Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets

Question

If you were tasked with creating an updated version of this guide today, considering advancements in digital humanities and information access, what new types of resources or research methods would you prioritize adding, and why? What might become less emphasized?

Synthesized answer

The passages highlight the significant impact of the internet and digital resources on literary research, emphasizing the need for scholars to possess at least elementary knowledge of computers and the internet [1]. Advancements like electronic journals, text archives, World Wide Web sites, online library catalogs, and the ability to exchange drafts electronically have revolutionized how research is conducted [1]. The passages mention the proliferation of electronic resources for literary research due to the growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web [3].

Given these advancements, an updated guide would likely prioritize resources and methods related to online databases and the World Wide Web [1, 3]. For instance, the passages mention specific databases and online platforms, such as 18thConnect and vendor sites like EBSCO, which offer access to various reference sources and scholarly databases [3, 5]. The ability to use search techniques like Boolean operators, truncation, and relevancy searching would also be crucial [1]. Resources that provide clear explanations of database scope and editorial procedures, which are noted as currently lacking [5], would be highly…

Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.

From the book

← Guides to Dissertations and Theses Literary Research Guide ( 2017 ) by James L. Harner Internet Resources Biographical Sources → 2504344 Literary Research Guide — Internet Resources 2017 James L. Harner Internet Resources The proliferation of electronic journals and discussion groups, text archives, and informational World Wide Web sites; the accessibility of online library catalogs; the ability to communicate and exchange drafts of documents within seconds with colleagues around the world; the availability of online databases; and the possibilities offered by electronic publication—all…
Passage [259]
’s personal library. In contrast, The Handbook to Literary Research , ed. Delia da Sousa Correa and W. R. Owens, 2nd ed. (London: Routledge, 2010; 257 pp.) should be avoided because of its scattershot and superficial treatment of important resources (e.g., Google and Wikipedia receive much more attention than MLAIB [ G335 ] and ABELL [ G340 ]). Sporting an equally promising title, Research Methods for English Studies , ed. Gabriele Griffin (Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2005; 248 pp.) is long on anecdote and fatally deficient on practical advice and discussion of basic methodology (e.g., the…
Passage [6]
of Online Searching” chapter (pp. 1–17) in Keeran and Bowers, Literary Research and the British Romantic Era ( M2445 ). Internet Resources edit The phenomenal growth of the Internet and especially the World Wide Web has led to a proliferation of electronic resources for literary research. The overwhelming amount of material available—including far too many dubious reference tools—and its frequently ephemeral nature have led to the creation of World Wide Web metapages, that is, clearinghouses of links to resources in a discipline or subject. Unfortunately, the three major literature metapages…
Passage [260]
ition—were subsidiaries of Thomson in 2004), and overall the current edition gives short shrift to electronic resources. This guide offers an instructive overview of research techniques, but literary scholars will find Altick and Fenstermaker, Art of Literary Research ( A5 ), more concise and immediately helpful. The third edition of Thomas Mann’s The Oxford Guide to Library Research (New York: Oxford UP, 2005; 293 pp.)—a substantial improvement over the second edition (1998; 316 pp.) and its predecessor ( A Guide to Library Research Methods [New York: Oxford UP, 1987; 199 pp.])—is organized…
Passage [8]
holars compare various editions of a work. Instructors can use the Classroom space to create reading lists for students. Researchers need to be aware that this is a discovery tool and that there is no guarantee that they will have access to the complete content of proprietary digital resources. Database Vendors edit The following vendors offer access to electronic versions of several reference sources in this Guide . NetFirst ( E225a ) identifies Internet resources. None of the following vendors provides a remotely adequate explanation of the scope or editorial procedures governing the…
Passage [264]

More questions about this book