This page outlines the resources for Professor Bonds's Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement Sophomore Seminar course. Below are the databases we covered in class as well as a handful of biographical resources for research into the backgrounds of your assigned authors.

Before delving into these specific databases, try searching the library's main search engine which simultaneously searches our physical catalog of books and multimedia items and over 200+ of our scholarly journal databases. Simply click on the "Search" tab at the top right of any library page or click the big green "Search" button in the middle of our Library homepage.

Search Tab - The library catalog

  • Books on your topic: Search Books and More, placing the phrase in quotation marks: "harlem renaissance" "black arts movement"
  • Too many results? Narrow your search, using the facets on the right.
  • Find related books? Click on one of the book titles and note the subject links to related books. See the list of books on the right column for other related titles.
  • Save the book records in My Favorites.
  • Books written by your writer: Search by Author -- "toomer, jean"
  • Use keywords to combine topics: race literature will pull up books on race and literature.
  • Use quotation marks for phrases
  • Search Advanced Search for more complex searches.

E-ZBorrow and Interlibrary Loan

  • Use either service to obtain books from other libraries; Interlibrary loan for journal articles. (There is no charge for these services.)
  • May take up to 5 to 7 days: Be sure to plan ahead

Important: How can I get an article? findit.gif is the key.

Some databases have full text. For others, click on FindIt to determine if there are online links to the article; if it is in a journal the library subscribes to; or if you need to use Interlibrary Loan / Iliad - to obtain the article.

  Books: In The Library & Online

Click HERE to view a brief list of books that can be found in our library related to the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement and may serve as a useful starting point in your research. Several of these books are available to view and search online.

 Subject Specific Database

African American Studies Center (Oxford University Press)
Contains a selection of information sources ranging from the authoritative Encyclopedia of African American History to the African American National Biography project. Selected primary sources, maps, images, charts, and tables round out the collection.
[Details]

 General Databases for Humanities

  Organizing & Citing Your Sources

<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Organizing Your Sources<br /></strong></span>Never type a bibliography again! <a href="https://www.refworks.com/refworks2/default.aspx?r=authentication::init&amp;groupcode=RWVillanovaU" target="_blank">RefWorks</a> will help you easily gather, manage, and store bibliographic citations for all types of information, as well as generate footnotes and bibliographies.&nbsp;<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.refworks.com/tutorial/" target="_blank">HERE</a> to view a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a RefWorks account.<br /><br />
<div><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>MLA Style Guide</strong></span></div>
<div><a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/" target="_blank">The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University </a>houses writing resources and instructional material, and they provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction.</div>


Remember, for more resources you can always check the English Subject Guide.