| Subject Guides: Communication and Arts |
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Subject Guides
Browse these subject guides to find useful information in the Library's physical collection, research databases, and on the Internet. Our goal is to provide you with relevant and reliable information in the Library and online. All web content should be viewed with a critical eye for accuracy, authorship, and currency. Please note, by providing these web links for easy access, inclusion does not imply endorsement by NWACC Library. Contact us if you discover a broken link or to suggest a useful website for addition to this page. If you need additional research help, don't hesitate to Ask Us!
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for communications-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: communications, digital media, journalism, mass media, media, oral communication, public speaking, rhetoric, social media.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For communications-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
Allyn & Bacon's Public Speaking Website - Contains six learning modules that explain the process for successfully developing and delivering a public speech.
Journalist's Resource - An online, searchable database of scholarship related to journalism. Features information relevant to educators, students, and professional journalists.
Pro Con - Maintained by an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, this website provides pros and cons arguments for a variety of topical issues, including gun control, euthanasia, and medical marijuana.
TED - This website provides free streaming video lectures by professionals, experts, and celebrities on the topics of technology, education, and design.
Vintage Ad Browser - Features over 100,000 vintage advertisements from books, magazines, comic books, and other publications.
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for drama-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: acting, Broadway, improvisation, musicals, plays, theater, theater producers, tragedy.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For drama-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
Costume Gallery - This website features a history, photo gallery, encyclopedia, and dictionary of costumes and costume design.
Internet Broadway Database - A searchable online database of past and current Broadway productions, featuring production, cast, and awards information.
LOC Performing Arts Encyclopedia - Maintained by the Library of Congress, this website features documents, images, and sheet music related to music, theater, and dance.
Plays of William Shakespeare - Free online versions of every one of Shakespeare's plays organized into three categories: tragedies, comedies, and histories. Also includes character guides, a glossary, and a chronology.
Theatre History - Hosted by Central Washington University, this website provides a comprehensive history of drama, beginning with the playwrights of ancient Greece and ending with drama after 1968.
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for English-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: citations, dictionary, fiction, grammar, literary criticism, literature, poetry, thesaurus, writing.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For English-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
Citation Machine - This website offers free tools for generating MLA and APA-formatted citations for websites, books, newspaper, journal articles, and other publication formats.
Guide to Grammar & Writing - Features guides for writing sentences, paragraphs, and essays. Includes tutorials on run-on sentences, punctuation, sentence variety, paragraph development, and the writing process.
ipl2 Literary Criticism - Features links to critical essays and biographical articles about a number of American, British, French, German, Irish, Italian, and Russian authors.
Purdue Online Writing Lab - A highly recommended online writing resource. Includes explanations and examples of MLA formatting and citation rules.
The Basic Elements of English - Maintained by the University of Calgary, this website offers tutorials covering parts of speech, sentence elements, punctuation, and word use.
Zotero - This free program helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research. It supports a variety of citation styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago.
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for film-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: animation, cinematography, film, film adaptations, film criticism, motion pictures.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For film-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
All Movie - A searchable film database that lets you search by title, actor, or director. Includes production and cast information as well as professional movie reviews.
AFI Catalog - Maintained by the American Film Institute, this searchable database of over 60,000 films features production and cast information as well as a plot summary for each entry.
Internet Movie Database - A searchable database that features user reviews, cast and production information, and news for thousands of movies and television shows.
OpenFlix - This website hosts free, streaming public-domain films in a number of genres, including westerns, comedy, drama, horror, science fiction and fantasy, and film noir.
Rotten Tomatoes - This website features film news and reviews. It also lists the current Movie Box Office, DVD sales, and rental rankings.
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for fine arts-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: architecture, art, artists, art history, crafts, drawing, fine arts, painting, photography, sculpture.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For fine arts-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
American Museum of Photography - The official homepage of the American Museum of Photography features a multimedia tour of the museum, images from the collection, and information about current exhibits.
Artcyclopedia - A searchable, online encyclopedia with information about artists, mediums, periods and movements in art history, art museums, terms, and concepts.
Great Buildings Online - This website features 1,000 photographs of famous buildings around the wold and information about their architects.
Smarthistory - Presented by the Khan Academy, this website offers a chronological, multimedia tour through the history of art, beginning before 400 C.E. and ending in the modern era.
Web Gallery of Art - A virtual museum of European painting and sculpture containing over 28,400 works produced between the years 1000 and 1850.
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for graphic art-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: advertising, commercial art, computer drawing, computer graphics, graphic arts, graphic design.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For graphic arts-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
All Graphic Design - This website features articles, templates, tutorials, as well as educational and career information for graphic designers and students.
Colour Lovers - An online community where people can share colors, patterns, and palettes with other graphic designers.
Digital Thread - An online directory of graphic design companies, galleries and resources, including links to design books, fonts, and stock photography.
Idea Book - This website offers tutorials, ideas, and links related to graphic design, Web design, digital layout, and marketing.
Pixel 2 Life - This website hosts thousands of graphic and Web design tutorials, including guides to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver.
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for international languages-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, language dictionaries, language translation.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For international languages-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
BBC Languages - Courtesy of the British Broadcasting Channel, this website provides interactive tutorials for learning a variety of languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese.
Global Gateway - Maintained by the Library of Congress, this online collection features historical documents in a number of languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Italian.
Learn a Language - Free language learning courses for Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Chinese, and English. Tutorials cover vocabulary, phrases, verbs, and culture for each language as well as a dictionary.
MDBC - This online dictionary lets you translate English words to Chinese and vice versa. It supports pinyin and hanzi Chinese characters.
Word Reference - An online dictionary that translates English words to Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and many more.
Books and Media in the Library
Search the Library's physical collection for music-related books and media. If you're not sure where to begin, try these recommended search terms: blues, folk, jazz, music, music theory, musical composition, orchestral music, rap, rock.
Research Databases
Don't forget to search the Library's research databases, too! Students, faculty, and staff can access the Library's subscription databases using their My NWACC Connection username and password. For music-related topics, the Library recommends the following databases:
Recommended Websites
All Music - A searchable database of recorded music, featuring recording and publishing information, professional reviews, and news about upcoming releases.
College Music Society - This organization promotes music teaching and learning at the college level. The College Music Society's website features news and information regarding professional activities, career development, and community outreach.
Library Music Source - This website hosts one of the largest free collections of Western classical sheet music on the Internet. It lets you browse sheet music by instrument, composer, and score title.
LOC Performing Arts Encyclopedia - Maintained by the Library of Congress, this website features documents, images, and sheet music related to music, theater, and dance.
The Symphony: An Interactive Guide - Provided by Oracle ThinkQuest, this website provides a history of the symphony, as well as an introduction to its most influential composers, a timeline, and streaming audio recordings.
