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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 windowLong-form overview articles written, peer-reviewed, and edited by leading scholars. Both foundational and cutting-edge topics are covered in order to develop, over time, an anchoring knowledge base for major areas of research.
Access to selected content only. Some articles may not be available.
- Brill's Encyclopedia of HinduismGood starting source for Hinduism.
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREEStarting resource for study of Islam.
- BrillOnline Reference Works This link opens in a new windowFind Encyclopaedia of Islam Three and Encyclopedia of Hinduism from this site.
- 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.
COMPANIONS
Companions are books authored and edited by scholarly writers that give background information about topics. This background can further your understanding of the issues and/or complexities surrounding your topic and the time period when it takes place.
You can find "companions" on many topics. Just do a keyword search in Library Catalog for the word "companion" and the word(s) for your topic to see if one has been published. Below are some examples of the variety of companions you might encounter - from the broad to the narrow in scope.
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Cambridge Companion to Modern Indian Culture
The book provides accounts of literature, theatre, film, modern and popular art, music, television and food; it also explores in detail social divisions, customs, communications and daily life. In a series of essays the contributors, drawn from a variety of disciplines, examine not merely what constitutes modern Indian culture, but just how wide-ranging are the cultures that persist in the regions of India. -
Cambridge Companion to Gandhi
This book, comprised of essays by renowned experts in the fields of Indian history and philosophy, traces Gandhi's extraordinary story. The first part of the book, the biography, explores his transformation from a small-town lawyer during his early life in South Africa into a skilled political activist and leader of civil resistance in India. The second part is devoted to Gandhi's key writings and his thinking on a broad range of topics, including religion, conflict, politics, and social relations. The final part reflects on Gandhi's image - how he has been portrayed in literature and film - and on his legacy in India, the West, and beyond. -
Companion to World History
Call Number: Central, D13 .C628 2012, and Available OnlineA Companion to World History presents 34 essays from an international group of historians that both identify continuing areas of contention, disagreement, and divergence in world and global history, and point to directions for further debate. -
Oxford Companion to British History
Oxford Companion to British History covers all aspects of the history of Britain from 55 BC to the present day. Written by over 100 distinguished specialist contributors, the variety of entries provides a wealth of essential information touching all aspects of British history: political, economic, social, military, people, events, and institutions.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS & DICTIONARIES
Subject specific encyclopedias and historical dictionaries are useful points of departure for your research. Some of the titles below can be accessed online.
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Dictionary of the British Empire and Commonwealth
Call Number: DA16 .P35 1996 P Central BOOK STACKS -
Encyclopedia of Pakistan
Call Number: DS376.8 .E53 2006 Central REFERENCE ARMSTD-4FL -
Historical Dictionary of India
Call Number: DS405 .M27 2006 Centrla REFERENCE ARMSTD-4FL
- 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.
- Readers' Guide Retrospective, 1890-1982 This link opens in a new window
Index 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.
- Digital South Asia Library (U of Chicago)Hosted by the University of Chicago.
Library Perks
- Library PerksVanderbilt Libraries offers a variety of resources and services for research and scholarship. Make sure you don't miss out on any of these library perks for Vanderbilt affiliates.
