Ocean County Library
Literature Databases
How do I find literature databases?
•Sign on to the library Website at
www.theoceancountylibrary.org
•Click ‘Research & Info’ (navy strip running across the page
under the picture of a book/sailboat)
•All the databases are accessible from this page
•Under the left-hand column called ‘Subject Databases’ scroll
down and click the link for ‘Literature and Literary Criticism’
•Alternatively in the center column enter a database name in the
‘Search’ box or click the link under ‘Browse All Titles
Alphabetically’
How do I sign in from home?
Have your library barcode ready
•Most databases will ask for your barcode
•Some require a password in addition to the barcode
•NetLibrary requires a userid and password – open an account
in person at the reference desk of any branch before using it at
home
Do I need all these databases?
•One might be enough – or not
•Coverage in these databases is a good starting point for research,
but not as in-depth as books or articles limited to one author or
work
•There is overlap among database coverage
•Most cover biographical information, author’s works
•Most provide some critical analysis of works, but to varying degrees
•Databases differ in
•Which grade levels are targeted (most are geared towards high school students)
•Which authors are covered – this is determined by which reference works are included in the
database – this varies from database to database
•Whether living or historical persons are emphasized
•Whether biographical information, literary criticism, etc. is emphasized
What if all the books are out?
•NetLibrary
(library database) has books to read /download online – good for classics
•NOTE: You must set up an account in person at a branch before using it at home
•Project Gutenberg has free books online for computer or e-reader
•http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
I need help with writing and doing a research paper!
•Writing Skills
•Learning Express Library
Writing Skills Improvement provides help with basic writing skills
Writing Improvement Program provides practice essays at various levels
from elementary through high school and adult as well as ACT and SAT essay
preparation.
•Research and Research Paper Guides
•Literary Reference Center (EBSCOhost)
•Literature Resource Center
I need to look at or search for themes for or related to my paper!
•Bloom’s Literary Reference Online (Facts On File) – browse topics and themes
alphabetically, by type (e.g., literary movements, genres, themes, historical events, people,
places); look at topics selected for highlighting; or use advanced search with entry type of
topic/theme to search for a specific topic/theme
•Literary Reference Center (EBSCOhost) – limited to contexts (historical, social,
religious, scientific) for works as opposed to themes; under ‘browse authors’ can select
movement; under ‘browse works’ can select genre or search for locale; under ‘advanced
search’ can search for literary character or locale
•Literature Resource Center – under ‘Person Search’ search can browse or search for a
theme, subject, genre, or literary movement
I need to pick an author by certain criteria – gender,
language, time period, nationality, ethnicity, genre, literary
movement!
•Bloom’s Literary Reference Online (Facts On File) – browse works by genre
or era, authors by nationality, type of literature, genre or date range; use ‘Advanced
Search’ to search in full text or titles by phrase, and/or/not equivalent; partial list of
Nobel Prize winners in ‘browse authors; list of banned books in ‘browse works’
•Literature Resource Center – use ‘Person Search’ search to select by gender,
year of birth/death, ethnicity, nationality, genre, theme, literary movement or time
period
•Literary Reference Center – under ‘advanced search’ can select author by gender,
cultural identity, national identity, time period; with ‘browse authors’ can select
country, culture, genre or (literary) movement
Most Helpful Databases
Authors and Their Works
•Bloom’s Literary Reference Online (Facts On File Online)
(author, title)
•Literary Reference Center (EBSCOhost) (author, title)
•Literature Resource Center (author, title)
•Gale Virtual Reference Library (multi-discipline, not just
literature) and subcollections: Literature Resources for
Students, Black Americans Reference Library
•Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)
Other Databases to Check
Biography in Context
EBSCOhost
•Biography Collection Complete
•Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
•History Reference Center
•MAS Ultra – School Edition
•Masterfile Premier
•Middle Search Plus
•Primary Search
•Professional Development Collection
Facts On File Online
•Various history databases
NoveList
Marquis Who’s Who
Specific Database Information
