Shakespeare:  Selected Sources

Locating Books:

The key to locating books within the USF Library system is to use the USF Library Catalog listed under the “Catalogs” section of the Libraries of the USF System web site.  Search requests may be limited by USF Campus.  To limit your search to items at the St. Petersburg library, click on the “change databases” link near the top of the screen and select “USF St. Petersburg-Poynter Library.”  Keep in mind that the library catalog will stay limited to the Poynter Library until you change databases again.

Be as specific as possible when searching for books – use a title or author search if you are looking for a particular book or consider a subject specific search when looking for books on a focused topic. 

Books relating to Shakespeare are generally found in the PR2750-PR3112 call number section of the library; however, because this covers a fairly large area in our library, you may want to perform a more specific subject search on Shakespeare and then look for the subheadings for individual works, for “characters,” or for “criticism and interpretation.”  Consult with a reference librarian or the Library of Congress Subject Headings books for additional suggestions.

Books at libraries outside of the USF Library system may be located by consulting the WorldCat database (located on the Libraries of the USF System web site in the “Catalogs” section under “Other Catalogs”).  Subject headings used to search the USF Library catalog may also be used to search in WorldCat. 

Locating Journal Article Citations and Critical Essays:

The Libraries of the USF System subscribe to a vast number of resources that provide journal citations and/or full-text articles.  Most databases are subject-specific. To locate relevant resources, go to the main library web site (http://www.lib.usf.edu), and under the “Electronic Resources” category, select “databases.”  From there, select the “by subject area” link and choose “Literature and Literary Studies” or “English.”   To get you started, the following databases may be useful for finding articles and information relating to the works of Shakespeare:

MLA International Bibliography

              Considered a primary research tool for literary studies, this database indexes books, journal articles and dissertations.  Coverage is from 1963 to the present.

Essay and General Literature Index

              This database provides indexing to individual critical essays that are published as part of a collected work.  The database provides basic citations—use the information listed in the “Essay Source” section of the Essay and General Literature record to check the USF library catalog to find out if the book is available within the USF Library system.

Humanities Full Text

              Indexes articles pertaining to a wide variety of humanities-related subjects.  Searches may be limited to peer reviewed journals.

Locating the full-text journal article:

Once you have located journal citations of interest, there are several ways to locate the full-text of a particular article.  The link to SFX is the easiest way to find full-text but not always the most reliable.  Use the USF online catalog as the most reliable method for locating journal titles.

• Use the link if it is available.
• Perform a title search on the title of the journal (not the article title) in the USF online catalog. 
• Use the e-journal finder located in the “Electronic Resources” section of the Libraries of the USF System web site.
• Click on the “full-text” link (when available) within the database.
• If you do not locate the materials at USF, consider submitting an interlibrary loan request

        for the item.

Remember, if you have difficulty using one of the library resources, talk to a reference librarian.  Help is available in-person, by phone (727-553-4124) or via chat (from the Ask a Librarian link on the Libraries of the USF System web site)!

Created by Tina Neville,  neville@nelson.usf.edu

August 2005