PhD blog: 24

The story so far... Graham is working on a part-time PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is researching American literature post-9/11.

Into the second year

I’m officially a second year PhD student. Still unfunded, or course, but my academic life continues apace. So what’s it like being a second year? Well, it’s exactly the same. Doing a PhD, there’s not really any holidays (the only sign is a reduced library and office hours), or any other thing to mark the progress of time. It’s just a continuous, never-ending workload. Not that I’m complaining. I like it that way.

The truth is, it’s been another slow couple of weeks. I’ve not really left the house much. I’ve read lots and written quite a bit too, this time about a film (which is very different and frustrating when you are used to having paper to refer to in front of you). What I have been doing is sourcing many of the books I need to read as part of my research. This can be done a number of ways, which I’ll detail here for want of anything else to write about in my cabin-fevered, uninspired mind:

1. The internet is your friend

Finding books (and journal entries) is now easier than ever with the internet. You are able to build up quite a substantial personal research library at relatively little cost. Websites such as ABE Books and Amazon are both great. ABE Books searches thousands of second hand bookshops worldwide and you deal with the individual bookshop. The books are of varying quality, but I have received books that are as good as new (but also some with no cover, with pen marks scrawled all over them, ripped pages etc). You essentially get what you pay for, and very rare books will be expensive whether they are second hand or not. For example, I’m hunting a book called Paratexts by Gerard Genette (narrative theory - yippee!) and I can’t find it for any less that £30. I’m not going to buy it, obviously, but to give you an idea of what it costs - the last order I placed was for six books and, including postage, they cost a little shy of £12. The second-hand portion of the Amazon website is similar, and you can pick up books for as little as a penny (plus postage, which is usually £1.50-£2).

I’m the sort of person who enjoys having the books around me, especially when I am studying, so I can refer to them as and when I please, so these sites are a wonder. However, on my extremely slim income I can’t buy everything, so…

2. The library

When you start your PhD you will be given a library card for your own university and something called a SCONUL card (which stands for Society of College, National and University Libraries). This will allow you to become a member of other university libraries, which is useful if you have more than one university in your hometown or in commuting distance. When you become a postgraduate student you will also be able to apply for membership of the British Library, including the journals and newspaper division in Colindale, just outside London. This is all very important because your own university library will not be able to stock every book you need and, if you are anything like me, you will eventually go off the beaten track so to speak. Another important thing to know about is the inter-library loan system. This allows you to get books from another library in the UK (and sometimes outside the UK in rare cases), but it does usually cost something - £1 per book at my university.

3. Journal articles and newspaper articles

These can, more often than not, be found online nowadays (although you may need to pay for subscription in some cases), and you can also search library catalogues from the comfort of your own home. Google is also useful in locating articles you may not have heard of, as it the MLA database (available through computers on your university’s network). But it’s also a good idea to find out what kind of journals and newspapers are being published within your own discipline, and you should keep tabs on what is being printed in them, what people are saying in them, and the general arguments coming out of the academic world you are in - this is harder said than done, but it’s amazing how much sinks in just by interacting with other students and staff. Also, the British Library has its own department for newspapers and journals. They should have everything published in the UK and most things published elsewhere, but it’s always good to check before you make the trip.