ENG 494-10

Washington College | Clifton M. Miller Library

Research Instruction: Course Guides: ENG 494-10 / AMS 494-11

American Literary and Print Culture

Research Assignment:
Research Paper: Write a paper that addresses a book history issue related to your current or proposed senior thesis. Your research may draw on secondary sources, but it should consist mainly of primary source materials. You will present the objectives and highlights of your research at the end of the semester.
II. Books
Books in Miller Library: Reference: Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Literature of the U.S.A. Bibliography of American Literature The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature Dictionary of Literary Biography Oxford English Dictionary The Oxford Companion to American Literature Library of Congress Subject Headings Books in Print Books in the main collection: Library of Congress Classification Books, Book Industries and Trade = Z Subject search suggestions (books about): start here and skim the subheadings check the bibliographies in the back of books for additional sources Books -- United States -- History Printing -- United States -- History Book design -- United States -- History Publishers and publishing--United States Books and reading -- United States -- History United States -- Intellectual Life add one of the following subdivisions for primary sources: -- diaries -- anecdotes -- personal narratives -- correspondence -- posters Author Search Books outside Miller Library: Other libraries: U of MD libraries U of DE Library of Congress Folger Shakespeare Library The British Library WorldCat most distinguished database of books in the world searches over 52 million records held by OCLC libraries worldwide over 400 languages represented Interlibrary Loan free, online form, budget 1-2 weeks back to top
III. Scholarly and General Interest Databases
Modern Language Association (MLA) International Bibliography the professional index to book and article citations in languages and literatures. Mostly citation-only but some links to full-text. SECONDARY RESOURCES. JSTOR indexes 440+ of the most prestigious scholarly journals provides all years of all journals except for the most recent 3-5 years full-text Literature Online (LION) 350,000+ works of English and American poetry, drama and prose 130+ full-text literature journals other key criticism and reference resources fully searchable American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I offers fully searchable facsimile images of approximately 15,000 broadsides printed between 1820 and 1900 15,000 pieces of ephemera printed between 1760 and 1900 diverse subjects of these broadsides range from contemporary accounts of the Civil War, unusual occurrences and natural disasters to official government proclamations, tax bills and town meeting reports ephemera include clipper ship sailing cards, early trade cards, bill heads, theater and music programs, stock certificates, menus and invitations documenting civic, political and private celebrations full-text broadsides coverage from 1820 to 1900 ephemera coverage from 1760 to 1900 Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 definitive resource for information about every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, temperance, witchcraft, and any other American subject imaginable. primary sources full-text coverage from 1639-1800 Project MUSE 250+ scholarly journals, primarily in the humanities coverage from 1983+ mostly full-text America: History and Life the professional index for US and Canadian history historical coverage of the US and Canada from prehistory to the present indexes 2,000+ scholarly journals abstracts; some links to full-text coverage from 1954+ Academic Search Premier 2,000+ general and academic journals, including history coverage from 1985+ mostly full-text Check journal titles against the library's list of full-text electronic periodicals Interlibrary Loan free, online form, budget 1-2 weeks back to top
IV. Web Sites
American Antiquarian Society American Memory 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. Project Gutenberg online texts Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP) back to top
V. How to Cite
Hacker Online citation examples back to top

Washington College Home Page