Reference Works
Specialized reference works like the ones listed below are very useful for research. Specialized encyclopedias can provide useful overviews or convenient explanations. Specialized dictionaries give a more precise definition of terms as they are used by a particular field of study. The print titles here are located on the first floor of the Library. Browse around the same areas to find other useful titles. To access online sources, just click on the title.
Art and Architecture
- African Americans in the Visual Arts
- Reference N 6538 .N5 O86 2004
- Contemporary Photographers
- Reference TR 139 .C664 1995
- Contemporary Women Artists
- Reference N 8354 .C66 1999
- Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography
- Reference N 7560 .E53
- Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Architecture
- Reference NA 680 .E495 2004
- Encyclopedia of World Art
- Reference N 31 .W6
- (Grove's) Dictionary Of Art
- Reference N 31 .D5 1996 Full-text of scholarly articles covering the visual arts from prehistory through the 1990s. Links to images of artistic works and to selected Web sites.
- Modern Arts Criticism
- Reference N 40 .M63
- New York Times Guide to the Arts of the Twentieth Century
- Reference NX 456 .N49
- Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990
- Reference NX 650 .M9 R45
- St. James Guide to Black Artists
- Reference N 40 .S78 1997
- Who's Who in American Art
- Reference N 6536 .W5
Dance
- International Dictionary of Ballet
- Reference GV 1585 .I57 1993
- International Dictionary of Modern Dance
- Reference GV 1585 .B46 1998
- International Encyclopedia of Dance
- Reference GV 1585 .I586 1998
Ethnicity
African Americans
- African American Almanac
- Reference E 185.5 .Ar 2003
- Black Women in America
- Reference E 185.86 .B542 2005
- Contemporary Black Biography
- Reference E 185.96 .C66
- Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History
- Reference E 185 .E54
Asian Americans
- Asian American Almanac
- Reference E 184 .O6 A824 1995
- Asian American Encyclopedia
- Reference E184.O6 A827 1995
Hispanic/Latino Americans
- Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture
- Reference E 184 .S75 E59 2004
- Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States
- Literature and Art : Reference E 184 .S75 H365 1993
- Hispanic American Almanac
- Reference E 184 .S75 H557 2003
- Latino Encyclopedia
- Reference E 184 .S75 L357 1996
- Mexican American Experience
- Reference E 184 .M5 M4535
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas
- Reference E 184 .S75 O97 2005
Native Americans
- Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World
- Reference E 54.5 .k46
- Native American Almanac
- Reference E 77 .N37
Film and Television
- African American Video Guide
- Reference PN 1995.9 .N4 O44 1994
- Blacks in American Film and Television
- Reference PN 1995.9 .N4 B58 1988
- Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood
- Reference PN 1995.9 .M56 M85 2003
- Encyclopedia of Television
- Reference PN 1992.18 .E53 2004
- Guide to Latin-American, Caribbean and U. S. Latino-Made Film and Video
- Reference PN 1995.9 .L37 G85
- Multicultural Films
- Reference PN 1995.9 .M56 W45 2005
Literature
- African American Writers
- Reference PS 153 .N5 A344 2001
- Asian American Literature
- Reference PS 153 .A84 A82 1999
- Asian Pacific American Heritage
- Reference PS 153 .A84 A87 1999
- Black Literature Criticism
- Reference PS 153 .N5 B556
- Dictionary of Literary Biography
- Reference PN 451 .D5
- Hispanic Literature Criticism
- PQ 7081 .A1 H573
- Hispanic Writers
- Reference PQ 7081.3 .H58
- Identities and Issues in Literature
- Reference PS 153 .M56 I34 1997
Library Catalogs
Use the catalogs below to locate print and audio-visual materials.
- COD Library Catalog
- Items in the COD Library including eBooks.
- I-Share
- Materials at 76 Illinois libraries. You may borrow directly from North Central College Library, Wheaton College, Benedictine University and Elmhurst College
- WorldCat
- A large number of US and some world libraries
You may search for particular forms of art such as Hip-Hop or Sculpture or names of individual artists. If you are searching for a particular artist, you should first search them as a subject: i.e. Saar, Betye; then as an author, i.e Saar, Betye; then as a keyword, i.e. Saar and Betye.
If you would like to search for information on ethnic groups, here are some subject headings to try. All these examples use African Americans, but you can just substitute the ethnic group you are interested in. Remember that Asian Americans may also be Chinese Americans or Japanese Americans or Korean Americans among others. Latino is not used; use Hispanic Americans or Mexican Americans. Native American is also not used; the term used for this group is Indians of North America.
African Americans...
| biography | history | in mass media
|
| in art | in literature | in motion pictures
|
| in popular culture | in the motion picture industry | in the performing arts
|
| on television | race identity | social conditions
|
or African American.... or African American Women...
| actors | art | artists
|
| arts | authors | dance
|
| dancers | entertainers | motion picture actors and actresses
|
| painting | painters | photographers
|
| sculptors | sculpture
|
Indexes
Although the College of DuPage Library has no online indexes specifically for topics in the humanities, many of these general sources cover the topic well. In many cases, the databases will have the full text article available online. If you are using these databases from off-campus, please be sure to have your library card available.
- Academic OneFile
- General database.
- Academic Search Premier
- General Database.
- Essay and General Literature Index
- Indexes chapters or essays in books.
- JSTOR
- JSTOR is an archive of digitized journal articles ranging in date from the 1700's to the early 2000's. These collections span a variety of subjects in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Physical Sciences.
- Literature Resource Center
- Contains, biographical and critical information about authors and their works from both reference sources and journals.
- Magill OnLiterature Plus
- Brief analysis and brief plot summaries.
- New York Times Historical and New York Times
- Full text of the New York Times, excellent for reviews of film, theatre, and art exhibits.
Internet Sites
- Architecture
- Art
- Museums
- Sculpture
Writing Help
- Dartmouth Writing Program, Materials for Students: Writing the Academic Paper
- How to Study and Write for Art
- How to Study and Write for Theatre
- Short Guide to Writing About Art N 7476 .B37
- Thinking and Writing About Art History N 380 .R438 2004
- Writing About the Humanities PE 1408 .D593 2000
Citing Sources
In the humanities, the MLA format (Modern Language Association) is commonly used to create bibliographies or works cited pages. The sources below may help you.
- MLA List of Works Cited
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- Research and Documentation Online
Marianne Berger
630.942.2338
berger@cod.edu
July 2010
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