The Bullis School, Main Number: 301-299-8500

Literature Resource Center

Do a Works Search on   "invisible man":

ProQuest Platinum

Try this:   ellison AND "invisible man"

Complete List of ALL Bullis Library Databases

For the passwords, go to Mrs. Lowry's website.

To research your topic in a college-level database, take a field trip to one of Montgomery College's three campuses and conduct a search in one of the following databases: JSTOR, Project MUSE, Academic Search Complete, or Academic OneFile. Use a combination of keywords and Boolean operators (AND, OR) as in these examples:

"ralph ellison" AND criticism
"invisible man" AND imagery
ellison AND "invisible man"

Once you generate a results list, remember to re-sort it by Relevance.

• you can walk into a campus library and use any of the databases for FREE
• there is no sign-up sheet and no time limit, it's "first come, first served"
• you cannot access the MC databases from off-campus
• there is no limit on printing
• there is no charge for printing
• the library computers do not have MS Word, but they do have full internet access (email)
• there is always a reference librarian on duty, and you should feel free to ask him or her for help as needed

Mrs. Chehak has checked out all of the books containing essays of literary criticism about Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and has them available for you in her classroom. Here's the list of what she has: Ralph Ellison Books.

There are several e-books in ebrary that might be helpful to you (login and password sent by email in August 2008), but two in particular:
      Shadowing Ralph Ellison (J. Wright)
      Historical Guide to Ralph Ellison (S. Tracy)

Go to MC Library Catalog and conduct a "Keyword (AND)" search:

"ralph ellison"

• to borrow a book you will need a Community Patron card
• the application for a Community Patron card requires a parent's signature if you are under 18
• Community Patrons can borrow a total of five (5) items at any one time
• remember that there are three campus libraries -- you may want to limit your search by campus
• there is always a reference librarian on duty, and you should feel free to ask him or her for help as needed
• The call number for the books of literary criticism on Ralph Ellison in the MC Library appears to be PS3555 .L625

1. Here is the link to NoodleTools.

(a) Create a personal account for yourself; I suggest that you use your Bullis e-mail name and your Bullis e-mail password.

(b) You'll need the Bullis login and password if you do this from home. They can be found on Mrs. Lowry's website.

2. For your list style, select "MLA Advanced."

3. If you want to "share" your Works Cited page with me,

(a) open your "List" and look for the Share button

(b) and use the "class name" Chehak B or Chehak G.

NoodleBib Quick-Start Guide to Ellison Resources in Ms. Chehak's Room NEW!

(handout, 2 pages)

Try limiting your Google search to reputable websites by limiting your search to specific domains. For this assignment, I suggest that you limit your web searches to .edu or .org websites. In front of your search terms, add the following text:

site:edu    OR    site:org

Some examples:

site:edu "ralph ellison"
site:edu "invisible man"