Author: Emily Lin

Library Database Research

Emily Lin

Step 1 (Library Catalog/Classification Sheet): I first tried to do the Library Catalog/Classification worksheet using the NYU Library Database. This was extremely helpful for helping me understand the key words to use for searching.

Library Catalog sheet here.

Step 2 (Research Diary): Over the weekend, I started using the Research Diary! Before the research diary I spent countless hours reading random articles on the internet, and I would constantly feel like I had achieved nothing afterwards. I’m finding that this research diary helps me structure my time and record my findings in a more productive way.

I also watched a documentary that Becca recommended me regarding my topic called “Manufactured Wasteland.” I found it especially helpful to have the Research Diary to help me reflect on everything I was thinking and feeling after watching such a disturbing documentary.

Documenting my findings and jotting down my reflection is much more helpful then just saving links in my are.na page. I will definitely keep adding on to this research diary  – it has now become a very therapeutic document to have in my life.

Research Diary Entries here.

Step 3 (Meeting with Margaret): On Monday, Becca, Maya and I met with Margaret to go over best practices for searching and using online databases. I found this to be extremely fruitful for understanding the nuances of a search. She also walked through how to search for each of our specific topics. For mine, she used the EBSCO database and papers in the ACM Digital library.

Here are some notes from our meeting

Step 4 (Database): 

Database Sheet here. 

Manufactured Landscapes

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My research began with a documentary called “Manufactured Landscapes.” In this documentary, we follow the photographer Edward Burtynsky as he visits landscapes that have been significantly damaged by large-scale human production and activity. These sites include a Chinese factory where parts are assembled, a Bangladesh coast where oil tankers are disassembled and the Three Gorges Dam. Through this film, we are able to take a closer look at the people whose livelihoods are based on assembling, scraping, dissembling electronic and manufactured parts. They are constantly putting their lives at risk because they are a part of an uneven cycle.

Initial Concept

Emily Lin

Every object has a story to tell. My interest is in investigating and communicating that story. I would like to take a closer look at our everyday objects by examining the invisible forces that make them possible. By invisible forces I am thinking of the people who made this product, how it was made, the materials used to make it, the science behind it, and the policies that perpetuate this system.

I also wonder about what happens to a product when it “dies.” Where do the materials go, how is it recycled (if it is). What about the parts that contain toxic chemicals, what are the environmental factors and human health hazards that come into play, where do they end up if they aren’t recycled?

The plan is to trace a product by following it from birth, life to death. By doing so, I aim to understand the efforts and conflicts involved in the making of something. Other questions that come up for me: Can simply being aware of a device’s story change how we consume and dispose of products? Is awareness enough? After awareness, what’s next?