From the Research Desk

Do you know an non-reader, a struggling reader, or a reluctant reader? Do you have children, grandchildren, neighbors, nieces or nephews learning how to read? Turn them on to graphic novels.

Scholarly studies are showing that the combination of pictures and words aids comprehension and vocabulary for struggling readers. With their clever and entertaining illustrations, condensed text, and unique formats, graphic novels can effectively communicate complex ideas.

The University of Detroit Mercy Libraries has been collecting graphic novels for several years.  The collection includes reconstructions of  the classics, such as Macbeth: the Graphic Novel, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment: a Graphic Novel, or Romeo and Juliet: the Graphic Novel.

Other graphic novels teach traditional school subjects, such as The Manga Guide to Calculus and other manga guides to statistics, electricity, and physics.

And graphic novels can be read for purely entertainment purposes, such as Star Trek. Countdown, Star Wars, the Force Unleashed. II, or Big Nate Goes for Broke.

To find graphic novels in the Detroit Mercy catalog, go to research.udmercy.edu and type graphic novels in the search box.  Click Search.

Contributed by Sue Homant.

Pal·imp·sest
ˈ/paləm(p)ˌsest/

From the Greek “palímpsestos,” to scrape again.
This was the ultimate in recycling. Roman writers Catullus, Cicero, and Plutarch all told of the practice of making palimpsesti  on papyrus and wax tablets. (Avrin. p. 168)  After the fall of the Roman Empire the practice continued, manuscripts which were no longer useful or contained material considered pagan would have their pages cleaned so they could be reused. This would save time and money since parchment was expensive. Why is this important?  Ink containing iron  leaves a ‘ghost’ in the substrate which can be obvious, or might require special techniques such as spectral imaging to discern. So it is possible to see the original work, even under two or three layers.  Sometimes these are previously unknown texts, or works that we know existed but no copies have been found, such as the Archimedes Palimpsest. Sometimes they are works which are earlier versions of known works, which then can show how a particular text has evolved.

Avrin, Leila.  Scribes. Scripts, and Books: the book arts from antiquity to the Renaissance.  ALA, 1991

Noel, Will.  Restoring the Archimedes Palimpsest

Palimpsests: The Art of Medieval Recycling: http://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2016/09/palimpsests-the-art-of-medieval-recycling.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/inside-archimedes-palimpsest.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palimpsest

Detail of the Archimedes Palimpsest

I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight two very important and very interesting databases from Alexander Street Press. Black Thought and Culture, and Black Women Writers. These two databases represent the very best from this publisher and offer a deep and wide expanse of non-fiction and fiction literature from Africans, and the African Diaspora. In Black Thought and Culture there are over 1,300 sources including ebooks, interviews, journal articles, speeches, essays, pamphlets, and letters from more than 1,200 authors. In Black Women Writers there are more than 50,000 pages of poetry and prose from over 1,200 authors representing three continents and 20 countries giving unparalleled views of black women’s struggles through time.

Whether you’re looking for sources for your latest sociology assignment, or you’re exploring options for your African American Studies Minor, these two databases offer a wealth of knowledge and information from authors known and unknown. Both databases offer easily intuited browsing features, while also offering search capabilities that reach deep into the texts of each record. Explore these two resources and prepare to be astounded by the richness of their offerings.

Do you frequently underestimate the time it will take to complete an assignment … especially a research paper or presentation? There are online tools available to help keep you on track: Assignment calculators. They create a timeline that can help you determine when you need to have completed specific portions of an assignment, so you are not scrambling at the last minute.

Many university libraries have assignment calculators available. To use, all you need to do is put in the date that the assignment is due, and the calculator … calculates … a timeline for you to follow. Some also have links from the calculator to other sites that may be helpful when working on an assignment: choosing a topic, writing a thesis statement, and proofreading strategies.

Try some of them out and see if one of them works for you:

Research Project Calculator – although created for secondary school students, this site will save & share your assignments and send email reminders, if you create an account

University of Minnesota Assignment Calculator

SJSU – Assignment Calculator

University of Connecticut Assignment Calculator

Don’t wait until the last minute to begin your research!

Jill Turner, Librarian

Do you need to write a research paper this semester, but you can’t think of an intriguing topic to research? Several of the library databases have lists of current topics, from affirmative action to video games, with links to relevant newspaper and/or journal articles.

Open the Newsbank database and you’ll see links to current topics in the left-hand frame.  There are also quite a few special reports, which include background articles, statistics, maps, images and websites, on selected topics. The Opposing Viewpoints in Context database also lists many current topics with links to various viewpoints from newspaper articles, journal articles, statistics, maps and primary sources.

If you are a visual learner, try the topic finder visualization wheel in the Academic OneFile database.  Broad topics are located in the center of the wheel, while more specific topics are on the outer edges.  This database also shows trending articles, with more popular topics in red and orange, and less popular topics in green or yellow.

Online encyclopedias also provide a wide range of topics, including background information and references.  Find an encyclopedia by typing “encyclopedia” into the search box on the library home page,

and clicking the “View It” link under any title that has the “Online access” symbol.  You can then browse through some of the topics to see if any grab your attention.

 Scanning through your textbook may also give you more ideas for possible topics.

To focus your topic, try using the five W’s.  For example, WHO does the topic involve or affect- do you want to focus on one group?  WHEN has the topic been relevant- do you want to compare time periods or examine just one?  WHAT are the major points of debate or perspectives on your topic? WHERE is your topic important- at a local or national level?  WHY is the topic important or interesting to you?

You can also look at the articles and information you find on your topic– if you find too many, you may need to narrow your focus, but if you find too few, try broadening your perspective.

Finally, if you have trouble finding information on your topic, remember that your UDM librarians are available to help!

Jill Spreitzer, Librarian