REFERENCE COLLECTION

Encyclopedias and other reference works provide background reading on your topic, bibliographies, names of authorities and important works in the field, and occasionally related websites. 

GALE SERIES IN LITERARY CRITICISM:

Contemporary Authors [REF PN451 .C6] Available in print or ONLINE!
Provides complete biographical and bibliographical information and references on more than 120,000 U.S. and international authors.

Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC) [REF PN771 .C59; v. 1- 1973- ] Critical evaluations of modern literature up to the most current commentaries. Includes bibliographies and, in many cases, interviews with authors.

Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism (TCLC) [REF PN771 .G3; v.1- 1978- ] Excerpts from criticism on 20th century literature, arranged chronologically. Includes annotated bibliography at the end of each author section.

Short Story Criticism (SSC) [REF PN3373 .S386; v.1- 1988- ] Annual publication on short story criticism.

Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) [REF PN451 .D4) Available in print or ONLINE!
Covers writers, movements, and periods. Scholarly essays by authorities. Selective bibliographies. To find an entry on a specific author/playwright, search the Contemporary Authors Cumulative Index, found under REF PN451 C632 2005, v.1-227.

Use Contemporary Authors Cumulative Index [REF PN451 .C632 2004] as a shortcut to identify all relevant titles within the Gale series.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE TITLES:

Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction, 14v. [REF PN56 .P55 B43 1996] Comprised of two series, i.e. biography and analyses, this source provides criticism for "some popular novelists who have received no critical attention other than the popular press." It also includes authors whose works enjoyed immense popularity among contemporary readers but are currently considered obsolete.

Critical Survey of Long Fiction 8v. [REF PN3451 .C75 2000]

Critical Survey of Short Fiction 7v.  [REF PN3321 .C7 2001]

Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English 3v.  [REF PR9080 .A52 E53 2005]

Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century, 4 v. [REF PN771 .E5 1999] "A comprehensive survey of significant literary activity of international scope and proportion."

International Literature in English: Essays on the Major Writers [REF PR9080 .I57 1991]

Magill's Literary Annual [REF PN44 . M36 1977- ] Yearly sets of critical evaluations of 200 "major examples of serious literature, both fiction and nonfiction, published during the previous calendar year." For evaluations prior to 1977, see Survey of Contemporary Literature 7v. [REF PN44 .M34 1954-1969].

The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English [REF PR471 .094 1996] Overview of literature in English from 1900.

Readers Guide to Literature in English  [REF PR85 .R33 1996] Covers critical writing in the literature of the British Isles, the U.S., and other major English-speaking traditions of the world.

BRIDGE CATALOG

Bridge is the online catalog for both St. Olaf and Carleton College. Use Bridge to search for books, specific journals, videos/dvds, musical scores, maps, etc.

• Use a Keyword search if you do not know the subject or wish to combine more than one idea, e.g. [Coetzee AND rac*] Use an asterisk (*) to search various endings (e.g. "rac*" will retrieve race, racism, racial, and racist)

• Once you have found a relevant record, explore the Subject Heading by clicking on that link. Examples:

Coetzee, J. M., 1940- -- Criticism and interpretation.

Commonwealth fiction (English) -- History and criticism.

Imperialism in Literature.

You may request materials housed at Carleton directly from Bridge by clicking on the button. Requested materials will be available for you to pick up at the Rolvaag Circulation Desk within one business day of placing the request.

WorldCat CATALOG

WorldCat is a joint catalog for public and academic libraries around the world. This is a great place to search for books that neither St. Olaf nor Carleton own, but that can be obtained through our Interlibrary Loan Service.

Unlike the Bridge catalog, which searches for journal titles and book titles, subscription databases allow you to search for articles within journals, essays within books, or conference papers within proceedings. Some of these databases are interdisciplinary, while others are subject-specific. Information on all of these indexes can be found on the Libraries' Home Page, under Electronic Research Tools: Articles and More.

General/Interdisciplinary Databases:

Academic Search Premier: A multidisciplinary database with access to over 8,040 scholarly and popular publications, some in full-text. Good source for book reviews. Covers 1975 to present.

JSTOR: A multidisciplinary index to and full text of select, academic journals.

Project Muse: An index to and full text of journals published by Johns Hopkins University Press and other scholarly publishers.

Literature Databases:

MLA International Bibliography: Major index to literature journals and related fields (folklore, languages, linguistics). Covers 1963-present.

Newspaper Databases:

LexisNexis Academic: An excellent source for full-text articles in national and international newspapers. Provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information. Contains book and arts reviews.

New York Times (1851 - 2003): Offers full PDF images of all articles, with searchable full text back to the first issue. Includes full-text access to The New York Times Book Review.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN

Any article or book not owned by St. Olaf may be ordered through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) provided you allow enough time (a week on average).

RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET

Remember to evaluate each site critically for authority, accuracy, objectivity, and purpose:

MLA CITATION STYLE

While there are many web sites that may provide some information on MLA style, the most comprehensive and reliable source is the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. The Modern Language Association defines proper MLA style, and this manual, published by the MLA, clearly outlines how to cite information of any material type (books, articles, chapters, web sites, government publications). Rolvaag Library has 3 copies of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers in the Reference Room. Call #REF LB2369 .G53 2003. See the MLA's own website, which provide useful MLA Style information in its online FAQ. It also includes a section on citing online resources.

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