Welcome
This research guide is designed for students doing research for Literature and the Environment. If you run into any problems, or need more assistance, don't hesitate to use the calendar to request a personal research session. For a quick overview of doing research for this class - see my video. ~ Rosalind Tedford
Books and eBooks
Use the library's online search interface, Primo, to locate books, ebooks, films, and other materials. For quick videos on how to use the search check out ZSR's YouTube Channel Playlist.
- To find books on a theme or issue in an author's work, enter the name of the author/work and a term that best conveys the issue you are researching, e.g. Thoreau Environmentalism.
- Use the filters on the left to refine your search by date range, format, and other categories.
- Change the "Relevance" sorting menu to "Date Descending" to retrieve more recent books first.
- Here are some terms for you to try out:
- Environmentalism
- "Environmental Protection in Literature"
- "Environmental Policy"
- "American Literature"
- "Green Movement"
- Ecocriticism
Browse the Stacks
ZSR Library uses the Library of Congress classification system to keep books with similar subjects near each other. You may want to check out these areas of the library to browse for books on environmentalism and literature. Look for call numbers that start like this:
- GE - Environmental Sciences (Reynolds 7)
- GF - Human ecology. (Reynolds 7)
- JA 75.8 - Political Science -Theory - Politcal Ecology (Reynolds 4)
- PN - Literature (General) (Reynolds 5)
- PR - English Literature (Reynolds 3)
- PS - American Literature (Reynolds 3)
- QH - Natural History (General) (Reynolds 1)
Podcast Project Research
Government Resources
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowAll things Congress- full text of: federal bills and laws (1776-present); voting records (1987-present); U.S. Serial Set and American State Papers (1817-present); published and unpublished Congressional hearings from (1824 to present); Congressional Record (1873-present) and its predecessor publications (1789-1873); Congressional Research Service reports (1916-present). Coverage: 1789-present
- ProQuest Executive Branch Documents 1789-1952 This link opens in a new windowContains documents produced by US executive branch departments, agencies, and commissions from 1789 - 1952. Coverage: 1789-1952
ZSR Databases
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles about the history and culure of the United States and Canada. Publications include peer-reviewed journals, magazines, dissertations, books, and more. Access is limited to six simultaneous users. Note: For world history topics, use the Historical Abstracts database. Coverage: 1964-
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowA full-text database of archived issues of academic journals. Since JSTOR is a backfiles project, a typical coverage range is the beginning of a journal until three or five years ago. Artstor images are now integrated into JSTOR. Supported in part by the Dail Endowment Fund. Coverage: Varies
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text searchable access to both U.S. and selected international historical newspapers, including: New York Times (1851-three years ago), Chicago Tribune (1849-1998), Wall Street Journal (1889-2011), Christian Science Monitor (1908-2009), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002), Washington Post (1877-2006), New York Amsterdam News (1922-2010), Times of India (1838-2010), Korea Times (1956-2016), Irish Times and Weekly Irish Times (1859-2021), the Chinese Historical Newspapers Collection (1832-1953), the South China Morning Post (1903-2001), and Leftist Newspapers and Periodicals (1845-2015). More recent issues may be available through other databases. Includes advertisements, illustrations, etc. as they were laid out on the original page. Coverage: Varies by publication.
- Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new windowIncludes hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration. Coverage: 1801-1899
- Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new windowPrimary source collections of the “long” nineteenth century. Collections are sourced through partnerships with major world libraries and specialist libraries. Content includes monographs, newspapers, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, and more. Coverage: 1769-1906
- Making of America This link opens in a new windowProvides access to journals and books published in the United States in the 19th century. Coverage: 1800-1900
Books
Background Information to Start Your Research
Background sources provide an overview of a given subject, introduce basic concepts, summarize key issues, define terminology, and cite factual information. The articles, written by experts in the field, may also refer to other entries on related topics, and frequently include brief bibliographies to lead the researcher to other resources.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes a topic finder for help with narrowing or broadening your research topic. Coverage: varies
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowSearch across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes subject trees, pro/con resources, links to scholarly articles and more.
- Gale Literature This link opens in a new windowSearch across literary biography, literary criticism, genre studies, reviews, and primary sources across thousands of Gale publications. Good starting point for doing any kind of research in English literature. Coverage: varies
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowContains reports and analysis on issues in the news including health, social trends and issues, criminal justice, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Great resource for background information on current news, hot topics, and social issues. Coverage back to 1923. Coverage: 1991-
Databases
Use online databases to locate short and subject-specific resources like journal articles, newspaper articles, book chapters, and more. Below are some of the most likely databases to be useful in your research.
Literature and History Databases
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowContains articles, books, chapters of books, conference proceedings, dissertations, and working papers on topics relating to literature, modern languages, folklore, and linguistics. Coverage: 1926-
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles about the history and culure of the United States and Canada. Publications include peer-reviewed journals, magazines, dissertations, books, and more. Access is limited to six simultaneous users. Note: For world history topics, use the Historical Abstracts database. Coverage: 1964-
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new windowProvides indexing and abstracts for journal articles, books, and dissertations covering the history of the world from 1450-- except the U.S. and Canada. For similar coverage of the U.S. and Canada, use America History and Life. Access is limited to six simultaneous users. Coverage: 1954-
Environmental Science Databases
- Environment Complete This link opens in a new windowProvides coverage in applicable areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, renewable energy sources, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, urban planning, and more. Coverage: 1901-
- ProQuest Agricultural & Environmental Science Database This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles covering all aspects of environmental science, including ecology, sustainability, pollution, water management, and other areas. Coverage: 1988-
Politics and Law Databases
- ProQuest Political Science Database This link opens in a new windowContains hundreds of leading political science and international relations journals, full-text doctoral dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, country profiles, political news and other sources. This link cross searches ProQuest Political Science Database, PAIS Index, and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Coverage: 1985-
- HeinOnline Law Journal Library This link opens in a new windowContains more than 2,000 law and law-related periodicals. Coverage generally begins with the first issue published, so contains over a century of law and legal scholarship.
