Welcome to your course guide.
Here you will find tools and resources to help you engage in research for your course, but don't forget the library has many many resources that are all available to your as Villanova students. Although the resources on this page are specific to your current class your understanding of how to use these resources can be applied to other library resources for other classes in the future.
Other Helpful Library Pages
For a comprehensive list of the databases available to you through the library see Databases A-Z
Search Smarter!
The Web vs. Library Databases – A comparison
A guide to understanding and evaluating the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly resources
Is it Scholarly? Tips for critically evaluating your information resources.
A guide to understanding and evaluating the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly resources
Is it Scholarly? Tips for critically evaluating your information resources.
e-Books
The Cambridge companion to August Wilson
The Cambridge companion to African American theatre
Scholarly Articles and Criticism
America: History and Life (EBSCO)
Indexes the literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes citations for journal and magazine articles, book reviews, and dissertations. Abstracts of journal articles are included together with selected full-text. Indexing goes back to 1964.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index - Web of Science (Clarivate)
Indexes core journals in the arts and humanities. Includes citing and cited references for each article. Search fields include article title word, journal title, author, cited author or reference, address word (i.e., author's institution), and funding agency. Coverage goes back to 1991.
Drama Criticism (Gale)
Provides critical analyses of significant dramatists or plays. For each play or playwright featured, a full range of critical opinion is presented, along with a biographical sketch, a chronological list of the writer's major works and more. Approximately 90-95% of critical essays are full text. Titles of the plays are searchable. Reprints also available from Literature Resource Center.
JSTOR
Provides a full text archive of academic journals and books in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. The most recent three to five years of a journal are usually not included.
Literature Criticism Online (Gale)
Provides compilations of literary criticism. Includes the complete runs of Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Drama Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Shakespearean Criticism, Short Story Criticism, and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.
One Literature (ProQuest)
Features a digital library of English and American poetry, drama, and prose. Provides access to literary criticism indexed in ABELL and MLA International Bibliography and includes selective access to the full text of academic journals. Also includes full text access to a collection of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and biographical dictionaries.
Indexes the literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes citations for journal and magazine articles, book reviews, and dissertations. Abstracts of journal articles are included together with selected full-text. Indexing goes back to 1964.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index - Web of Science (Clarivate)
Indexes core journals in the arts and humanities. Includes citing and cited references for each article. Search fields include article title word, journal title, author, cited author or reference, address word (i.e., author's institution), and funding agency. Coverage goes back to 1991.
Drama Criticism (Gale)
Provides critical analyses of significant dramatists or plays. For each play or playwright featured, a full range of critical opinion is presented, along with a biographical sketch, a chronological list of the writer's major works and more. Approximately 90-95% of critical essays are full text. Titles of the plays are searchable. Reprints also available from Literature Resource Center.
JSTOR
Provides a full text archive of academic journals and books in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. The most recent three to five years of a journal are usually not included.
Literature Criticism Online (Gale)
Provides compilations of literary criticism. Includes the complete runs of Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Drama Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Shakespearean Criticism, Short Story Criticism, and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.
One Literature (ProQuest)
Features a digital library of English and American poetry, drama, and prose. Provides access to literary criticism indexed in ABELL and MLA International Bibliography and includes selective access to the full text of academic journals. Also includes full text access to a collection of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and biographical dictionaries.
Newspapers and Archival Resources
African American Newspapers: The 19th Century (Accessible Archives)
Provides access to the major 19th century African American newspapers including The Christian Recorder (1861-1902), Freedom's Journal (1827-1829), The North Star (1847-1851), and Frederick Douglass' Paper (1851-1863).
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.
America's Historical Newspapers (Readex)
Includes full text of selected early American newspapers published between 1690 and 1922. Villanova University has access to series 1 through 5 and 7.
Black Authors, 1556-1922 (Readex)
Provides online access to the print archives of the Library Company of Philadelphia. Features works by authors of African and African-American descent.
Ethnic NewsWatch (ProQuest)
Offers access to the full text of articles from newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic, minority, and native press. While most of the content is in English, some content in non-English languages is included. Coverage for most newspapers and magazines goes back to the early 1990s, but earlier content is also available.
New York Times: 1851- (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
Provides full text access to the complete New York Times archive except for the most recent five years. Use NYTimes.com, Nexis Uni, or ABI/INFORM for access to current content.
Theatre in Context (formerly North American Theatre Online)
Presents a comprehensive reference work on North American theater, covering authors, plays, theaters, production companies, and major productions from colonial times to the present. Includes the full text of major reference works; also contains images of playbills, posters, photographs, and other ephemera.
Philadelphia Inquirer, 1981- (NewsBank)
Provides full text access to articles published since 1981. Does not include ads, calendar listings, horoscopes, sports statistics, stock tables, weather forecasts, and puzzles.
