1. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Fall 2012
Please open your web browser to the high school’s home page. In the column on the left, please select “Destiny Library System.” Today we are going to explore some of the resources that you can use to complete your literary criticism on Zora Neale Hurston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God. We are going to look at electronic and print resources that might be helpful in completing your project.

2. World Book Encyclopedia
We are going to begin with our electronic resources first. Usually, I wouldn’t advise students to start with World Book when doing a literary criticism but it might be helpful to obtain some background information on the Harlem Renaissance to complete your project. Please click on the World Book link now.

3. World Book Encyclopedia
When you arrive on the World Book home page, please make sure that you are viewing the “Advanced” version. This version is designed for high school students. Let’s type “Zora Neale Hurston” into the search box now. It’s a good idea to use parentheses if you are searching for a name or a particular phrase.

4. World Book Encyclopedia
Here are our results. You are welcome to check out any of these resources during your free time. Let’s take a minute to view the Harlem Renaissance entry now.

5. World Book Encyclopedia
If you scroll to the bottom of the article, you will notice a suggested citation. Of course, we know the proper citation shouldn’t look exactly like the one shown on my screen. Let’s see what the proper citation would look like.

6. Online Encyclopedia
Williams, Andreá N. “Harlem Renaissance.” World Book Advanced. Web. 9 Apr < com>.
According to easyWriter, we need to add the URL to our citations. While the databases often suggest a proper citation, it’s critical that you always consult easyWriter to make sure that you are citing your sources properly.

7. Gale Infotrac – Literature Resource Center
Please return to the Destiny home page. Let’s check out another great resource, Literature Resource Center. This resource comes to us through Gale Infotrac. Please click on LRC now.

8. Gale Infotrac – Literature Resource Center
Though we are not going to look at Gale Virtual Reference Library today, you might find some good information from the American Decades – Primary Sources about the Harlem Renaissance time period and themes. Since your project is a literary criticism, your best resources are going to found in the Literature Resource Center. Please click on that link now.

9. Gale Infotrac – Literature Resource Center
The main page provides the “basic” search option. Let’s click on the “Advanced Search” tab at the top left of the page to perform an advanced search.

10. Gale Infotrac – Literature Resource Center
Searching by title would be the best option for us. Please enter the title “Their Eyes Were Watching God” into the second search box (after “Name of Work”). Also, please uncheck all of the options found in “By Content Type” except “Literature Criticism.” You may now click “Search.”

11. Gale Infotrac – Literature Resource Center
Our search returned 59 results. Notice that you can further narrow your search in the column on the left hand side of the page. To read an article, click on its title. Please click on one of your results now.

12. Gale Infotrac – Literature Resource Center
In the circle on the left, you’ll see some helpful tools.

13. Gale Infotrac – Literature Resource Center
Please scroll to the bottom of your article. You will notice a suggested citation, which is NO LONGER MLA!!!

14. Literature Resource Center
Crabtree, Claire. “The Confluence of Folklore, Feminism and Black Self-Determination in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The Southern Literary Journal 17.2 (1985): 54 – 66. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Eds. Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk. Vol. 61. Detroit: Gale Research, Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Apr < galegroup.com>.
This long citation is not uncommon with Literature Resource Center documents because they were often reprinted in other sources before being put on the database. The best advice I can give you is to take your time and make sure that you are aware of your formatting and punctuation and that you remember to include the source URL.

15. POWER Library - eBooks on EBSCOhost
Let’s check out another resource available to us. This one comes from POWER Library. Please return to the Destiny home page and find POWER Library in the column on the right hand side. Please click on “From School” to access the databases.

16. POWER Library - eBooks on EBSCOhost
This is the main interface for POWER Library. Under “Literature,” please click on “eBooks on EBSCOhost.”

17. POWER Library - eBooks on EBSCOhost
Let’s make this interface a little more user-friendly. Please click on “eBooks” at the top.

18. POWER Library - eBooks on EBSCOhost
This looks more like the sites that are used to purchase and download eBooks. In the search box at the top, please type in the title of the work in parenthes followed by the word “criticism” and click “Search.”

19. POWER Library – eBooks on EBSCOhost
Bloom’s books are some of the best sources for literary criticism. The only thing that you have to be careful with when you are using eBooks on EBSCOhost is that resource can only be open on one computer at a time. Please turn your attention up here so I can show you some features of this resource.

20. POWER Library – eBooks on EBSCOhost
If you were to click on the title, it would bring up the detailed record. This gives you information about the work, including pages that you might find particularly relevant. You will also find an index of the work toward the bottom. On the right hand side, you will notice a list of tools that you should find useful. To view the work, you would click on “eBook Full Text” in the column on the left.

21. POWER Library – eBooks on EBSCOhost
Here is what the resource looks like. Your tools remain on the right hand side of the screen. You can turn pages with the arrows at the bottom or simply type a page number into the box. It’s a good idea to consult the table of contents found on the left hand side of the page. You will need to expand it to view the various chapters and sections. Don’t waste your time paging through the entire resource when you can use the table of contents to find exactly what you need.

22. POWER Library – eBooks on EBSCOhost
By clicking on the citation tool on the right, you can bring up a list of a variety of citation formats. You need to scroll down until you find MLA.

23. eBooks on EBSCOhost INCORRECT CITATION!!!!
Bloom, Harold. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Chelsea House, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 9 Apr <
Here is the citation. Again, it was necessary to add the URL at the end. If you are only citing a specific chapter of the book, you can consult easyWriter for information on how to do this.

24. Destiny Catalog – Resource Lists
Please return to the Destiny home page once again. Whenever you are searching the catalog, it’s best to login so you can access all of its features. Please login now. This time, we’re going to click on the “Catalog” tab found at the top.

25. Destiny Catalog – Resource Lists
Please click on “Resource Lists” in the column on the left. You will probably have to click on the “Public” tab to see the lists.

26. Destiny Catalog – Resource Lists
The list you will need is called “11th: Their Eyes Were Watching.” (Sorry – there is a limit to the number of characters and “God” wouldn’t fit!) Please click on this list now.

27. Destiny Catalog – Resource Lists
The first page of the resource list contains the print materials that we have in our library. Please click on the “Web Sites” tab at the top to look at some great sites related to our topic.

28. Destiny Catalog – Resource Lists
The web sites listed come to us from WebPath Express. WebPath Express has a team of reviewers that check the sites for accuracy and valid information. Please scroll down the list until you have reached the bottom. Let’s click on the link to the second-to-last site now to check out this great resource.

29. Web Site
Please take a moment to explore the site on your own. You’ll find a wealth of resources, including a list of subjects and some sources, including journal articles. It also features some multimedia information about the book and about the Harlem Renaissance.

30. Web Site
Author last name, First MI. “Title of Article.” Web Site. Sponsor, copyright year. Web. Date of access. <URL>.
If you are going to use web sites, here is the format you should be following. Remember to consult easyWriter for additional information regarding appropriate citation formats.

31. Please visit the library if you need additional help
Please visit the library if you need additional help! Library Hours 2012: Monday – Friday 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Good luck on your paper!