LibGuides: Animation: Getting Started

Getting Started

Building a Research Strategy (Part 1)

From the Two-Minute Tutorials Series by Cal State LA Library.

Quick Overviews

Sometimes you don't know enough about a topic to search effectively. Encyclopedias and other reference sources give concise overviews of topics that can help you get to know the topic so you can do better searches for in-depth and scholarly information. This includes:

Lists and overviews of films and TV shows
Artists' biographies
Historical events that impact animation

Historical dictionary of animation and cartoons
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2020
This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Animation and Cartoons contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on animators, directors, studios, techniques, films, and some of the best-known characters
The a to Z of Animation and Cartoons by Nichola Dobson
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2010
The A to Z of Animation and Cartoons is an introduction to all aspects of animation history and its development as a technology and industry beyond the familiar cartoons from the Disney and Warner Bros. Studios. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, photos, a bibliography, and over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries on animators, directors, studios, techniques, films, and some of the best-known characters.
The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons by Jeff Lenburg
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 1999
This ready reference details every cartoon and every cartoon character ever created. This guide documents every production from 1911 to the present with more than 2200 cartoon entries.'

Benezit Dictionary of Artists Online
A comprehensive and definitive resource for artists’ biographies, published since 1911. Includes 149,000 biographies as well as auction records, exhibition histories, and over 11,000 images of artists’ signatures and stamps of sale.
Grove Art Encyclopeida Online
The foremost scholarly art encyclopedia, updated regularly and covering global art and architecture from prehistory to present day. Includes peer-reviewed articles contributed by nearly 7,000 scholars from around the world, accompanied by images, bibliographies, and links to additional resources

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference is an ideal starting point for research with curated, authoritative reference sources that provide a firm foundation for understanding a topic.
Britannica Online This link opens in a new window
Encyclopedia articles written by professional writers to give concise and accurate overviews of a wide range of topics, people, places, and things.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is similar to other encyclopedias, except that the authors can be anyone instead of professional writers. This means that some writers are experts in the topic, and others are regular people like you and me.

Like all encyclopedias, Wikipedia should be used as a starting place for research and not as an authoritative source for your research projects.

Using Wikipedia for Academic Research (CLIP)

This tutorial explains how to use Wikipedia as an exploratory tool and where it can appropriately fit in the research process.

By ClipInfoLit, Creative Commons license CC BY