlas creator. It allows you to print off detailed maps of an area, mark up your paper maps however you like, and then upload the marked-up maps back up to the server. The website introduces itself as a way to improve on OpenStreetMaps data, but I think this would be valuable for researchers who want to map phenomena on the ground without having to use expensive and sometimes un-intuitive GIS interfaces. This could be another form of grassroots mapping. One cool thing about geography is that many researchers are concerned about not only learning more about a phenomena, but spurring social justice through change. Maps allow us to record something that is happening and communicate it geogrtaphically to others.
http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/ OSGeo4W is a package of several high-quality opensource geospatial programs. The industry standard in GIS is ArcGIS, a software package from ESRI. It is high quality but very expensive. Students and faculty at Kent are entitled to a free license, but I think libraries should be investing more in implementing open source software whenever possible. QGIS and GRASS, as well as the other programs included in this package are very capable. If individuals, groups, or whole departments and institutions needed to use GIS and were unable to get access to proprietary software like ArcGIS, I would definitely recommend looking in to OSGeo4W.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography
This was my required course reading for a special topics Geography course, Qualitative Research Methods, two years ago. When I was looking through Kent's reference section for this assignment, I found The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Geography (http://kentlink.kent.edu/record=b3344097~S1). I read through the introduction and while I'm sure it is an informative text, I don't think I would have selected it to be included in the reference collection. I think Oxford's Qualitative Research Methods is much more concise and usable as a reference text and I was happy to see that I hadn't gotten rid of the book so that I could write about it.
Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography is written as a comprehensive guide to various methods of research used by social geographers. It also introduces the idea of qualitative research as opposed to quantitative research, and discusses its place in the field of geography. Following the enumeration of methods, there are also sections that discuss communicating and constructing research proposals and findings. From start to finish it can be a very important text, priming someone new to research to the process. As a reference text, though, it can aid in the planning and design of one's own research. Each chapter covers the logistic considerations associated with each method of research, as well as ethical concerns.
The chapters are written by contributing authors. Most of the authors hold PhDs in the field. They typically write by combining concise instruction on the method or topic with personal experiences they have had in their own research. This makes the text an easier read and also offers insight that might not be gained from a simple "how-to" guide for research. The authors elaborate on mistakes they may have made or nuances to research that they have discovered by doing. There is also an emphasis on considering your role as the researcher, and how you are affecting the "subjects" of the study. We referred to this as reflexivity.
This is the third edition (2010), with the original appearing in 2000. The editor, Iain Hay, writes that the text has been updated to reflect changes in how the Internet and other technologies have changed qualitative research. I think this text should make its way in to more reference collections; there are 20+ copies in OhioLINK of the different editions, but none of them seem to be marked as reference books. I would recommend this as a guide for research to anyone in the social sciences, and especially to geography undergraduates and graduate students.
Hay, I. (ed.) (2010). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (3rd ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography is written as a comprehensive guide to various methods of research used by social geographers. It also introduces the idea of qualitative research as opposed to quantitative research, and discusses its place in the field of geography. Following the enumeration of methods, there are also sections that discuss communicating and constructing research proposals and findings. From start to finish it can be a very important text, priming someone new to research to the process. As a reference text, though, it can aid in the planning and design of one's own research. Each chapter covers the logistic considerations associated with each method of research, as well as ethical concerns.
The chapters are written by contributing authors. Most of the authors hold PhDs in the field. They typically write by combining concise instruction on the method or topic with personal experiences they have had in their own research. This makes the text an easier read and also offers insight that might not be gained from a simple "how-to" guide for research. The authors elaborate on mistakes they may have made or nuances to research that they have discovered by doing. There is also an emphasis on considering your role as the researcher, and how you are affecting the "subjects" of the study. We referred to this as reflexivity.
This is the third edition (2010), with the original appearing in 2000. The editor, Iain Hay, writes that the text has been updated to reflect changes in how the Internet and other technologies have changed qualitative research. I think this text should make its way in to more reference collections; there are 20+ copies in OhioLINK of the different editions, but none of them seem to be marked as reference books. I would recommend this as a guide for research to anyone in the social sciences, and especially to geography undergraduates and graduate students.
Hay, I. (ed.) (2010). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography (3rd ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Psychology
I had never truly considered how broad the study of psychology is. It is not surprising that in 1962 Kuhn speculated that psychology might not be a true "science" due to its disjointed theories and lack of general consensus. This does however make psychology an incredibly exciting and diverse field of study, no matter how you define "science."
