Reference Works

Located in the Reference Collection on the Library's Main Level.

New Encyclopaedia Britannica. A general encyclopedia, so don't expect extensive coverage or entries on more obscure authors. However, it does provide good overview information on major authors, and articles may give information on where to find the more influential criticism.
Print Edition: Ref AE5 .E363 2002
Encyclopedia Britannica Online Fully searchable version.

Oxford Companion to English Literature. Shorter entries on authors (including non-British authors) as well as all aspects of literature in English.
Ref PR 19 .O94 2000

Cambridge Guide to English Literature. Covers literature in English written throughout the world.
Ref PR 19 .O94 2000

British Writers. Long entries with strong bibliographies. The base set arranges authors by date. If you don’t see your author, remember to check the supplement volumes.
Ref PR 85. B688

American Writers. Counterpart of the above for American literature.
Ref PS 129 .A55

Cambridge Guide to Women’s Writing in English.
Ref PR 111 .C353 1999

Contemporary Literary Criticism. Articles first provide information about the authors and their works, then criticism.
Ref PN 771 .C59

A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory.
Ref PN 41 .C83 1998

Encyclopedia of the Novel. Example of an encyclopedia devoted to a particular literary form.
Ref PN 41 .E487 1998

A Handbook to Literature. Dictionary-style listing of terms pertaining to literature in English.
Ref PN 41 .H355 2000

Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Meanings and origins of words and phrases — especially good for explaining puzzling allusions.
Ref PN 43 .B65 1999

Reader’s Guide to Literature in English. Guide to literary criticism. Evaluative descriptions of influential critical writings covering important authors and numerous literary topics.
Ref PR 85 .R33 1996

Books

Use the library’s Voyager catalog to find books on your author. If you do an “advanced search” in Voyager, you can separate the books by an author from the books about an author.

Circulating books about literature are on the lower level of the building, shelved in the “P” section. Books by an author are shelved with the books about that author.

You may expand any search for books beyond the confines of this library by performing a search in "All UH Libraries" in the Voyager catalog. Books which the library does not own may be borrowed from one of the UH system libraries. At the Voyager record for the book you want, click on "Request" at the top of the page, and follow the directions for requesting an intrasystem loan. Fees may apply.

Finding Periodical Articles

The library subscribes to about 1,100 periodicals in print format, and we have access to another 24,000 online journals. Use the "Find Periodicals" box located on the library's homepage to locate journals we have either in print or electronically.

Current issues of print periodicals are displayed on the Main Level behind the Reference area, arranged in broad subject areas; those having to do with English studies are shelved under "Humanities." Most of our periodical backfiles are on the Upper Level, shelved alphabetically by title.

To find articles in periodicals on a specific topic, you need to use a periodical index. For research on literature, the best index we have is:

Academic Periodical Search Provides many articles in full text. When full text is not available, abstracts are usually provided.

Also try:
JSTOR A journal archive with full-text of over 200 older journals covering a wide range of topics.

For articles in journals that we don't have, see "Loans from Other Libraries" below.

Internet Resources

Humbul Humanities Hub An extremely selective offering of links in the humanities. Sites are well described, so Humbul makes a good guide to humanities Web resources. This is part of the Resource Discover Network, which is funded by the British government and operates out of Oxford University.

Literary Resources on the Net Links to sites dealing with English and American literature.

The Voice of the Shuttle An essential online destination for the humanities. Started by a University of California, Santa Barbara professor in 1994, VoS provides research links in such categories as literature (in English), literary theory, and philosophy.

Citing Sources

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 2003. This is a detailed reference book describing all of the MLA’s requirements with respect to general format and citations.
General Collection: LB2369 .G53 2003 (2 circulating copies) and
Non-circulating copies in the Reference Collection and at the Reference Desk

How to Cite Sources This UH Hilo Library page has links to web resources on citations. Make sure to check out "Research and Documentation Online" by Diana Hacker, which tells you how to cite most formats in MLA style.

Loans from Other Libraries

Books may be borrowed from other libraries in the UH System. Click here for more information.

Students may obtain copies of articles from journals to which the library does not subscribe through our intrasystem loan service.

Fees may apply.