Shakers and Shakerism

Researching Shakerism in Electronic Resources

Much of the scholarly literature on Shakerism is to be found only in periodicals, the indexes to which are available electronically.  To gain access to this literature, it is necessary to consult the following:

ATLA Religion Database with ATLA Serials  This resource contains citations to articles, books, and book reviews from journals specializing in religion, church history, and theology; the full text is supplied for many articles.  Coverage varies according to publication, although most date from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; articles are mainly in English with some in other major European tongues.  This is an essential research tool for those studying the Shaker experience in its many ramifications.

 

America: History and Life   An index to scholarly periodicals in American history.

JSTOR  A resource which provides the full text for articles from scholarly journals.  Since the scope of this resource includes many disciplines, one is able to research Shakerism from various perspectives, including historical, religious, sociological, artistic, feminist, etc.

Researchers in Shakerism are also advised to consult various other online periodical indexes available in the General Research Division; especially appropriate are: America’s Historical Newspapers;  EBSCO Research Databases; American Periodical Series Online; Readers’ Guide Retro; 19th Century Masterfile (which includes Poole’s Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906); Art Full Text; Art Index Retrospective; Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals; and the electronic databases for newspapers.

Those pursuing advanced work in this field may wish to consult the Library's manuscript holdings on Shakers and Shakerism in the Manuscripts and Archives Division; permission to use these materials is granted only by the Special Collections Office, Room 316.

 

Selected Internet Sites on the World Wide Web

The following are the web sites of Shaker communities or museums:

Enfield Shaker Museum  (http://www.shakermuseum.org/)

Shaker Heritage Society, Albany, New York  (http://www.shakerheritage.org/)

Shaker Museum and Library  (http://www.shakermuseumandlibrary.org/)

Sabbathday Lake, Maine, Shaker Village  (http://maineshakers.com/)

Canterbury Village  (http://shakers.org/)

Hancock Village  (http://www.hancockshakervillage.org/)

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill  (http://www.shakervillageky.org/)

Shaker Museum at South Union, Kentucky  (http://www.shakermuseum.com/)