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Library: Information Literacy: Projects: Mount Everest
Introduction:
The desire for adventure has brought many to climb the highest mountain, Mount Everest. Frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, memory loss, and the risk of being caught out by the weather are some of the hazards, yet many still take these risks. Who are these people who risk so much to reach the summit?
"...with the first attempt to scale its ridges, a universal symbol of human courage and endurance; an ultimate test of man's body and spirit." (Hornbein 18)
Task:
Process:Research three of the five major expeditions to climb Mount Everest and write a two or three page report. List the who, when, and why of each expedition. To get started look at the materials listed under Resources. Look at Evaluation below and the link to the rubric. This describes how points are earned. Parenthetical citations from the works used to write your paper need to be included and may include facts, descriptions, and quotations. A works cited page in proper MLA citation format is to accompany the report.
Your report should include the following:
I. Find the facts about Mount Everest:
II. Define or describe one of the following:
Where is it located, what country? How high is it?
hypoxiaKathmandu
Khumba Icefall
sherpas
III. For each of the three expeditions you select:
Provide the names of the major climbers (you do not have to include all members of the team, just the major ones)
Date of the expedition, years are given, so add month and day(s). Can be a date range or the date of the climb to the summit.
Why the climb was attempted (if can be determined); did they make it to the summit?
a. Use LOGIN for books, video, or DVD
i. Click here for more information on LOGIN
ii. Click here to search LOGIN
b. Use JerseyCat for books, video, or DVD
i. Click here for more information on JerseyCat
ii. Click here to search JerseyCat
c. Use EBSCOhost databases to find periodical articles about the expeditions.
i. Click here for information on EBSCOhost
ii. To search in EBSCO, you will need to login to the Portal, and go to the Library Online Resources page (listed under "Quick Links")
d. Use ProQuest Newspapers through VALE (Virtual Academic Library Environment of New Jersey)
i. Click here for more information on using ProQuest Newspapers & VALE
ii. To search in ProQuest or VALE, you will need to login to the Portal, and go to the Library Online Resources page (listed under "Quick Links")
e. The World Wide Web
IV. Twelve people from two expeditions died on the mountain in 1996. Note three factors that contributed to this disaster. Find this from periodical articles and/or newspaper articles from 1996 using databases in EBSCOhost, or from ProQuest Newspapers. (Note you can limit your search to that year) or check Jon Krakauer's book.
V. Include a works cited page in proper MLA citation format of at least:
a. Two booksSearch All Libraries in LOGIN and all NJ Libraries in JerseyCat
b. Two or three periodical articles (if researching the 1963 expedition, look in the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature for an article about the American Expedition. While GCC does not own periodical articles going back to 1963, nor are these older articles in EBSCO or VALE, include the reference to one in your works cited page.)
c. Two or three Websites about Mount Everest
d. Bonus point: A video or DVD on Everest
(Your works may come from Resources)
Book: (use LOGIN)
Hemmleb, Jochen. Ghosts of Everest: the search for Mallory & Irvine: from the expedition that discovered Mallory's body. Seattle: WA: Mountaineers Books, 1999.
Hornbein, Thomas F. Everest: The West Ridge. New York: Sierra Club, Ballantine Books, 1966.
Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster. New York: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1999.
Ortner, Sherry B. Life and Death on Mt. Everest: Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1999.
Web Sites:
Everest: Roof of the World (Shockwave plug in required)
National Geographic Adventure & Exploration: Everest and the Himalaya
Periodical article: (use EBSCOhost & ProQuest Newspapers)
"Madness and its Men." Economist July 15, 2000: 81.
Expeditions: (Select three)
1924, George Mallory
1953, Sir Edmund Hillary
1963 1st American Expedition
1996, Two Expeditions, one led by Rob Hall; the other led by Scott Fischer
2002, National Geographic 50th Anniversary Everest Expedition
Please click on "evaluation" for a detailed description of the evaluation criteria.
Conclusion:
By completing this project you will learn about three expeditions to climb Mount Everest, and the people who made up the teams. Do you think attempting to climb Everest is an 'irrational act' or a 'test of man's body and spirit' or both? In addition, you will gain valuable experience searching for information using our Web Catalog, LOGIN, the State of New Jersey's Web Catalog, JerseyCat, periodical databases from EBSCOhost and VALE, and the Web itself...
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Rev. 10/07