University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: November 6, 2003

Bill Cosby 101: UB Libraries Scavenger Hunt

Acclaimed comedian/actor/author Bill Cosby will appear at 8 p.m. on Nov. 13 in Alumni Arena as part of UB's Distinguished Speakers Series http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/special/speakers.shtml# cosby. "Electronic Highways" has compiled a scavenger hunt to help you learn more about Cosby by using selected UB Libraries online resources. (Actually, this is a "librarian's plot" to introduce a few information treasures available to the university community.)

Questions

1. What is Cosby's full name and birth date?
2. What doctoral degree did Cosby receive from a New England school in the 1970s, and what was the title of his thesis?
3. Cosby's sitcom, "The Cosby Show," was the highest-rated show in America for what years?
4. Cosby frequently speaks at commencement ceremonies. At which university did he appear in 1996, and what rhetorical question did he ask the graduates? (Hint: the UB Libraries collect videotapes.)
5. What honor did Cosby receive at the 55th Annual Emmy Awards in September 2003?

Possible Sources

Note: All answers can be found by using these sources. However, other UB Libraries resources, online as well as in print, could lead you to the same information. For more information about other resources, consult a reference librarian.

• AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/ugl/e-resources/photo. html

• BISON-UB Libraries Catalog http://ublib .buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/bison

• Contemporary Authors http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/ugl/e-resources/authors. html

• Digital Dissertations http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/e- resources/dissertations.html

• LexisNexis Academic http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/lexisnexis.html

• Wilson Biographies http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/e- resources/wilsonbios.html

• World Almanacs http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/e-resources/ world-almanac.html

Answers (with sample searches)

1. William Henry Cosby, Jr. was born on July 12, 1937. (Author search for Cosby, William in Contemporary Authors; person search for "Cosby, Bill" in Wilson Biographies)
2. Cosby earned an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts for his 1976 thesis, "An Integration of the Visual Media via 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning." (Author search for "Cosby, William" in Digital Dissertations)
3. "The Cosby Show" was the top show on television from 1985-1988 until it was displaced by "Roseanne." (Keyword search for "Cosby Show and rating" in World Almanacs: "Top-Rated TV Shows of Each Season, 1950-51 to 2001-2002")
4. Cosby spoke at Howard University in 1996 and asked the students "Are you dead?" (Author search for "Cosby, Bill" in BISON-UB Libraries Catalog. "Are You Dead?," a video recording of the commencement address, is available in Lockwood Memorial Library's audiovisual collection.)
5. Cosby received the second Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at this year's Emmy Awards. (Search for "Cosby and 2003" in AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive; quick news search for "Bill Cosby Emmys" in LexisNexis Academic.)

Remember, whatever information you desire, from the biographical to the bibliographic, the University Libraries have the resources you require!

—Jennifer L. Behrens, University Libraries