Drew University Library

Research Guide: MLitt/DLitt Bibliography
Fall 2000

Locating Articles/Locating Books/Internet Sources/Useful Contacts
 
 

LOCATING ARTICLES:
The following are specialized subject indexes of the scholarly journal literature in your fields.  The articles themselves are not part of these indexes:  you must consult the Drew Catalog to see if Drew owns the journals you need.  If we do not, use Inter-Library Loan to request specific articles.

These indexes are all accessible both in the Library and from your home computer.  To use them at home, configure your browser for Drew's proxy server.  Directions are available from Academic Technology.  To check for other indexes that might be of use to you, go the Library's home page (http://www.depts.drew.edu/lib/), click on "Research Resources" and then select "Electronic Resources by Subject and Name."

MLA (Modern Language Association) Bibliography
Indexes articles, essays and dissertations in language and literature.  (Please be sure to click on "Logout" at the end of your search.)

Historical Abstracts, 1982-present.
Abstracts articles, essays and book reviews on historiography and non-North American history since 1450.

America:  History and Life, 1982-present.
Abstracts articles, essays and book reviews on US and Canadian history.

ATLA Religion Index, 1949-present.
Access to essays, articles and dissertations in theology and religion.  (You do not need a password to use:  when asked for a password, simply click on "Start Ovid.")

Locating Books:
Use the Drew Library Catalog to begin searching for books.  Try keyword searching (the default) to enter terms that describe your topic.  If you then find books that are on target for you, check their subject headings by looking at the detailed record.  Click on appropriate subject headings to find other books with the same heading.

To find books not owned by Drew, but which might be available to you through Inter-Library Loan, you might look for bibliographies on your topic.  Enter your terms with "and su bibliographies".  For narrow topics, try broadening it a little.  (example:  "New Jersey women's suffrage" might show up under the less specific "women suffrage")  Also, of course, check books and articles for their bibliographies, often the most effective way to find additional sources.

WorldCat, a database of several million records from OCLC member libraries, is an additional resource, but one best used after your topic is fairly narrow.  (A search on woman suffrage, for instance, netted 7845 records.  Adding "New Jersey" to the search narrowed it significantly to a much more usable 45 records.)

Locating Internet Resources:
For tips on effective Internet searching, check "Guide to Locating Public Internet Sources."

Useful Contacts Within the Library:

408-3588    Reference Counter
                    Librarians:
408-3481    Jody Caldwell (Humanities, Social Sciences)
408-3483    Ruth Friedman (Sciences, Ethics)
408-3487    Bruce Lancaster (Humanities)
408-4380    Jan Wanggaard (Social Sciences)

408-3478    Inter-library Loan
 

Jody Caldwell/Oct. 2000