SELECT APPROPRIATE SOURCES

Once you have determined that enough information is available to meet the requirements of your assignment it is time to collect the resources you will use as supporting evidence in your paper. The SJRCC libraries provide a variety of online and print resources that provide literary criticism and analysis as well as, biographical, bibliographical and other information on authors and their works. These resources include:

periodical articles
Articles written for publication in magazines and journals can be a rich source of literary criticism. These critical articles are not listed in the library catalog, but are found in periodical indexes. The SJRCC library provides a number of online and print indexes, including Literature Resource Center (discussed later in this section) to help students locate articles on literary topics.

books of criticism
Many well known authors and works of literature have entire books of criticism written about them. These can be located using LINCC, the library’s catalog, by searching for the author’s name or the name of the work (play, novel, etc.) as a SUBJECT.

book reviews
Book reviews may also provide critical comments. Books are normally reviewed shortly after they are published, but not all published literary works are reviewed. Book Review Digest is available online and provides citations and some full-text book reviews previously published in magazines and journals.

reference sources
SJRCC libraries have a number of literary reference sources consisting of collections of criticism compiled into one or several volumes. These collections are generally arranged by time period, genre or national origin. During your background reading it is important to note this kind of information. For example, by taking note of the genre and time period in which she wrote, you would know that while Emily Dickinson can be found in the reference work titled Poetry Criticism, she would not be found in Modern Women Writers. Taking note of the author's nationality will inform you that William Faulkner, for instance, will be found in American Authors but not in British Authors. Your Public Services Librarian can also assist you in locating reference materials on your author or work.

online databases
The best online database to find literary criticisms is Literature Resource Center.
“The Literature Resource Center provides access to literary criticisms, biographies, and related web sites for authors from every age and literary discipline. The Literature Resource Center covers more than 90,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists and other writers, with in-depth coverage of 2,000 of the most-studied authors. Search by Author Name, Title, Genre, Literary Movement or Literary Themes, or combine criteria to create a highly-targeted custom search path." All of the articles found in this database are available for free online. You will need a valid library card to access Literature Resource Center at home or in the computer lab via the Internet.

To access Literature Resource Center:

1. Check your settings. If you have a pop-up blocker, you should turn it off or change its settings to allow pop-ups on this site and the database sites.

If you use AOL, we strongly recommend you use Internet Explorer - not the AOL browser - to access the databases.

2. LOG IN (instructions for logging in)

3. You will see 4 categories of databases. General contains databases that cover most subject areas. Subject-Specific contains databases on particular topics, for example literature. Other Library Catalogs provide access to public library and university catalogs (check these after you search LINCC). K-12 resources are databases intended for students in grade school through high school.

3. Under Subject-specific, cllick the Literature Resource Center link to connect to the resource.

4. Searching:

AUTHOR SEARCH
The default is author search, so you only have to type in the author's name in the text box and click Search. To view article click on the title.

TITLE SEARCH
Click the Title link. Type the title of the work that you are looking for and click Search. You may also narrow your search by putting the Author's name in the second text box. To view article click on the title.

AUTHOR BY TYPE
To search for an author by genre, theme, nationality and ethnicity or any combinations thereof click Author Type. Use the text box and scroll menus and click Search. To view article click on the title.

OTHER SEARCHES
You may also search for articles by Keyword(s), Literary-Historical Timelines or a combination of all of the above types of searches by clicking Advanced.

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