Reference Collection | Catalog
Indexes and Databases
Interlibrary Loan | Resources on the Internet | Citation

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

Remember that books on the shelves are grouped together by subject, so take time to browse the shelves!

MYTHOLOGY:

The Oxford companion to world mythology [RR BL312 .L44 2005]

The encyclopedia of Celtic mythology and folklore [RR BL900 .M66 2004]

A dictionary of African mythology: the mythmaker as storyteller [RR BL303 .S24 2000]

The Facts on File encyclopedia of world mythology and legend [RR BL303 .M45 1988]

FOLKLORE / ANTHROPOLOGY:

Encyclopedia of world cultures 10v. [RR GN550 .E53 1991]

Clowns & tricksters: an encyclopedia of tradition and culture [RR GR524 .C48 1998]

American folktales: from the collections of the Library of Congress 2v. [RR GR105.5 .A44 2004]

Encyclopedia of American folklife 4v. [RR GR105 .E53 2006]

African folklore: an encyclopedia [RR GR350 .A33 2004]

The Greenwood encyclopedia of African American folklore 3v. [RR GR111 .A47 G74 2006}

Folklore: an encyclopedia of beliefs, customs, tales, music, and art 2v. [RR GR35 .F63 1997]

Medieval folklore : an encyclopedia of myths, legends, tales, beliefs, and customs 2v. [RR GR35 .M43 2000]

Storytelling encyclopedia: historical, cultural, and multiethnic approaches to oral traditions around the world [RR GR72 .S76 1997]

Traditional storytelling today: an international sourcebook [RR GR72 .T73 1999]

AMERICAN HISTORY:

Dictionary of Native American mythology [RR E98.R3 G46 1992]

Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history 5v. [RR E185 E54 1996]

Handbook of North American Indians 17v. [RR E72.2 .H36]

LANGUAGE & LITERATURE:

Encyclopedia of fable [RR PN980 .S66 1998]

Fools and jesters in literature, art and history: a bio-bibliographical sourcebook [RRPN1583 .F66 1998]

Encyclopedia of folklore and literature [RR PN41 .E48 1998]

GALE SERIES IN LITERARY CRITICISM (on-line)

Contemporary Authors (CA) Biographical sketches on current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, and television.

Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) Scholarly essays covering writers' biographies, movements, and literary periods.

CATALOG

Bridge catalogs resources available at St. Olaf and Carleton libraries. Use Bridge to search for books and periodicals, but not chapters within books or articles within periodicals.You may search Bridge by Title, Author, Keyword or Subject. Try combining relevant terms or concepts in Keyword search to focus your search (e.g. "`Africa* and trickster* "). Use asterisk (*) to truncate words (e.g. Africa* will retrieve Africa, African, Africans, etc.)

You may request materials housed at Carleton directly from Bridge by clicking on the button.

INDEXES AND DATABASES

Unlike our on-line catalog, which searches for journal titles and book titles, indexes and databases allow you to search for articles within journals, essays within books, or conference papers within proceedings. Some indexes and databases are interdisciplinary, i.e. they include sources from many different disciplines or fields, some are disciplinary, i.e. specialized in a particular discipline. Information on all of the indexes is available from the Libraries' Home Page, under " Electronic Research Tools. .."

For help distinguishing between popular and trade magazines and academic journals, see the guide from Colorado State Univeristy Libraries at http://manta.library.colostate.edu/howto/poplr.html

GENERAL/MULTIPLE SUBJECT AREAS:

Academic Search Premier
A multidisciplinary database with access to over 8040 scholarly and popular publications, many in full-text. Covers 1975 to present.

MasterFILE Premier
A general multidisciplinary database to mostly popular publications. Includes biographies, reference books, primary source documents, maps and photos. Covers 1975 to present.

JSTOR
Amultidisciplinary 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.

HISTORY:

America: History and Life
Scholarly index to articles on all aspects of U.S. and Canadian history, including recent events.

Historical Abstracts
An index to history journals, books, and dissertations. Excludes articles on North America (see its companion, America History & Life). Covers material published from 1955 to the present written about the time period 1450 to the present.

LITERATURE:

MLA International Bibliography
Provides access to scholarly research in over 3000 journals and series. Also covers monographs, essays, working papers, proceedings and other formats. Subjects include literature, language, linguistics and folklore.

RELIGION:

ATLA Religion Database
An index to religion journals, book reviews, and festschriften. It is the full file version of ATLA Religion Database with the addition of links from article citations directly to the complete content of the articles. Covers 1949 to the present.

PSYCHOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY:

PsycINFO
Indexes over 1,300 psychology journals, plus books, technical reports, dissertations, and other material.

AnthroSource
A full-text archive of all journals published by the American Anthropological Association (AAA). Represents the fields of anthropology, ethnology, and archaeology. Coverage dates back to the first issue of each journal, as early as 1880's for "American Anthropologist," and back to the 1960's for many other journal titles.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN

 Any item not owned by St. Olaf may be ordered through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) provided you allow enough time.

RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET

Remember to evaluate each site critically for authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and coverage.

Based on "Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask." UC Berkeley - Teaching Library Internet Workshops. 7Jan. 2005. 14 Feb. 2005. <http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html>, and "Evaluating Web Sites." The Ohio State Univeristy Libraries. 14 Feb. 2005. <http://gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/>.

A few good review sites that evaluate web contents:

Librarians' Index to the Internet -- "A searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 14,000 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users."

Infomine: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections -- "A virtual library of Internet resources relevant to faculty, students, and research staff."

The Scout Report Archives -- "A searchable and browseable database containing critical annotations of carefully selected Internet sites and mailing lists."

Use alexa.com service to glean more information about a Web site, including traffic ranking, statistics, and other pages that link to the original site.

A few good sites to try:

American Memory -- "Provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity."

Encyclopedia Mythica -- "An online encyclopedia on mythology, folklore , and legends. Entries cover 'gods and goddesses, heroes, legendary creatures and beings from all over the world' and many include illustrations, pronunciation keys, and genealogical information. Features annotated links to related resources."

American Folklife Center -- "The center's purpose is 'to encompass all aspects of folklore and folklife from this country and around the world.' Includes images, sounds (recordings and music), and written accounts. Also provides information about the center's programs, events, and internship opportunities, as well as links to ethnographic resources. Searchable. From the Library of Congress."

Folklore and Mythology: Electronic Texts -- "An extensive collection of tales from around the world, many edited or translated by D. L. Ashliman, a professor of Germanic Languages and Literature. The alphabetical listing is by author, country of origin, and categories (such as frog kings and princes, human sacrifice, multiple birth, nightmares, werewolf and witchcraft legends, and Aarne-Thompson categories). Includes stories from Aesop, Bulfinch, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Grimm Brothers, Andrew Lang, Longfellow, the Volsunga Saga , and more."

American Folklore -- " Contains retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and legends, tall tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each and every one of the 50 United States."

CITATION

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Sixth Edition [RR LB2369 .G53 2003] Multiple copies in Rolvaag Reference.

For simple on-line guides, see:

Citation Guide from Purdue University by Jennifer Liethen Kunka and Joe Barbato. Provides examples and explanations of in-text citations and works cited in MLA format.

See Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper , a simple online guide to cite your sources in all major styles, from Duke University.