Bennet and Simmings explore the effect that "embedding" a librarian in to a course has on the students, faculty, and library. Their study of Capella University's embedded librarian in psychology courses offered conclusions that embedded librarian increase student access to librarians. When students are encouraged by their professors to consult librarians, and are given direct contact to the librarian in the form of an online message board, we see that utilization of librarians increases. This model allows librarians to demonstrate their value at the point of need, rather than waiting for student patrons to approach them. Particularly in the online environment of many of today's institutions, I think this is an important method to take. While this is not by any means applicable only to psychology, the sheer number of psychology classes that undergraduates take may make these classes a good starting point for universities to implement embedded librarians.
While searching in PubMed, I found a similar study by Alison Konieczny (2010). Konieczny writes in the first person describing her own experiences. She writes that the time commitment varies greatly depending on the need of the class, the class size, etc. She also comments on the variety of roles a librarian might take in the class; sometimes a librarian may only be present in the class at the beginning, preparing introductory content on how to perform research. Other classes might require the librarian to remain embedded the entire time to assist on research needs. Konieczny is sure to note that in particular, online students benefit from embedded librarians because librarians are not as visible to distance learners as they are to students physically attending classes on a traditional university campus. Nevertheless, I think that the concept of embedded librarians is worth exploring even in traditional, in-person classes. Librarians take on more of a central role and students are given more opportunities to explore them as a resource.
In terms of actual reference sources, there seem to be a huge variety on the web and published in print. Because of the many different areas of study in psychology, these sources are often quite specific. Resources like AmoebaWeb from Vanguard University provide users with websites, blog posts, and resources in specific psychology subtopics like memory, language, social psychology, culture and psychology, etc. There are also the standard databases like PsychINFO and the other APA databases. The APA offers a broad range of products for libraries, from journals, databases, to books and other educational materials.
In particular, I will be on the look out for more resources related to data and datasets. The APA offers this page as a guide: http://www.apa.org/research/responsible/data-links.aspx. There are also various LibGuides from different institutions providing links to data sets. One nice thing about these LibGuides is that frequently the datasets are not proprietary, even when most LibGuide resources at that institution are. I thought UCLA's guide to datasets was helpful as well. http://guides.library.ucla.edu/content.php?pid=32842&sid=2408190
Konieczny, A. (2010). Experiences as an Embedded Librarian in Online Courses. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 29, 47-57. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02763860903485084.
Bennet and Simmings explore the effect that "embedding" a librarian in to a course has on the students, faculty, and library. Their study of Capella University's embedded librarian in psychology courses offered conclusions that embedded librarian increase student access to librarians. When students are encouraged by their professors to consult librarians, and are given direct contact to the librarian in the form of an online message board, we see that utilization of librarians increases. This model allows librarians to demonstrate their value at the point of need, rather than waiting for student patrons to approach them. Particularly in the online environment of many of today's institutions, I think this is an important method to take. While this is not by any means applicable only to psychology, the sheer number of psychology classes that undergraduates take may make these classes a good starting point for universities to implement embedded librarians.
While searching in PubMed, I found a similar study by Alison Konieczny (2010). Konieczny writes in the first person describing her own experiences. She writes that the time commitment varies greatly depending on the need of the class, the class size, etc. She also comments on the variety of roles a librarian might take in the class; sometimes a librarian may only be present in the class at the beginning, preparing introductory content on how to perform research. Other classes might require the librarian to remain embedded the entire time to assist on research needs. Konieczny is sure to note that in particular, online students benefit from embedded librarians because librarians are not as visible to distance learners as they are to students physically attending classes on a traditional university campus. Nevertheless, I think that the concept of embedded librarians is worth exploring even in traditional, in-person classes. Librarians take on more of a central role and students are given more opportunities to explore them as a resource.
In terms of actual reference sources, there seem to be a huge variety on the web and published in print. Because of the many different areas of study in psychology, these sources are often quite specific. Resources like AmoebaWeb from Vanguard University provide users with websites, blog posts, and resources in specific psychology subtopics like memory, language, social psychology, culture and psychology, etc. There are also the standard databases like PsychINFO and the other APA databases. The APA offers a broad range of products for libraries, from journals, databases, to books and other educational materials.
