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Finding the "Backstory" of Mass Media:  A Selected Bibliography for  Radio, Television, and Film in America (Comm. 231) compiled by Julia Chance Gustafson

Introduction

This online, selected bibliography is intended to serve as a "jump-start" for those doing research on the "backstory" of various media such as television programs, videos, radio programs, films, etc. Within the realms of library-related resources, the "backstory" can turn up in books, articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers, as well as in full text sources online (often made accessible by our library in the databases available on our Web pages).

Type of Sources to Look For

• Biographies and Interviews of major players (e.g., actors, directors, producers)
• Reviews
• Plot and production summaries
• Histories and historical background on a particular media/genre/program/production
• Web sites of films, videos, television and radio programs and stations, mass media companies, mass media associations and organizations

• Consult library references sources such as:
• Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Fact Books
• Directories
• Indexes, Abstracts, and Databases
• CONSORT Library Catalog
• Find appropriate Web sites using:
• Directories
• Internet Resources for Broadcasting, TV, and Radio (College of Wooster Libraries)
• Internet Resources for Communication Studies (College of Wooster Libraries)
• Internet/Web Search Engines
• If you are able to and have the time, travel to a specialized library or archive that focuses on the specific type of production, program, media, or film you are researching. There are some directories in this bibliography that will help with this process or ask a librarian for additional suggestions.
• Directories
• At any point during your research, ask a librarian which sources in this bibliography are appropriate for your specific topic.

Database Basics: Displays a record from a database with parts labeled.

Five Colleges of Ohio Libraries Information Literacy Tutorial: Provides lessons on the Flow of Information, Research Databases, Web Research, and Search Techniques that apply to both databases and the Web. There are other helpful lessons in the tutorial as well.

Evaluating the Sources You've Found

College of Wooster Libraries Finding Guides
 

College of Wooster Libraries Web Pages

Electronic Journals (College of Wooster Libraries)

How can I tell what journals are owned by The College of Wooster Libraries

Access to Materials in Other Libraries

Interlibrary Loan

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