Literary Reference Center
Literary Reference Center
Grades: 9+ | Subject(s): All | Overall rating: 10
EBSCO's Literary Reference Center is a full-text database with information on thousands of literary works and authors. The home page features an author, a piece of literature, and a content spotlight that change frequently. Users can browse the Literary Reference Center by most studied authors, most studied works, all authors, all works, full-text classics, or by publication. A reference section is included that features an Encyclopedia of Literature, Dictionary, help with Citations, a Research Guide, a Literary Glossary, and Curriculum Standards. Users can search the Literary Reference Center by keyword, title, or author with a basic search or an advanced search. Additionally, nine books are featured in the “book highlight” section of the homepage. Users can create an account and save articles in a folder and customize the center experience in the preferences section. Additionally, users can view the page in English or change the text within the Literary Reference Center to 26 other languages.
For the purposes of this assignment, I conducted a basic, title search for “Heart of Darkness” because it is currently being studied by some of our literature classes. 155 items were found for my search. I could filter the search results to include only full text, cover story, or bibliography resources. I could also filter by publication date, source type, subject, or publication. I was pleased with the wide variety of results found for this work. I could do anything from read a PDF full-text copy of the original work by Joseph Conrad, browse over 100 articles written about the work, read literary criticism or reviews of the work, or read entries about the work in reference books. Additionally five different plot summaries, three different interviews, three poems related to the work, and two biographies were also available.
Then, I decided to search publications. I searched first for the keyword “library.” Fifty-six publications were listed; however, not all results were relevant to my search. But, I did get several great publications including Library Trends, Library Quarterly, Children & Libaries, Young Adult Library Services, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Library Talk, etc. I clicked on School Library Journal since it was one I was closely familiar with and was presented with basic publication information such as title, ISSN, publisher information and website. Additionally, I could search for articles going all the way back to 1974! Just being curious (and somewhat skeptical), I clicked on February 1980 – the year and month of my birth – and found eleven PDF full-text reviews printed in that issue. Incredible!
Just for the fun of it, I decided to run an image search, too. I searched for the keyword “library” again and found thirty-one images – none of libraries, but several of important library artifacts.
All in all, I gave this resource a 10. It had a wealth of information on all sorts of literary resources. The site was easy to use and included a helpful “help” feature as well. I think it would be an incredible resource to anyone trying to find more information about a piece of literature, an author, etc.
Source:
Sewlall, H. (2014). Joseph Conrad in the Popular Imaginary: The Case of Heart of Darkness. Journal Of Literary Studies, 30(2), 17-34.
Grades: 9+ | Subject(s): All | Overall rating: 10
EBSCO's Literary Reference Center is a full-text database with information on thousands of literary works and authors. The home page features an author, a piece of literature, and a content spotlight that change frequently. Users can browse the Literary Reference Center by most studied authors, most studied works, all authors, all works, full-text classics, or by publication. A reference section is included that features an Encyclopedia of Literature, Dictionary, help with Citations, a Research Guide, a Literary Glossary, and Curriculum Standards. Users can search the Literary Reference Center by keyword, title, or author with a basic search or an advanced search. Additionally, nine books are featured in the “book highlight” section of the homepage. Users can create an account and save articles in a folder and customize the center experience in the preferences section. Additionally, users can view the page in English or change the text within the Literary Reference Center to 26 other languages.
For the purposes of this assignment, I conducted a basic, title search for “Heart of Darkness” because it is currently being studied by some of our literature classes. 155 items were found for my search. I could filter the search results to include only full text, cover story, or bibliography resources. I could also filter by publication date, source type, subject, or publication. I was pleased with the wide variety of results found for this work. I could do anything from read a PDF full-text copy of the original work by Joseph Conrad, browse over 100 articles written about the work, read literary criticism or reviews of the work, or read entries about the work in reference books. Additionally five different plot summaries, three different interviews, three poems related to the work, and two biographies were also available.
Then, I decided to search publications. I searched first for the keyword “library.” Fifty-six publications were listed; however, not all results were relevant to my search. But, I did get several great publications including Library Trends, Library Quarterly, Children & Libaries, Young Adult Library Services, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Library Talk, etc. I clicked on School Library Journal since it was one I was closely familiar with and was presented with basic publication information such as title, ISSN, publisher information and website. Additionally, I could search for articles going all the way back to 1974! Just being curious (and somewhat skeptical), I clicked on February 1980 – the year and month of my birth – and found eleven PDF full-text reviews printed in that issue. Incredible!
Just for the fun of it, I decided to run an image search, too. I searched for the keyword “library” again and found thirty-one images – none of libraries, but several of important library artifacts.
All in all, I gave this resource a 10. It had a wealth of information on all sorts of literary resources. The site was easy to use and included a helpful “help” feature as well. I think it would be an incredible resource to anyone trying to find more information about a piece of literature, an author, etc.
Source:
Sewlall, H. (2014). Joseph Conrad in the Popular Imaginary: The Case of Heart of Darkness. Journal Of Literary Studies, 30(2), 17-34.