Finding Books & Articles - THTR 1111 - Visual Storytelling in Theatre and Film - Franck

Finding Sources

Finding Books
Finding Articles

Vanderbilt University Library Catalog

Selecting the best search scope for your research needs:

Library Catalog vs. VU Collections vs. Articles

Search Scope	What is included?	When should I use it?
Library Catalog	Broadest search scope Results will include books and ebooks, articles, and media like DVDs	A great option when you are just beginning your research process. Use Library Catalog when you want to survey the research landscape for your topic
VU Collections	Focuses on VU owned items, physical and digital Results will include books and ebooks, and media like DVDs Digital collections like the TV News Archive will also be included in your results	You have defined your information needs Use VU Collections when you are ready to create a tailored search for your topic
Articles	Content from selected VU databases Popular and scholarly articles	Use Articles to find popular and scholarly articles on your topic. The Articles scope does not search across all databases accessible to the Vanderbilt community. Not finding the articles you need or want more database options? Consult the Database A-Z

For a more detailed explanation of your search scope options consult What am I searching?

Keyword vs. Subject Searching

Step 1: Start your search process by brainstorming a list of keywords that describe the main concepts of your topic or question.

Step 2: Use these keywords for your initial searches.

Step 3: Use the Subject Heading links in the Library Catalog record to refine your search.

Screen shot of catalog record for book, Arthur Miller's America

Theatre & Film

The following databases will help you locate information about the play's history, its' various landmark productions, and its themes.

MLA International Bibliography
Subject indexing of journals, books, proceedings, and dissertations in the areas of literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory & criticism, dramatic arts, and the historical aspects of printing and publishing.
Coverage: 1926 to present.
ProQuest
Search all ProQuest databases simultaneously. Includes arts, humanities, social sciences, news, and science and technology.
FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals
Bibliographical index covering academic and popular film journals. Includes: "International Index to Film Periodicals," "Treasures from Film Archives," and "Documentation Collections."
Coverage: 1972 to present.
Contemporary Literary Criticism
Published criticism on the works of novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers, and other creative writers now living or who died after January 1, 2000. Emphasis is on criticism of works by established authors who frequently appear on syllabuses of high school and college literature courses. Biographical essays, critical essays or excerpts taken from books, magazines, literary reviews, newspapers, and scholarly journals, and interviews with featured authors.
Literature Online
Literary criticism, selected full-text works (poetry, poems, and drama), author pages, reviews, and reference sources including biographies, bibliographies, and encyclopedias.
Coverage: 7th century to present
Gale Literary Sources
Primary sources, critical articles, literary and cultural analysis, and biographies.

Historical Research

Cambridge Histories Online
Cambridge Histories covering American, British, economic, regional, and general history, language and linguistics, philosophy, religious studies, theatre studies and performing arts, etc.
Historical Abstracts
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.
Coverage: 1955 to present