Unit 03 Assignment 02

Research Log Entry

1. Which of your questions did you try to answer?
   
   What is a pinhole camera?
   
   
2. What EXACT terms did you enter into the keyword search screen?
   
   First, I tried using the term “pinhole camera.” However, when that returned no results. My next instinct was to try using the term “camera.” Unfortunately, this did not yield any positive results. At this point, I thought that there were no reference materials relative to my subject. In fact, I even considered switching topics. However, after reading the suggestion that we should try making our searches even more narrow, I decided to try the term “photography” for my keyword search.
   
   
3. What subject heading did you choose to be sure your item was on target and the best option for your search?
   
   I chose the subject heading “Photography Encyclopedias.”
   
   
4. What item did you eventually choose? Why?
   
   Eventually, I chose an item titled “The Focal Encyclopedia of Photographic Technologies” because although it may be simple, a pinhole camera is still a technological device used in the photographic process. Consequently, it would make sense to use a reference regarding photographic technology when attempting to research a type of photographic technology.
   
   Although dictionary references were available, I chose to use an encyclopedia as my reference source. Unlike dictionaries, which only define words, an encyclopedia can be describes as a comprehensive reference work which contains several articles pertaining to the numerous aspects of a given field (in this case, photographic technologies). I hope that through this encyclopedia, I will not only know the definition of the term “pinhole camera,” but that I will also have a better understanding of it & how it works.
   
   
5. Give the bibliographic information for the item you chose.
   
   Author – Spencer, Douglass-Arthur
   Title – The Focal Encyclopedia of Photographic Technologies
   Edition – (not specified)
   Place of Publication – London, New York
   Publisher – Focal Press
   Date of Publication – 1973
   
   
6. When you looked at the reference work, what quote did you choose? Why?
   
   "Pinhole Camera - A camera without a lens which uses a very small sharp edged hole in its diaphragm to form an image where the scale is proportional to the distance between the diaphragm radius of the pinhole and the image plane" (Spencer 468).
   
   I chose this quote because it gives a clear, detailed explanation of what a pinhole camera is & how it works.
   
   
7. What makes this a reference book as opposed to a regular book you might find in the book stacks?
   
   What makes this book a reference book is that it is a brief overview of specific information rather than a regular book which may contain an abundance of information regarding one (or more) topics.
   
   When using a reference book, which is usually based upon a specific topic, it should be much easier to find the desired information. Whereas, if you were to use a regular book, it might be more difficult to find the same, specific information amidst the plethora of material presented.
   
   Reference books are a quick and easy way to find and obtain information on a given topic/subject.
   
   
8. In looking at the material in the book and the publication date in the bibliographic information, what year do you think the information really comes from?
   
   After looking at the material in the book, I believe that the information presented in this reference was developed during, or in relation to, the time at which is was published (1973). For comparison, I also looked at another photographic reference book which was published in 1993. The difference was apparent - the quality of the images and/or diagrams presented in the older reference book were one-dimensional drawings which lacked the high resolution of the images and/or diagrams presented in the more recent reference. Additionally, the quality of the books themselves (the binding & the paper, etc) varied in terms of quality as well.