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EH201 & 202 -- Survey of American Literature: Find Books

This Library Guide directs you to sources for information on American writers from colonial times to the present. The resources presented are selected and representative, not comprehensive, and are intended to provide a sample of all the information sour

Page Overview

This page focuses on books.  It offers examples of the types of books which may be used during a research assignment.  One characteristic of the Library of Congress Classification System, which is the system that Houston Cole Library uses, is that like is shelved with like.  For the researcher this means that once you have found the location of the particular book you are seeking, you should scan the titles of nearby books to see if there are others that might help you with your research project.

Selection of Circulating Books

These are some noteworthy titles available through Houston Cole Library.  HCL provides some books in print format, some in electronic format, and some in both.  The catalog record for each book indicates the formats in which it is available.

Library Catalog Basic Search


 

Search for eBooks

Start with these Databases to Locate Books

To find books on a topic, you can either search the Library Catlaog using the above search widget or you can search one of the following databases:

Search for Electronic Reference Books

Start with these Databases to Locate Reference Books

To find reference books on a topic, you can either search the Library Catlaog using the above search widget or you can search one of the following databases:

Selection of Reference Books

What are Reference Books?

Reference books

  • are of many types: bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, etc.
  • fall into two broad categories
    • reference sources (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias)
    • reference tools (bibliographies, indexes 

How are Reference Sources used?

Reference sources (esp. specialized encyclopedias) can be used to

  • obtain background information and get a broad view of a topic prior to beginning research
  • narrow a topic to a subject suitable for a research paper
  • discover unfamiliar people, places, and things pertaining to the broad topic 

Aside from assisting in research, these specialized reference encyclopedias also can                                                               

  • help students prepare for exams (especially comprehensive examinations for degrees)                                           
  • provide students enough basic information to participate in class discussions
  • help teachers prepare lesson plans for things which will be covered in class but which are not a major part of the syllabus   

How are Reference Tools used?

Reference tools (bibliographies, databases, indexes)) can be used to

  • find more in-depth sources pertaining to the research subject      

Below is a selection of our reference books for American literature.  Please use the Library JaxCat Catalog to find more reference books.