In particular, I will be on the look out for more resources related to data and datasets. The APA offers this page as a guide: http://www.apa.org/research/responsible/data-links.aspx. There are also various LibGuides from different institutions providing links to data sets. One nice thing about these LibGuides is that frequently the datasets are not proprietary, even when most LibGuide resources at that institution are. I thought UCLA's guide to datasets was helpful as well. http://guides.library.ucla.edu/content.php?pid=32842&sid=2408190
Konieczny, A. (2010). Experiences as an Embedded Librarian in Online Courses. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 29, 47-57. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02763860903485084.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming
I was pleased to see that this was not a dream encyclopedia! Mary A. Carskadon's Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming is very much a scholarly reference book about the various psychological, physiological, and cultural aspects of sleeping and dreaming. The book starts with a short preface discussing the current (as of 1993) trends in sleep and dream research. Carskadon writes that the book is aimed at students. While the age of the student is not noted, much of the material is quite scientific in nature. It would be appropriate for the undergraduate level. As a reference it would still be relevant for graduates as well. The book is organized alphabetically with entries by various contributors. There are also "guidepost" entries which serve to help readers navigate from broad topics to more focused entries. Most entries include references to other sources, as well as cross-references to related entries.
Because the book covers so many types of topics, I believe it is a real strength to take contributions from many authors. There is a list of articles by contributor which also notes the institution of the contributor. The articles range in topic from chemicals and hormones, to sleep practices of different cultures. One or several authors might not have had the expertise to elaborate on these narrow subjects, but the large pool of contributors appears to have done a good job.
The book is most troubled by its age; it is 20 years old and has not seen a second edition. There is bound to be important research that has been left out due to its age. All the same, I see this book as a good introductory resource for students interested in this part of psychology.
Carskadon, M.A. (Ed.). (1993). Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Because the book covers so many types of topics, I believe it is a real strength to take contributions from many authors. There is a list of articles by contributor which also notes the institution of the contributor. The articles range in topic from chemicals and hormones, to sleep practices of different cultures. One or several authors might not have had the expertise to elaborate on these narrow subjects, but the large pool of contributors appears to have done a good job.
The book is most troubled by its age; it is 20 years old and has not seen a second edition. There is bound to be important research that has been left out due to its age. All the same, I see this book as a good introductory resource for students interested in this part of psychology.
Carskadon, M.A. (Ed.). (1993). Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Anthropology
Of the disciplines we have reviewed so far, anthropology is the one I would have figured reference services for it would have been the most straightforward. After going through the module, I can't decide if this feeling has been confirmed or turned inside out. On one side, anthropology produces knowledge in a way I have not really observed other disciplines do. Economics, history, and political science all seem to constantly be changing, and aside from basic concepts, most knowledge produced is related strictly to current events. Anthropology appears to me to create knowledge about people that I could really see ending up in our much beloved reference books and staying there. An anthropologist makes discoveries and observes; their research should NOT alter the subject. Alternatively, political science and economics research may involve running simulations with controls, etc. In this way, I feel that reference services can be more straight forward to anthropologists.
However, all of the material we have read and watched shows that this is not a passive field of "facts" and truths" but is also one that is constantly changing. Any of the blogs will show that new research is constantly pouring out and changing the way we formally looked at a specific phenomenon or group of people. The field itself seems to be changing, as writers talk about their changing discipline as much as their research.
The breadth of good web resources for information really solidified my feeling about anthropology as being a slightly different discipline for librarians to relate to; since anthropology is the study of humans and our cultural heritage; there is already quite a lot of resources out there related to this that anthropologists might want to find. Quite a lot of this is already in libraries, archives, and museums (anthropologists are also concerned with digging up the rest of this heritage). I say this only in sort of jest; humans have been interested in humans for quite a long time, and it is easier to preserve human artifacts than it is to preserve political or economic artifacts. It is also easier to digitize a human artifact and put on the web, in some form or another. Cultural anthropology is a different story.
It is also one that is fighting to preserve cultures and publicize injustices. My anthropology professor worked with Somali Bantu refugees in America, studying them but also helping them to adjust to life in this country. Her research helped to bring light to a story of tragedy for a people whose culture was at risk of being wiped out. While my professor worked with refugees as part of her research, many anthropologists are concerned with preserving cultures in their own lands. The stories reported in Cultural Survival Quarterly are sad but it is good to see an organization that works to keep these people and these cultures alive and empowered. I am reminded of recent reports concerning the price of quinoa becoming to high for those who have traditionally grown it to afford it; while this NPR article makes it appear that this is not entirely true (http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/07/17/busting-quinoa-myth) it shows me that our economic, social, and political decisions can have anthropological effects. I am sure this is just one example of the disciplines we are studying being put to use for advocacy and human rights.
However, all of the material we have read and watched shows that this is not a passive field of "facts" and truths" but is also one that is constantly changing. Any of the blogs will show that new research is constantly pouring out and changing the way we formally looked at a specific phenomenon or group of people. The field itself seems to be changing, as writers talk about their changing discipline as much as their research.
