Unlike journal articles, which tend to focus on a very specific topic, a book provides comprehensive coverage of a topic, placing the topic within its broader context within the discipline as well as providing detailed information on the topic itself. For example, a book on a Film Studies-related topic, such as cinematography, would break down its subject into chapters or sections on specific subtopics. In the case of cinematography these subtopics might include such things as lighting, lenses, camera movement, aspect ratio, special effects and more, depending on the overall focus of the book. A book will also identify significant concepts in the field and the terminology used by professionals. That kind of breadth and depth is impossible in a short article. This makes books a good starting place for most research projects. Scholarly books also provide extensive bibliographies that can help you identify relevant materials that you may want to look at for your own research.
The boxes below provide information and access to McFarlin Library resources that will help you identify and retrieve books related to your area of research. Some will be available only in print, others are electronic. If you have any questions or problems, please reach out to the librarians: mcfarlinlibrary@utulsa.edu.
Most of the film studies books are located on the north end of the Main Level in McFarlin Library's west wing.
Books relating to cinema (and drama in general) have call numbers beginning with the letters "PN". The letters and numbers that follow indicate the specific subject area. For example:
ProQuest's Ebook Central has over 200,000 academic ebooks from a variety of publishers on a wide range of topics and disciplines. You may read the ebooks in your browser or check them out and download them for offline reading on your laptop, tablet or phone (iOS or Android).
HINT: To search for an exact title, enclose the title in quotation marks: for example, "Diplomat in Carpet Slippers"
If you need assistance in using the ProQuest ebooks, please consult ProQuest's Ebook Central LibGuide which provides detailed instructions, including tutorials on using the online reader, and how to download ebooks. You may also contact the McFarlin Library Research Dept. The librarians will be happy to help!
Can't find what you need at McFarlin? Use these resources to locate books that may be available online or from other libraries. If you find a book you want:
