English 1: The Fictional Frame: Using the Library

The first step to using the SMFA Library is setting up an account. You need an account to:

• Check out books from our library
• Check out books from the other libraries in our consortium 
• Access ebooks
• Access our article databases from off campus

Bring your SMFA ID to the Library (3rd floor, B side of the Fenway building) and we'll get you on your way!

When you conduct college-level research you need to engage with high-quality, scholarly information. Most of this information can't be found through Google searches, but it can be found in libraries. You can search our catalog to find books (print and electronic) across ten Boston area libraries, and explore our databases to find articles, images, and other scholarly resources.

What does Scholarly mean?

"Scholarly" and "authoritative" are words that get thrown around a lot when we talk research. In most cases, a scholarly work will have these qualities: 

• Originality: The work represents an original argument that is based on research-- in the humanities, this means looking at primary sources, other scholarship, or, most often, a combination of both.
• Expertise: The author is an expert in her field and usually has a terminal degree (PhD, MFA, etc.). Compare this to a journalist, who may be very knowledgable but in most cases is not conducting scholarly research.
• Specialized publication: The publication is typically (but not always!) intended for a narrow audience comprised of specialists. On the other hand, popular works aimed at a broad audience can be authoritative (based on the author's credentials) and may even be scholarly (based on the quality of the author's research).
• Peer review: Most scholarly journals adhere to the principle of peer review. Before an article is selected for publication, it is read by other experts in its field and critiqued for the quality of its arguments and research methods.

Please feel free to get in touch with a librarian at absolutely any stage of your research process.

We encourage you to schedule a research consultation with Ashley Peterson (apeterson@smfa.edu, 617-369-3653)  for an in-depth discussion about your research goals. 

For quicker questions, please feel free to stop by the Library's front desk (located on the third floor of the B side of the Fenway building). You can also email or call the front desk at library@smfa.edu/617-369-3650.