Please Note: This was written monday after school, but my internet failed and I couldn't post it until Wednesday morning at the library.
After class on Monday, I made my way straight to the library. Nothing was going to stop me from finding a book on deep-sea exploration. It wouldn't be too difficult, right? Wrong!
After several hours of searching "Worldcat," traversing every flour several times, searching call numbers that made absolutely no sense, going up and down stairs till my legs were weary, I finally swallowed my pride as a patron of the library and asked someone for help. He showed me some articles I could use online and gave me directions to a book we were sure would be exactly what I needed. This led me all the way back up to the fourth floor just to find out the book wasn't what I needed. Finally, I found a book that I could use. It was on a second floor shelf across from the "exploration" area I examined not a few hours earlier!
Long explanation just to say that I have found a book I can use as one source, entitled, "The Eternal Darkness: A Personal History of Deep-sea Exploration," by the man who discovered the Titanic wreck on the bottom of the ocean, Robert D. Ballard.
I'm home now and searching for articles I can use. One popped out at me. It's called, "Back to the Bottom," and talks about some very modern technology to travel to the ocean floor. There are photographs and figures. The article itself is only a few pages, but it will be a good reference for some of the modern technology used by submarine designers.
In the end, despite some library frustrations, I believe my library visit was both beneficial and informative. Who knows, I may pop by tomorrow to get some more exercise.
Oh no, Jude! I'm sorry to hear about all your difficulty in procuring a book at the library-I understand how frustrating that can be. But nonetheless, it sounds like you got a very interesting and informative book out of the deal, and have an excellent start to your research. I'm still concerned as to the direction of your project; I think you have been doing great work critically thinking about what you want to do, but I don't want you to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you ultimately find. Have you been feeling that your topic is too broad, or does it feel manageable? (My question might be answered as I read further up your posts.)
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