Times (London) Digital Archive, 1785-2019 (Gale)
Provides a fully searchable facsimile of the Times of London. The Times is the world's oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication.
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism
Selected volumes now available online in Literature Resource Center (Gale)
Provides access to the major 19th century African American newspapers including The Christian Recorder (1861-1902), Freedom's Journal (1827-1829), The North Star (1847-1851), and Frederick Douglass' Paper (1851-1863).
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.
America's Historical Newspapers (Readex)
Includes full text of selected early American newspapers published between 1690 and 1922. Villanova University has access to series 1 through 5 and 7.
Black Authors, 1556-1922 (Readex)
Provides online access to the print archives of the Library Company of Philadelphia. Features works by authors of African and African-American descent.
Ethnic NewsWatch (ProQuest)
Offers access to the full text of articles from newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic, minority, and native press. While most of the content is in English, some content in non-English languages is included. Coverage for most newspapers and magazines goes back to the early 1990s, but earlier content is also available.
New York Times: 1851- (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
Provides full text access to the complete New York Times archive except for the most recent five years. Use NYTimes.com, Nexis Uni, or ABI/INFORM for access to current content.
Theatre in Context (formerly North American Theatre Online)
Presents a comprehensive reference work on North American theater, covering authors, plays, theaters, production companies, and major productions from colonial times to the present. Includes the full text of major reference works; also contains images of playbills, posters, photographs, and other ephemera.
Philadelphia Inquirer, 1981- (NewsBank)
Provides full text access to articles published since 1981. Does not include ads, calendar listings, horoscopes, sports statistics, stock tables, weather forecasts, and puzzles.
Times (London) Digital Archive, 1785-2019 (Gale)
Provides a fully searchable facsimile of the Times of London. The Times is the world's oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication.
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism
Selected volumes now available online in Literature Resource Center (Gale)
Images
Artstor (ITHAKA) Tutorial Access Instructions
Provides access to a large library of high-resolution digital images from museums and archives. The multi-disciplinary collection includes digital copies of fashion plates, cartoons, posters, post cards, book illustrations, botanical and wildlife illustrations, technical illustrations, museum objects, and photo journalism, besides the expected artwork.
Arts & Culture (Google)
Features online access to the world’s art and culture in collaboration with cultural institutions and artist from around the world. Explores individual artists, art movements, and much more.
Associated Press Images Collection (EBSCO)
Provides access to the Associated Press's photography archive. Includes historical images dating back to the early 19th century. Also includes audio, graphics and news.
Fashion Plate Collection
Many of these plates are from some of the leading French, British, American, and other continental fashion journals of the 19th century and early 20th century: Belle assemblée; Le bon ton; Le Follet, courrier des salons; Journal des dames and des modes; Godey's lady's book and magazine, and others. They are primarily hand-colored engravings although some of the plates after 1885 are colored lithographs. A project was undertaken by the Digital Initiatives Program, University Libraries, University of Washington, to digitize and provide online access to selections from this collection.
World Painting Index.
2 volumes
Reference Stacks
Falvey Library
Provides access to a large library of high-resolution digital images from museums and archives. The multi-disciplinary collection includes digital copies of fashion plates, cartoons, posters, post cards, book illustrations, botanical and wildlife illustrations, technical illustrations, museum objects, and photo journalism, besides the expected artwork.
A tutorial for this resource can be found at: https://artstor.libguides.com/c.php?g=507513&p=3472284
Log in with your personal password to download images and to access a suite of specialized tools to view, present, and manage images. Log in and registration links are located in the upper right corner of the start page. Detailed registration information is available online.
Arts & Culture (Google)
Features online access to the world’s art and culture in collaboration with cultural institutions and artist from around the world. Explores individual artists, art movements, and much more.
Associated Press Images Collection (EBSCO)
Provides access to the Associated Press's photography archive. Includes historical images dating back to the early 19th century. Also includes audio, graphics and news.
Fashion Plate Collection
Many of these plates are from some of the leading French, British, American, and other continental fashion journals of the 19th century and early 20th century: Belle assemblée; Le bon ton; Le Follet, courrier des salons; Journal des dames and des modes; Godey's lady's book and magazine, and others. They are primarily hand-colored engravings although some of the plates after 1885 are colored lithographs. A project was undertaken by the Digital Initiatives Program, University Libraries, University of Washington, to digitize and provide online access to selections from this collection.
World Painting Index.
2 volumes
Reference Stacks
Falvey Library
Organizing & Citing Your Sources
Organizing Your Sources
Zotero
Zotero is a free, open source citation tool developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for New Media at George Mason University. It’s been funded by the Mellon and Sloan foundations, as well as the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
HERE you can find detailed information about what Zotero is and what it can do for you.
Start using Zotero HERE
MLA Style Guide
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University 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.