Joanna Cooksey, Subject Librarian

Today’s sessionThe aim is to introduce you to a range of French

resources available from the Library and help you access them.

Further help: Guide French Studies: a guide to finding information

Subject Help pages for French Studies: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/lang/french.html

What we’ll coverKey places in the Library where French material is

kept.Finding French books and films by searching the

Library Catalogue. Finding useful online sources via the Library

website.An online dictionary/language resource.Finding French articles via a database.

Looking for French books in the Library

Books are arranged by subject e.g. history, cinema, rather than by language, so French books could be anywhere in the Library.

2 things can help you locate French books in the Library…

Looking for books on a topic1. Search the Catalogue 2. Check our guideUse the Library Catalogue to

find books. The Catalogue has a single search box where you can type in author/title/keyword details, eg:Lang French grammarFrench theatre

Note down the shelfmarks and use these as a starting point for finding other books.

The Library guide French Studies: a guide to finding information has an a-z list of subjects with their shelfmarks.

Reading French texts

French novels at 843 (Second Floor). Modern fiction at 843.914 and contemporary fiction at 843.92

African Francophone literature in Africa Publishing Collection (First Floor) at 843.

What do you like to read?

Looking for French DVDsUse the Library Catalogue to

search for films. You can search by title and/or director, eg: Jeunet Amélie

DVDs are kept on the top floor around 791.430944 or in the Short Loan Collection (First Floor).

Browse a list of our films in our Guide to French films in the Headington Library

Viewing filmsBorrow from main shelves (1 week) or Short Loan (24 hrs

or weekends)Watch in the Library on DVD players or PCsWatch as a group in Group Study Rooms.Don't forget the Phoenix Picture House in Oxford shows

a regular programme of French films in conjunction with the Maison Francaise Oxford.

Language resourcesFrench language

resources are kept at 440 on the Second Floor (North Gallery):

French dictionaries are at 443.

French grammar books are at 445.

Books/CDs on learning French are at 448

Language resourcesUse the Library Catalogue

to search for language books eg:Lang French grammar

We also have an electronic database Oxford language dictionaries online available on and off campus.

To access Library e-resourcesOn a Brookes PC: log-on with your Brookes username

and password, then go to the Library Home page. From home: go to the Library Home page at http://

www.brookes.ac.uk/libraryTo access Library electronic resources from home you

need to use a password. Most use the Athens password system. Always LOG INTO ATHENS FIRST on the Library home page.

For useful resources, see the Subject Help pages for French Studies.

Oxford language dictionaries onlineThis includes a fully searchable bilingual dictionary in French, plus a

wide range of language learning resources and study materials. Access it via the Databases link on the Library home page at 

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/ Don’t forget to log into Athens first if you are off campus.

French newspapers, magazines and journalsIn the Library: you’ll find the daily French newspaper Le

Monde and weekly magazines Le nouvel observateur and Le Point kept in the Newspaper Room on the Top Floor of the Library. We also have various journals in French such as:

Les cahiers français J 909.82 CNouvel économiste J 330.944 NPouvoirs J320.944 PProblèmes politiques et sociaux J 320.944 PRevue française de science politique J 320 R

French newspapers, magazines and journalsOnline: through the

international news database Factiva you can get free access to many French language newspapers and journals, including L´Entreprise, L'Expansion, L´Express, L'Humanité, L'Indépendant, Liberation, Le Point, Le Temps, La Tribune and many others. The database is available on and off campus via the Library Web site.

Freely available online resourcesSee the Subject Help pages for French StudiesCheck the French Online Resource Wiki

Can you trust information you find on the Web?Check our guide to Evaluating Web resources at

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/webeval.html Ask yourself:

What…is being said?

Who…is saying it?

Where…are they from?

Why…are they saying it?

When…does this information date from?

To sum upWe’ve looked at:Key places in the Library where French material is

kept.Finding French books and films by searching the

Library Catalogue. Finding useful online sources via the Library

website.An online dictionary/language resource.Finding French articles via a database.

Useful LinksLibrary Web site: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/

Connect to Library Catalogue, Oxford language dictionaries online and Factiva databases.

Subject Help pages for French Studies: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/lang/french.html Connect to the guides: Key Resources for French Studies; French Studies: a guide to finding information; Guide to French films in the Headington Library

French Online Resource Wiki available at: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/bv-gateway

Contact your Subject Librarian, Joanna Cooksey jcooksey@brookes.ac.uk