Bloom’s Literary Reference Online (Facts On File Online)
•High school+
•International
•Current and historical
•Wide range of authors, works
•Content includes biography, work overviews and synopses, literary
criticism/analysis, and topics/themes
•Features selected authors, works, topics/themes that are highlighted and a timeline
that can be customized by keyword
EBSCOhost (Multiple Databases – also listed separately)
•All grade levels, elementary to graduate school, scholars
•International
•Current and historical
•Covers full range of authors, works
•Content includes biography, theater and book reviews, popular magazine articles,
literary criticism, journal articles, some peer-reviewed
•Literary Reference Center
•High school and college
•International
•Current and historical
•Covers short and long fiction writers, poets, dramatists, nonfiction writers
•Content includes biographies, plot summaries, literary criticism, reviews, interviews,
periodicals, reference books, images, and full text classics, poems and short stories
•Includes a literary-historical timeline, encyclopedia of literature, literary glossary,
dictionary, research and citation guides
•Literature Resource Center
•High school through graduate school
•International
•Current and historical
•Covers novelists, poets, essayists, journalists and more
•Content includes biographies, work overviews, critical analysis of works, further
readings, Websites, magazine articles, compare/contrast pages
•Includes a literary-historical timeline, literary index cross-referencing to other Gale
databases
•Gale Virtual Reference Library
•High school +
•International
•Current and historical
•Covers novelists, poets, dramatists, short story writers, graphic novelists
•Content includes biographies, topic/work overviews, critical essays, plot summaries,
reviews, literary movements in encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference
sources
•Multi-discipline – not just literature
•Book facsimiles with encyclopedia style entries
•NetLibrary
•K-12+, public, academic
•Use the library catalog to find materials in NetLibrary or search NetLibrary directly
•View nonfiction, some fiction online; some items can be downloaded
•ListenNJ
•All ages
•Fiction and nonfiction that can be downloaded to computer, e-reader or mobile device
•NoveList & NoveList K-8
•All ages
•Primarily a reader’s advisory tool
•Lists an author’s works, grade level
•Find similar books, book talks, discussions
•Biography in Context
•High school +
•Current and historical figures
•International coverage
•Contains thumbnail and narrative biographies, magazine articles, Websites
•Biography Collection Complete
•High school +
•Current and historical figures
•International coverage
•Contains narrative biographies, images, primary sources, features lexile reading levels
•Who’s Who by Marquis
•High school +
•Current and historical figures
•International coverage
•Contains thumbnail biographies searchable by country, occupation, religion, hobbies, political
affiliation and more
•Learning Express Library
•4th grade to graduate school
•Interactive
•Offers practice tests for writing, AP courses (english, history, government), college prep
(ACT, SAT),graduate school (GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, GRE), career exams (armed forces,
police force, firefighter), teacher certification, a U.S. citizenship test and ESL courses
Does the library have items listed in
‘Further Readings’?
Sometimes
•Check the library catalog
•If there is enough time, Interlibrary Loan Requests can be
made for materials
Search Considerations
•When available, read ‘Description’ of databases
•‘Help’ often provides additional information
•Basic Search
•Keyword
•Author, Title, Subject
•Advanced Search
•Boolean
•Truncation, wildcard, proximity
•Command line
•Limit search by date, publisher, peer-reviewed
•Expand search using related terms, full-text search
•Revise search
•Save to folder
•Output via print/email
Are there other online resources beyond databases?
•Link to a Topic
•African American Resources
•Contemporary Literature
•The Black Book Review Online
•Black Issues Book Review
•Voices from the Gaps
•Black Culture and History
•Biographies
•Historic Black Writers
•Electronic Text Center - African Americans
•Paul Laurence Dunbar
•Biographies
•The Jewish Virtual Library – Biographies and more
•Libraries on the Web
•Internet Public Library www.ipl.org
•Shakespeare Online
•Internet Shakespeare Editions http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca
•Shakespeare Resource Center
•Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet
•The Complete Works of William Shakespeare http://shakespeare.mit.edu/works.html
Are you stuck?
Call the library for help!
732-349-6200 x.5100
question@theoceancountylibrary.org
Prepared by Marguerite Dugas 02/11