Recommended databases for background information
- Gale Virtual Reference Library - Literature Research This link opens in a new windowAccess all the titles below in this direct link.
- Novels for Students- GVRL This link opens in a new windowProvides critical overviews of novels from various cultures and time periods.
- Drama for Students - GVRL This link opens in a new windowProvides critical overviews of the most-studied plays of all time periods, nations, and cultures.
- Short Stories for Students - GVRL This link opens in a new windowProvides critical overviews of short stories from all cultures and time periods.
- Oxford Reference: LiteratureSearch over 50 titles such as A Dictionary of Critical Theory, The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature, The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States and more.
Looking for Something Else?
Professor & Chair, Library dept.
Recommended databases
- Literary Reference Source EBSCO This link opens in a new windowContains the full text of articles/essays of literary criticism, author biographies, literary journals, author interviews, book reviews, classic and contemporary poems, classic and contemporary short stories, classic texts, and plot summaries, synopses and work overviews as well as eBook versions of many authoritative reference resources.
- Humanities Source Ultimate EBSCO This link opens in a new windowIncludes more 1,200 journals in full-text. Provides articles, essays and reviews, as well as original creative works including poems, fiction, photographs, paintings and illustrations.
- Academic Search Ultimate EBSCO This link opens in a new window
Provides a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with around 10,000 full-text periodicals - of which more than 9,000 are peer-reviewed journals.
- Directory of Open Access JournalsDOAJ is a community-curated list of open access journals and aims to be the starting point for all information searches for quality, peer reviewed open access material.
- Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Black Thought and Culture contains 1,303 sources with 1,210 authors, covering the non-fiction published works of leading African Americans.
Featured Resources
Dictionary of Untranslatables by Call Number: ebbok; click to accessISBN: 9780691138701Publication Date: 2014-02-09This is an encyclopedic dictionary covering hundreds of important philosophical, literary, and political terms and concepts that defy easy--or any--translation from one language and culture to another.
Teaching Tough Topics: How do I use children's literature to build a deeper understanding of social justice, equity, and diversity? by
Teaching Tough Topicsshows teachers how to lead students to become caring citizens as they read and respond to quality children's literature. It focuses on topics that can be challenging or sensitive yet significant for building an understanding of social justice, diversity and equity. Racism, homophobia, bullying, religious intolerance, poverty, and physical and mental challenges are just some of the themes explored. The book is rooted in the belief that, by using picture books, novels, poetry, and nonfiction, teachers can enrich learning with compassion and empathy as students make connections to texts, to others and to the world.
Call Number: ebook; click to accessISBN: 9781551383415Publication Date: 2020-01-10
Book Reviews
- Choice Reviews This link opens in a new windowChoice Reviews provides high-quality evaluations of nonfiction academic writing. It serves as a source of bibliographic reference and recommendation for both library collection development and individual research.
- NoveList Plus EBSCO This link opens in a new windowReaders' advisory tool that helps readers find new fiction and non-fiction titles based on books they've already read or topics in which they are interested. Readers can look for books about particular subjects, relationships, geographic areas, or periods of time. Book reviews are also available.
- The New York Review of BooksTo access the resources, click on
Full text availability
OverDrive Collection provided by NILRC