Literature Research Guide

Literary Reference Center

A comprehensive literature resource, Literary Reference Center provides users with a broad spectrum of information on thousand of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes. The database is comprised of 140,000 author biographies; 31,000 plot summaries and work overviews; 100,000 critical essays; literary reference books, literary journals and magazines, book reviews, and the full text of poems, short stories, and classic books.  

Coverage: varies  | Format: full-text  | Search Tips

MLA International Bibliography

Indexing journal articles, books, and dissertations, MLA International Bibliography covers literature, language and linguistics, folklore, literary theory and criticism, and the dramatic arts.  The database contains over 1.8 million citations from 4400 journals, and 1,000 book publishers. 

Coverage: 1920s - present  | Format: citations | Search Tips

Oxford English Dictionary

An authoritative and comprehensive dictionary on the history and development of the English language since 1150, the Oxford English Dictionary lists variant spellings, shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet, and provides etymological analyses of words.

Coverage: 1150 - present  | Format: full-text | Search Tips

Arts and Humanities Citation Index

Access:   Password Required.  Ask a librarian at 870-460-1080.

This resource indexes articles, bibliographies, editorials, letters, and reviews from arts and humanities, social science, and science journals.

Coverage: 1980 - present  | Format: citations | Search Tips

ArticleFirst

ArticleFirst indexes articles from the contents pages of journals and provides a list of libraries that have the journal titles within their collection. Subject content includes business, humanities, medicine, popular culture, science, social science, and technology.

Coverage: 1990 - present  | Format: citations |  Search Tips

Need additional resources? Try the General Research Guide. This guide lists multidisciplinary resources, which cover a variety of subject content areas.

Print Journals:

All print journals, to which the library subscribes, are listed in the online library catalog. To look for a specific journal, search by TITLE. If you are unsure of the exact title, search by KEYWORD to find the title you want.

Electronic Journals:

All electronic journals in the library's collection are listed in the Magazine, Newspaper, and Journal Finder. You can search for a specific title by keyword or browse an A-to-Z list by title or subject. 

Books:

Use the online library catalog to find books. Books may be searched by keyword, title, author, or subject.

To find a specific book, search by TITLE. If your search is unsuccessful or if you are unsure of the exact title, try a KEYWORD search. To find books written by a specific person, search by AUTHOR. To find a book about a specific person or topic, search by SUBJECT. Subject searching requires the use of Library of Congress Subject Headings. If your subject search is unsuccessful, try a KEYWORD search or consult a librarian at daviska@uamont.edu.

Library of Congress Call Number Ranges for Literature and Language:

PA-----Greek and Latin languages and literatures
PB-----Modern languages (General). Celtic languages
PC-----Romance languages
PD-----German languages (General), Scandinavian languages
PE-----English language
PF-----West Germanic languages
PG-----Slavic, Baltic, Albanian languages and literatures
PH-----Uralic, Basque languages and literatures
PJ-----Oriental languages and literatures. Semitic languages and literatures
PK-----Indo-Iranian languages and literatures
PL-----Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
PM-----Hyperborean, Indian, and artificial languages
PN-----Literature (General)
PQ-----French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literatures
PR-----English literature
PS-----American literature
PT-----German, Dutch, and Scandinavian literatures
PZ-----Fiction, Juvenile belles lettres

The library's collection of books is organized by subject. Once you locate a call number on the shelves, you can browse other books in the area, as they will contain the same subject.

Borrow Items From Other Libraries:

If the library does not own a publication that you need, we can borrow books and obtain copies of journal article from other libraries.  Submit an interlibrary loan request form online.  Materials may be supplied for free or a fee.  You will generally receive the item within two weeks.  

Selected Reference Resources:

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style Manual and Guide to Publishing
REF PN 147 G444 1998

Something About the Author
REF PN 451 S6

Contemporary Literary Criticism
REF PN 771 C59

Poetry for Students
REF PN 1010 P64 1997

Drama for Students
REF PN 1601 D74 1997

Magill's Cinema Annual
REF PN 1993.3 M34

Novels for Students
REF PN 3326 N68 1997

Short Stories for Students
REF PN 3373 S54 1997

Selected Internet Resources:

Duke Libraries’ Guide to Citing Sources
http://library.duke.edu/research/citing/workscited/index.html

This site provides guides to cite specific sources, such as articles in a journal, books, newspapers, primary sources and other source. Each guide shows an example from different citation styles, including MLA and APA. - Accessed Jan. 17, 2008.

FAQ about MLA Style
http://www.mla.org/style_faq

The official site of the Modern Language Association provides tips on using MLA style for citing resources. - Accessed Jan. 17, 2008.

American and English Literature Internet Sources
http://library.scsu.ctstateu.edu/litbib.html

This site lists numerous resources on American and English literature. It is maintained by Southern Connecticut State University. - Accessed Jan. 17, 2008.

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