Other Starting Points

For the most recent citations to be found in literary journals, it is recommended that you begin with the electronic resources available in the General Research Division, Room 315, notably the MLA International Bibliography and the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature. From the Selected Electronic Resources menu, click the Literature and Linguistics box. This will produce a descriptive list of available databases and recommended Web sites.

Printed bibliographies can be consulted for locating sources of earlier material. For particular periods or subject areas, a good guide to reference works is the Literary research guide, 4^th ed., (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2002) in *R-RMRR PR83 .H34 2002. An excellent first source for locating resources dealing with individual authors is Reference works in British and American literature located in the reading room with the call number *R-RMRR PR83 .B74 1998.

In addition to items from the catalog, an open-shelf browsing collection of major literary reference sources is available in the Rose Main Reading Room, Room 315, along the northeast wall. Items housed here are indicated in CATNYP with a classmark that includes the prefix *R or *RR (e.g., *R-NCB), *RS or *RB (indicating an open-shelf bibliography). This basic collection includes bibliographies, handbooks, surveys, critical studies, and a few standard scholarly editions of notable authors.

For additional information or assistance, speak to a librarian at the main reference desk in room 315, or contact us at grdref@nypl.org.