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IDS 101: Clothing & Memory as Embodied Thought: Reference Materials

President Obama in a Baseball Cap

Encyclopedias and More

Clothing Reference Books

Authoritative Reference Sources vs Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a great resource for getting general info about something, but because anyone can contribute or change its content it is considered unreliable.  College faculty typically do not consider Wikipedia a credible information source. 

Instead, use the library's print or electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference books to backup the basic information of your research paper. These resources have gone through an editorial process to check for accuracy. To the right and below are some resources that may be of use.

Reference Books

Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.

Humanities and Fine Arts Librarian

What Librarians Can Do for You

You can set up an individual research consultation with a subject librarian for research help. Here are a few other things that we can do for you:

  • Show you the best places to begin your research.
     
  • Locate the information you need within our library or elsewhere.
     
  • Help you cite information correctly (e.g. APA style).
     
  • Judge the quality & reliability of information.
     
  • Teach you how to use information ethically (e.g. avoiding plagiarism).
     
  • Determine whether something is peer-reviewed.

Hours during the Academic Year

Library Hours


Mon-Thur    8 a.m. -- Midnight
Friday         8 a.m. -- 9 p.m.
Saturday    10 a.m. -- 6 p.m.
Sunday      10 a.m. -- Midnight

Reference Hours


Mon-Wed   10 a.m. -- 5 p.m.
                    6 p.m. -- 9 p.m.
Thursday    10 a.m. -- 5 p.m.     

Friday          1 p.m. -- 4 p.m
Saturday         (Closed)
Sunday           (Closed)

Archives Hours


Contact:  archives@willamette.edu for an appointment.

Note: The library is open to the general public Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

More calendar info...

Course Description

This course explores the multiple ways the clothes we wear tell stories about our life’s journey and are embedded with meaning and memory. How do our clothes communicate identity, offer protection, and celebrate the past? How do we read or interpret the performance of ourselves and others by the garments we inhabit? How have the rapid changes in fashion and technology since the 16th century altered our physical bodies and rewritten the narrative of our clothing choices? Through the reading of historical and contemporary fiction and non-fiction, personal narrative, and essays, we will explore and make sense of the meaning and memories created by the clothes hanging on our bodies and in our closets. Our goal will be to focus on how scholarly based inquiry can help us to answer our questions, and how this inquiry can inform current discussions about cultural memory. Projects may include oral history, material culture curation, short essays, and the manipulation of garments.