THA210: Foundations of Theatrical Production: A Raisin in the Sun: Biographical Resources

These databases are great starting points for your research.  For excellent subject-specific resources, please browse our Library Guides.  

What is microfilm?

Microfilm is a long strip of film with tiny micro-images of individual pages of journals, newspapers, magazines, etc. It allows for storage of a very large content of information on a single strip of film.

Where is the microfilm in Murphy?

The microfilm collection is on the ground level of Murphy, in large metal file cabinets, back towards the right when you center the main library. Just ask at the reference desk.

How do I use microfilm?

Microfilm is organized alphabetically by journal, newspaper or magazine title. Once you find your title and the date range, take the box back to the microfilm readers, which is behind the microfilm collection in the little alcove where the copiers are. There are manual readers and one digital reader. It's a bit tricky to thread the film, so just ask someone at the reference desk to help you. On the digital reader, you can save to a USB, or download the article and send it to yourself as a pdf or jpg. 

Many library resources, such as the catalog and the Journals & Newspapers Locator, are available anywhere in the world without having to log in.

Most of the information databases and periodicals that the library subscribes to are also available off campus, but only to users affiliated with UWL.

Login procedures are as follows:

1. At the Murphy Library website, select a database to search.
    
2. After you select a database, you will be asked for a username and password. 
    
3. Students: In the username box, enter your UWL NetID. Example: lastname.firs
   (Most UWL NetID user names follow this format: first 8 letters of your last name followed by a dot (.) followed by the first 4 letters of your first name.)
    
4. Faculty: In the username box, enter your UWL NetID. Example: Flastname
   Most Faculty and Staff UWL NetID user names follow this format: first name initial followed by the last name.)
    
5. DO NOT include @students.uwlax.edu or @uwlax.edu as part of your username.
    
6. In the password box, enter your UWL NetID password. 
    
7. Remember, you will use the exact same user name and login as you use to login to Canvas and to on-campus computers - your NetID

More information

Search the Chicago Tribune Archives

Murphy Library Chicago Tribune Holdings:

Microfilm:
(1849:Apr.23)-(1872:Dec.), (1972:Jan.)-(2003:Apr.10)

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
(Under the Research tab is a formula for comparing the value of a dollar between two years)

Looking for more books with visual images?  Try a subject browse search in the Library Catalog for stage props (or browse the shelves at PN 2091), a subject search for castles, or browse our art collection in the "N" section on the library's 2nd floor (don't forget many art books are in the oversize collection).

This guide is based on the 8th edition (2016) of the MLA Handbook.

MLA (Modern Language Association) uses the author/page number method for in-text citation. Include in parentheses the author's last name and the appropriate page number after all direct quotations and paraphrased content in your paper: Example: (Pollan 42). For more information, including other methods of incorporating quotes and paraphrased content in your paper, see the "Avoiding Plagiarism" tab and the Recommended Guides section of the "Basics" tab.

For the Works Cited list, MLA requires the use of hanging indents.

Watch these:

Author: Use the full name as given in the source

Author: If one or two authors, give the full names of both

Author: If three or more authors, give the first author and indicate: et al.

Article title: Use " " (not italics or underline)

Journal/Book title: Use italics

URL: omit http:// or https://

URL: Use a DOI if one is available.  If not, use a permalink/ persistent/ stable link if one is available.

Book

- Capitalize all significant title and subtitle words.
- Place of publication is normally not included.

Lastname, Firstname M. and Firstname2 Lastname2. Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. 

     Publisher, Year of Publication.
 

Lastname, Firstname M., et al., editors. Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. 

     Publisher, Year of Publication.

Article in a Periodical

Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal,

     vol. nn, no. nn, date of issue, pp. nn-nn.

 

Article in a Periodical, Retrieved from a Library Database

- Give the inclusive page numbers when given.

Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal,

     vol. nn, no. nn, date of issue, pp. nn-nn. Database name,

     DOIorPersistentURL.
 

Article in an Online Periodical (not from a library database)

- Give the inclusive page numbers when given.

Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal,

     vol. nn, no. nn, date of issue, pp. nn-nn. Website name,

     URL.

Web Document/Page/Report, Web Video, Web Images

 - If citing a whole web site, omit "Title of Work".
 - The Accessed date (including the word, Accessed) is generally optional, but it is required if there is no publication date.
 
Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Work.” Website name,

     Day published Month published Year published,

     URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Taken from Lafayette College's Archives and Special Collections website. You can access it directly here.

Digital Collections Note: MLA no longer requires the use of URLs in MLA citations. For instructors who still wish to require the use of URLs, MLA suggest that the URL appear within angle brackets after the date of access. The URL is given in the samples below.

Magazine Article: Shaw, Diane Windham. “Lafayette and Slavery.” Lafayette Alumni News. Winter 2007. Digital. 13 Jan. 2015. <http://digital.lafayette.edu/collections/magazine/lafalummag- 20070100>.

Newspaper Article: Kelley, Michael. “Damaged Futures. Research Finds Student Athletes are at Greater Risk for Long-Term Health.” The Lafayette. 9 May 2014. Digital. 13 Jan. 2015. <http://digital.lafayette.edu/collections/newspaper/20140509>.

Photograph: “Students Disrupt ROTC Parade on Fisher Field.” 4 May 1969. Historical Photograph Collection. Digital. 13 Jan. 2015. <http://digital.lafayette.edu/collections/historicalphotos/hpc-0269>. 

These are comprehensive citation guides recommended by librarians.

• UW-Madison Writer's Handbook: Citing Your Sources | Section 5
  • APA (7th, 2020)
  • MLA  (8th, 2016)
  • Chicago (17th, 2017)
     
• Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University
  (guides developed by Purdue graduate students)
  • APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th, 2020)
  • MLA Formatting and Style Guide (9th, 2021)
  • Chicago Formatting and Style Guide (17th, 2017)
     
• EasyBib Writer Center Guides to Formatting
  ​(guides developed by Chegg)
  • APA Format and Style Guide (7th, 2020)
  • MLA Formatting and Style Guide (9th, 2021)
  • Chicago Formatting and Style Guide (17th, 2017)