The breadth of good web resources for information really solidified my feeling about anthropology as being a slightly different discipline for librarians to relate to; since anthropology is the study of humans and our cultural heritage; there is already quite a lot of resources out there related to this that anthropologists might want to find. Quite a lot of this is already in libraries, archives, and museums (anthropologists are also concerned with digging up the rest of this heritage). I say this only in sort of jest; humans have been interested in humans for quite a long time, and it is easier to preserve human artifacts than it is to preserve political or economic artifacts. It is also easier to digitize a human artifact and put on the web, in some form or another. Cultural anthropology is a different story.
It is also one that is fighting to preserve cultures and publicize injustices. My anthropology professor worked with Somali Bantu refugees in America, studying them but also helping them to adjust to life in this country. Her research helped to bring light to a story of tragedy for a people whose culture was at risk of being wiped out. While my professor worked with refugees as part of her research, many anthropologists are concerned with preserving cultures in their own lands. The stories reported in Cultural Survival Quarterly are sad but it is good to see an organization that works to keep these people and these cultures alive and empowered. I am reminded of recent reports concerning the price of quinoa becoming to high for those who have traditionally grown it to afford it; while this NPR article makes it appear that this is not entirely true (http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2013/07/17/busting-quinoa-myth) it shows me that our economic, social, and political decisions can have anthropological effects. I am sure this is just one example of the disciplines we are studying being put to use for advocacy and human rights.
Anthropology -- Encyclopedia of Creation Myths
This book has probably been the most fascinating to pick up and flip through. David Adams Leeming's Encyclopedia of Creation Myths briefly describes the creation myths of cultures and religions from around the world. Each tale is presented in summary, as well analyzed in the context of broader themes in creation myths. There are entries for common themes and characters as well; for instance, there are many creation myths which involve a great flood and this theme gets its own entry. Entries are cross referenced by being emboldened in the text of other entries.
I can see this book being useful for researchers needing simple facts about a specific culture's belief systems. What makes it so valuable, I think, are the cross references to cultures with a similar belief system and to common themes. In the same way that Aarne-Thompson tale-type numbers discussed in Christine Goldberg's article (2003) categorize folktales, different types of creation myths are typified in Leeming's book. This is also valuable to researchers interested in the oral tradition, in the evolution of myths from culture to culture, or in the survey of creation myths themselves.
I could not find information on Leeming's background, but he has published many titles on myths, folktales, and storytelling. Kent State has 26 titles alone (several are alternate editions of the same book). Many of them are included in the reference collection. I cannot think of a way to verify that Leeming did not leave important myths out, but he provides sources for much of his information, and there is a full bibliography listed in the back of the book.
The entries are not detailed. Usually a brief synopsis of the creation myth is given, but it is enough to get an idea of the tale. From then on, the bibliography could be used to locate other sources, or library research could be done. For this reason, I think this resource would be more suited for underclassmen, or as a source used for discovery. It is comprehensive nonetheless.
The book was published in 1994. There is a second edition which Kent State University does not have. This edition, published in 2009, has been expanded with new myths, as well as an increased focus on the relationships between myths. This edition seems as if it would be even more valuable and perhaps more worthy of scholarly research.
Leeming, D. A., Leeming, M. A. (1994). Encyclopedia of Creation Myths. ABC-CLIO: Santa Barbara.
I can see this book being useful for researchers needing simple facts about a specific culture's belief systems. What makes it so valuable, I think, are the cross references to cultures with a similar belief system and to common themes. In the same way that Aarne-Thompson tale-type numbers discussed in Christine Goldberg's article (2003) categorize folktales, different types of creation myths are typified in Leeming's book. This is also valuable to researchers interested in the oral tradition, in the evolution of myths from culture to culture, or in the survey of creation myths themselves.
I could not find information on Leeming's background, but he has published many titles on myths, folktales, and storytelling. Kent State has 26 titles alone (several are alternate editions of the same book). Many of them are included in the reference collection. I cannot think of a way to verify that Leeming did not leave important myths out, but he provides sources for much of his information, and there is a full bibliography listed in the back of the book.
The entries are not detailed. Usually a brief synopsis of the creation myth is given, but it is enough to get an idea of the tale. From then on, the bibliography could be used to locate other sources, or library research could be done. For this reason, I think this resource would be more suited for underclassmen, or as a source used for discovery. It is comprehensive nonetheless.
The book was published in 1994. There is a second edition which Kent State University does not have. This edition, published in 2009, has been expanded with new myths, as well as an increased focus on the relationships between myths. This edition seems as if it would be even more valuable and perhaps more worthy of scholarly research.
Leeming, D. A., Leeming, M. A. (1994). Encyclopedia of Creation Myths. ABC-CLIO: Santa Barbara.
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