American Studies Librarian
Getting Started
As a Vanderbilt student you can:
- get help with your research assignments by using Ask A Librarian.
- borrow books and other items from any of the campus libraries (except Special Collections).
- return most items you check out to any library.
- find book drops outside the libraries and at the Commons Center.
- Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new windowLiterary guide to significant sources on a variety of subjects. Works as an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new windowIncludes ORE to American History, Political Science, Literature and more.
- Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new windowArticles primary source documents, images, maps, charts, tables, and government documents from five Oxford University Press encyclopedias and reference sources. Also includes The African American National Biography.
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Includes: Grove Music Online, The Oxford Dictionary of Music, and the Oxford Companion to Music. These may be searched together or individually. Grove Music Online contains the following important music reference sources: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Reference sources published by Oxford University Press. Dictionaries, subject reference works, language reference sources and key titles in the Oxford Companion series. Some examples are: the Oxford-Duden German dictionaries, A Dictionary of Psychology, A Dictionary of Zoology, The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, A Dictionary of Writers and Their Works, Oxford Companion to Western Art, Oxford Companion to U.S.History, Oxford Companion to Music, Oxford Companion to Philosophy, and The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, etc.
- Bloomsbury Popular Music This link opens in a new windowExplores the historical origins and cultural impact of popular music, influential artists and albums, local music scenes and subcultures, musical form, instruments, the workings of the music industry, and the social, political, and economic context of different musical genres.
- Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new windowCambridge Histories covering American, British, economic, regional, and general history, language and linguistics, philosophy, religious studies, theatre studies and performing arts, etc.
- Literature Criticism (Gale) This link opens in a new windowBiographical essays; critical essays or excerpts taken from books, magazines, literary reviews, newspapers, scholarly journals, and interviews with featured authors.
Includes ten publications: Contemporary Literary Criticism, Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism, Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Drama Criticism, Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Shakespearean Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400-1800, and Children's Literature Review. - Opposing Viewpoints in Context (OV or OVIC) This link opens in a new window
Pro and con articles on important social, political, and economic issues. Reference articles that provide context, magazines, newspapers, primary source documents, government and organizational statistics, and links.
- Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new window
Concise overviews of hundreds of diverse topics from the abstract (Knowledge) to the concrete (Coral Reefs), written by experts in the field who combine facts, analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make challenging topics highly readable.
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new window
Index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada. Journal articles, book titles, book reviews, and dissertations.
- Gale Literature: Book Review Index This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive guide to book reviews: cites or links to full-text reviews.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Index of academic historical journals on the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, etc.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowLarge and important archive for academic journals, books, and primary sources in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Many journals do not have current issues.
- ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Search all ProQuest databases simultaneously. Includes arts, humanities, social sciences, news, and science and technology.
- Reviews in HistoryReviews of books across all fields of History.
- Readers' Guide Retrospective, 1890-1982 This link opens in a new windowIndex of articles from magazines, including full coverage of the original print volumes of Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature™. Atlantic Monthly, Century Magazine, Christian Century, Commonweal, Foreign Affairs, Fortnightly Review (London), Good Housekeeping, Harper's, Ladies Home Journal, Literary Digest, The Nation, New Republic, Reader's Digest, Saturday Evening Post, Saturday Review, Scribner's, and Women's Home Companion.
Central Library Floor Plans
- Central Library Floor PlansLink gives floor plan to Central Library building, which includes the Divinity Library and Special Collections. Books by call number, study rooms, and other library services and noted.
