As current library policy does not allow for browsing of the media collection, you must go through the online catalog to find what you're looking for. But what if you're you don't know exactly what you're looking for? Before (or perhaps after) you turn to Amazon, give these tips a try!
When looking for books in the Main library, try a bit of shelf browsing. If you find a good book take a look at the books next to it on the shelf. You might stumble upon some good finds. Also, keep in mind that books on the same subject may be at different locations of the library. When you find a Chinese film or a book on Chinese film in InfoHawk, try clicking on the subject terms or reusing subject terms in a keyword search to find related titles.
GENERAL SEARCH TIPS
- You may want to limit your search by selecting a location (Main Media Services); language (Chinese), and year of publication (year is typically the date the video format (DVD or VHS) was released, not the date the original feature film was released.
- Please note that limiting by language: Chinese may not only yield films from China (also Mandarin and Cantonese fall under "Chinese"). Think carefully about what you're searching for. You may have to give it a few tries.
- For additional information, click on HELP near at top of InfoHawk page or feel free to ASK A LIBRARIAN (see tab on main library page).
- For newly acquired films you can try limiting to recent acquisitions (Last 7 days, Last 14 days, etc.) in combination with Video-All as format and Chinese as language. Give it a Try!
- Most Chinese films are listed by their original Chinese title (the same as IMDB), but InfoHawk permits searching by their English title. For Chinese speakers or linguists: note that the title of a film in one language may not always translate into another (in fact, they are usually quite different). Oftentimes, a translated title is changed for the purposes of marketing in an attempt to evoke the original meaning.
- You may want to search specific subject headings for information on aspects of China film, i.e. history of, political connotations. Some examples of subject headings are: Feature films -- China; Assassins -- China -- Drama; Kings and rulers -- Drama; Shaanxi Sheng (China) -- Drama.
- DVDs and VHS must be requested at the 1st floor circulation desk. If checking out DVDs, consider the region number of the Discs you are checking out, as they may not play on all American DVD players.