Composition 100 - Literature Resources

Charles Maples

Short Story Resources
(Useful for biography, analysis and bibliographies)

Critical Survey of Short Fiction   REF PN 3321 C7
Short Story Writers   REF PN 3373 S398 1997

Sources of Explication
(A bibliography of interpretations of short stories)

Twentieth Century Short Story Explication   REF PN 3310 W33 1977

Literature Encyclopedias
(Useful for biography, historical content and bibliographies.)

American Writers   REF PS 129 A55
Contemporary Authors**   REF PN 466 C767
Dictionary of Literary Biography*   REF PS 129 D521
Literature and its Times   REF PN 50 L574 1997

Other Literature Resources
Book Review Index   REF Z 1035.A1 B6
Book Review Digest   REF Z 1219 B64
Contemporary Literary Criticism*   REF PN 94 C6
Cyclopedia of World Authors   REF PN 451 M36 1997
MasterPlots   REF PN 44 M32
Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism*   REF PN 761 N5
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism*   REF PN 94 T83

* These items are also online in the Literature Resource Center.
** Contemporary Authors is also available online (go to Find Articles and Research Resources on Library home page; databases are listed alphabetically by title).

OSCAR
OSCAR is Milne Library's online catalog of books and other materials (it CANNOT be used to find individual journal articles). Click on "(OSCAR) Library Catalog" on the Library web site. Click on "Start the Search" and enter terms most appropriate to your topic in the search box.

For example: fitzgerald, f. scott and criticism

On the next screen, a list of titles will appear. The holdings will give you the call number, location and availability status for each item. Click on "Oneonta - SUNY College" to get the item's full record. The full record includes publication information, content notes and the subject heading under which the item is listed. Use these subject headings to find additional material on your topic. Books with no call numbers may either be part of an electronic library or on order.

Hartwick College
SUNY Oneonta students may borrow materials with a valid SUNY ID card.

WorldCat
Books and other material in libraries worldwide. Books may be borrowed by Interlibrary Loan. Be sure to give sufficient lead time for ILL orders which can take 1-2 weeks.

For academic research, it is often important to use peer-reviewed (or refereed) journals rather than popular magazines. Peer-review is the process by which a journal article is evaluated by experts in the field. An example of a peer-reviewed journal is American Literature. An example of a popular magazine is Time.

General Process
To find an article, first pick an appropriate periodical index. Experiment with keywords and subjects. Identify the article you want. Check if the journal is available at Milne Library.

Electronic Indexes to Articles in Periodicals
(Click on Find Articles and Research Resources, then on Library Resources Listed By Subject, then on English Language and Literature.)

MLA Bibliography
Index to scholarly research in literature, linguistics, and folklore. Available on FirstSearch (1963- ). Go to "Jump to Advanced Search", and use drop-down menu to select MLA. No full text is included. Link is also provided in Literature Resource Center.

Humanities Index
Available through FirstSearch. Indexes 350 journals and has over 200,000 records in such areas as archaeology, art, communications, film, history, linguistics, music, philosophy, dance, folklore, journalism, literature, performing arts, religion, and others. Some full text. Also available in print format in the Reference area (REF AI 3 R491).

Arts and Humanities (AH) Search
Available through FirstSearch. Indexes scholarly journals (1980 -) in the arts and humanities.

Academic Search Premier
(under New at Milne -- Free Trials)
Indexes popular and scholarly periodicals in a variety of subjects. Some full text is available.

Expanded Academic ASAP
Indexes magazines and scholarly journals. Many articles are available in full text. Coverage begins in 1980. Refereed publications refers to journals and research articles evaluated by experts in the field.

Milne Library English Language and Literature Databases
Milne Library databases which include information on English language and literature.
Some articles are full text. Coverage depends on database.

How to determine if a magazine or journal article is available at Milne Library:
To find out which periodicals Milne Library has in print, check the Milne Library Serials List or OSCAR (the library's online catalog). Journals and magazines are kept in the Periodicals Room in the basement of the library, filed on the shelves alphabetically by title. Paper issues and bound volumes are on the shelves. You cannot check out periodicals, but you can photocopy them.

If Milne Library (or Hartwick College) does not own a magazine or journal, an article can be obtained through Interlibrary Loan. This can take one to two weeks, so be sure to allow plenty of time to write your paper.

To find out if a periodical is available online in full-text, go to Full Text Electronic Journal Holdings (Serials Solutions) and search for the name of the publication you want. This list indicates where the periodical can be found online.

(Selected sites are listed under Search the Internet -- By Subject/Reference -- English Language and Literature)

American Literature on the Web
Includes links to electronic texts, interviews with authors, and web pages devoted to individual authors. Timelines for five literary periods link to sites with additional information about the music, visual arts, and social context of each period.

Literary Resources on the Net
One of the most comprehensive sites for the study of English and American literature. Created and maintained by Jack Lynch at the University of Pennsylvania. Includes links to primary and secondary sources arranged by historical period. Also lists syllabi and other course materials for literary study.

How to Write a Bibliography. Covers both and MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) styles.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
Milne Library Reference (REF PE 1478 M57 1999). The style guide is more comprehensive than the web site.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Milne Library Reference (REF BF 76.7 P83 2001) The 1994 edition of the Manual (REF BF 76.7 P83 1994) is also available. The style guide is more comprehensive than the web site.