My topic which I am researching is the religion of Wicca. I am trying to find out specific practices and rituals that are involved in the practice of Wicca, and I also want to identify the misconceptions associated
with this religion, for I believe it is widely misunderstood, by me as well.
Right now I am still looking for general information about Wiccans. I want to understand the general foundation of the practice, then I will research specific aspect of how the general community receives the religion.
To find the book, "Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America", which is a book I am referencing to help me better understand the religion, I went to the SCSU library website and typed "Wicca" into the search bar, and typed in "2005 -2011" into the date section so I could find a recent document. Then I searched. I scanned through the different results and came across this one, which seemed relevant and useful. I checked its availability, I read where its general location was and wrote down the call number, then went and retrieved it. I have never used a library before, so this was a new experience for me, and I am glad that it went smoothly.
I searched for ebooks on the OPAC as well as on Google and found pertinent books in both places, however, I have found the reading a physical paper book is easier for me than reading a book on my computer. I do not have a mobile device that I could read an ebook on, so if I want to read the ebooks, it has to be done on my laptop or at a computer in the library. However, having the option of ebooks opened a window to a lot more information about the Wicca religion, and like it or not, I plan on using them in my research.
I went to the Great River Regional Library website and found it to be a little less user friendly, though it may just have been because I was not used to it. when I searched 'Wicca religion", I got a lot of results that were noneducational, such as children books and things like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" full collection! However, I did find one result that I am interested in, I may try to find a copy of it here at SCSU or on the Internet, and if I can not find it there, I plan on reading some reviews on it and if it seems worth it, I will check it out at the Great River Regional Library.
Hi Caleb,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a successful search experience for books on your topic!
BTW--your SCSU ID allows you to borrow books from the St. Cloud Public Library. If the book that you found from the Great River Regional Library System is located in the St. Cloud Public Library, you can check it out. If it comes from another branch, you might want to ask GRRL if you can do an interlibrary loan to pick it up from the St. Cloud Public Library (or if it is possible for SCSU students to do ILL). You can contact the Great River Regional Library system by clicking on "Ask a Librarian", then selecting the method of contact you would like to use.
Google Books is another useful way of finding titles, then checking our library and others to find out if they are available for loan. Nice work!
Keep me posted on your research...
Sincerely,
Professor Wexelbaum
Yes, I felt like it was very successful as well.
DeleteThanks for the library info. Although I may use the book I found at the SCSU library as my primary source, I think I might rent out the book I found at the St Cloud Public Library for extra background info on Wiccans. If there is one thing I have learned about writing so far, it is that the more info I have on a topic, the easier it is to wright about.
And I will look into Google Books as well. Are Google Books free? Or do I purchase them?