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Moira Smith

Anthroplology Librarian

(812) 855-1550 | Email | Office Hours
  • Ph.D., Indiana, 1992
  • MLS Indiana, 1994

Geographical Areas of Specialization: Australia and New Zealand

Topical Interests: Folklore; ritual and festival; ethnography of humor and play

Current Courses:

Selected Publications


Profile:

I am the subject librarian for Anthropology (and also Folklore, Sociology, and Social Work). After receiving my PhD in folklore and MLS from IU, I served as assistant head of the reference department at the University of Miami ( Florida , that is), and returned to IU (in winter!) to take up my current position. As the Anthropology librarian, my job is to help you with your library research and to offer instruction on library and Web resources to your classes.

My research interests revolve around humor, witchcraft, legend and belief, and the ethnography of information seeking practices, and I have published articles on these topics in Culture and Tradition , Journal of Folklore Research , International Folklore Review , and Library Quarterly. The following are some of the questions addressed in my research: Are women who write bathroom graffiti really only talking to themselves? When is a joke in bad taste? Did the Inquisition have a sense of humor? In what way is a library like a swimming pool? Currently, I am completing a book on the relationship between humor and practical joking.

As a native of New Zealand, I keep a supply of Vegemite on hand at all times. I live in Bloomington with two black cats, who have so far resisted all attempts to teach them to do housework.

http://www.libraries.iub.edu/anthro


Selected Publications:

2006
(forthcoming) “Wife Sales,” “Croning,” “Region: Australia and New Zealand ,” and “Witchcraft, Historical.” In Locke, Liz and Theresa A. Vaughan, eds .  Women's Folklore and Folklife: An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music, and Art.
2004
“Soiling the Post Office: The Capping Stunts of New Zealand University Students.” Culture and Tradition 26:38-55.
2002

“The Flying Phallus and the Laughing Inquisitor: Penis-Theft in the Malleus Maleficarum. ” Journal of Folklore Research 39(1):85-117.

1998
(with Paul Yachnes) “Scholars' Playground or Wisdom's Temple : Competing Metaphors in a Library Electronic Text Center .” Library Trends 46(4):718-731
1995
“Whipping Up a Storm: The Ethics and Consequences of Joking Around.” Journal of Folklore Research 32 (2):121-136.
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