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Arts, Culture, & Entertainment Management is an interdisciplinary field that prepares students to organize, lead, and sustain creative organizations such as theaters, museums, music venues, and film companies by blending artistic vision with business and administrative expertise. The discipline covers essential skills like event planning, fundraising, marketing, and financial management, all while supporting the growth and accessibility of arts and culture within communities.
This Library Research Guide will provide information about and access to some of the most significant research materials available from McFarlin Library related to Arts, Culture, & Entertainment Management. The tabs above cover research options such as:
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Selecting a research topic is much like deciding on a travel destination. Once you have narrowed your ideas to an interesting subject, write down a brief statement about this topic. For example: "Rock groups of the 60s, their popularity and major influence on the music industry." Once the topic is selected, write down specific questions that you'll want to answer. The research process will drive your destination. Your original topic may develop into something entirely different. You may choose to follow an alternate path and go down a different road.
After determining the topic, you can map out your route. You must identify the types of sources that will provide the information needed, then determine where to find these sources. Types of sources that should be considered include books, periodicals, the Internet, and other libraries (through interlibrary loan).
The key to finding books is the online library catalog called Discovery. Search in Discovery by selecting a keyword that best describes your topic. You can also search by title, author, subject, or keyword. In addition to books, the catalog allows you to search for periodicals, government documents, audiovisual material, and Special Collections.
If you get lost during your sight-seeing trip, stop and ask directions. The following reference sources will be most useful to acquire quick answers to any questions you may have.
Begin with Encyclopedias, then to get off the main drag, use Subject Encyclopedias.
What does it mean? Use a Dictionary.
How much, how many? Find Statistical Information.
Who? Find Biographical Information.
How can I get in touch? Use a Directory.
Where do I go from here? Bibliographies.
Periodicals include newspapers, magazines, and journals. They are published regularly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly. Journals are periodicals containing articles written by experts in a particular field of study. If the researcher wrote the article, is it a primary source. If reporters write the article, such as in popular magazines, it is a secondary source. Typically, journal articles contain extensive bibliographies that lead to additional sources.
Journal List - If there is a specific journal that you are looking for, this will take you directly to McFarlin's holdings.
Discovery - If there is a specific article that you are looking for, you can search Summon with that article's title.
Database List - If you don't have a specific journal or article in mind, then McFarlin's databases will allow you to search multiple journals with a keyword.
Professionals in entertainment management produce a wide variety of writing tailored to different audiences and purposes. Here are the some types of writing you might encounter in this field:
Press Releases
Formal announcements distributed to media outlets to promote upcoming events, new releases, or company news. Press releases must be clear, concise, and structured to attract media attention and ensure accurate coverage.
Copywriting
Promotional writing for advertisements, brochures, websites, or merchandise. Copywriting aims to persuade and attract audiences, often using creative and concise messaging
Reviews
Critical evaluations of entertainment products such as films, music, shows, or performances. Reviews combine factual description with informed opinion to guide audiences and influence public perception.
Feature Article
In-depth, narrative driven pieces that explores trends, personalities, or events in entertainment. These often provide unique perspectives and emotional resonance, aiming to engage and inform readers about the broader context of the entertainment industry.
In Arts, Culture, & Entertainment Management, as in other fields of study, it is very important that you cite the sources that you use to form and articulate your ideas.
In Arts, Culture, & Entertainment Management writing, several citation styles may be used:
If you don't know which citation style to use, ask your professor.
For an excellent and free citation management software option, check out our page on Zotero.
For a quick and easy citation generator, try ZBib by Zotero.