Disciplinary Power and Contemporary Photography
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Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2013
Type of Work
Department
Political Science and International Relations
Program
Bachelor's Degree
Citation of Original Publication
Rights
Collection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.
Subjects
Abstract
I began this essay with a preliminary research consultation to help commence
investigating photographic art, philosophy of surveillance, and visual imaging – all
outside of my major discipline. A few minutes after searching key word terms within
these topics and cross-referencing them with WorldCat and the Goucher College Library
Catalogue, I discovered two bookshelves devoted to sculpture and photography with
themes of surveillance. The titles that emerged from the computer search then revealed a
larger extent of sources sitting on adjacent shelves. This experience reinforced for me the
value of not just computer searches, but also having a wandering eye in the library
shelves.
I then turned to Lexis-Nexis for newspaper accounts of art exhibitions to provide
a perspective of the work inside the art gallery or internet – one more intimate to the
work than a time-removed anthology of artistic works. I also employed Academic Search
Premier to conduct more rapid searches for academic articles. The ability to insert key
terms and phrases in various combinations, paired with the library’s Internet connection
(itself a valuable and taken-for-granted tool), allowed me to quickly peruse dozens of
article titles and abstracts. Using Academic Search Premier revealed the research process
as funnel-like: the more one researches, the more one refines the search terms and
extracts the most precise resources from the search engine.
The Research Librarians aided me in replacing abstract philosophical terms with
more common synonyms, in addition to answering my questions about proper citation (as
this essay represented my first foray into artistic analysis). The acquisition of much of the
research depended on a strong network of databases and people within the library,
including the research librarians, CTLT, and the front desk student workers. Together, the
online and human resources made me feel very comfortable successfully conducting
research outside my major discipline.