Theatre History and Research
Very Short Introduction Ebooks from Oxford
- Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new windowBrief ebooks written by experts across the board - on physics, art, communism, beat poetry - almost anything!
CLA Librarian
Brett Bodemer
Subjects: Anthropology, Art and Design, Art History, Asian Studies, Child Development, Communications, Country Information, English, Ethnic Studies, Feminism, Geography, Government Information, Graphic Communication, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Journalism, Linguistics, Music, News, Performing Arts, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Political Science, Primary Sources, Psychology, Queer Studies, Science, Technology and Society, Social Sciences, Sociology and Social Work, Theater and Dance, Women's and Gender Studies, World Languages and Cultures
Purpose of this Guide and Research Help Options
This guide gives you great pointers on the best databases and resources for your field. Don't forget that you can find help on 24/7 live chat at any time of day or night. You can also email the CLA librarian, Brett Bodemer, at bbodemer@calpoly.edu.
- Chat and other Research HelpIf you want live help now, click on the chat icon at the lower right corner of this page! For further options click on "Chat and Other Research Help" link above.
Using MLA Bibliography Database to "Launch" Your Theatre Research
The MLA International Bibliography database can be a great place to brainstorm, identify viable search terms, and link out to valuable books and articles related to theatre. The brief video below shows how to save yourself time and launch your research well by using this database.
- Using MLA Bibliography Database to "Launch" Your Theatre ResearchThis brief video demonstrates how to use the MLA Bibliography Database to launch theatre research, using its tools to brainstorm, identify subject terms, and connect to scholarly content.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowMLA International Bibliography indexes journals covering literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory & criticism, dramatic arts, and the historical aspects of printing and publishing, as well as rhetoric and composition and the history, theory and practice of teaching language. Also included: MLA Directory of Periodicals.
Articles - Search Many Databases at Once
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowIN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER, WHERE IT SAYS 'CHOOSE DATABASES' CLICK AND SELECT 'ALL DATABASES' - this will let you search ALL the EBSCO databases at once.
- ABI/INFORM Complete This link opens in a new windowIN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER, CLICK ON the "three line" icon, select CHANGE DATABASES, check the box for SELECT ALL, then scroll to bottom and click on USE SELECTED DATABASES. You will now be searching all Proquest databases at once.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowBy going via the Kennedy Library Link you can link out to full text in a variety places. If you don't see "Find It at Cal Poly" on the results, click the "More" dropdown and it should be there.
Search Ebook Central, SpringerLink, JSTOR, Project Muse and Wiley for ebooks, chapters and articles
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowScholarly books and articles, with some current content and lots going way back.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowScholarly books and articles. To get books click Books on left column.
- Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new windowBooks and Articles. To get books, after first keyword search, click BOOKS in right column.
Find historic Book Reviews/Art Reviews/Play Reviews/Movie Reviews
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Limit your search by date, type your subject in "quote marks " and add the word review.
Example 1: "Armory Show" review
Example 2 "Jackson Pollock" review
This trick works well in the following:
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowBe sure and select ALL databases on this page and then you will search 15 EBSCO databases at once.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowBe sure and pick ALL the databases so you can seach ALL the Proquest databases.
Good Databases to Search One at a Time
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR is a full-text database of back issues for scholarly journals as well as eBooks, primarily in the social sciences and humanities. eBook content reflects current scholarship in most cases while journal content starts with volume one, but because JSTOR is an archival database, the most recent 3-5 years of journal issues are not available in JSTOR.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowLots of scholarly, interdisciplinary journals and ebooks.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowMany full-text articles, some from core scholarly journals, but others from popular magazines in a wide variety of subject areas.
- Academic OneFile This link opens in a new windowAccess scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers across a breadth of disciplines.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new windowSearches many online encyclopedias and reference works at once.
More Books
- OneSearchUse relevant keywords then use filters on left. For immediately available electronic results, use the filter on the left: "Available Online at Kennedy' and then filter for ebooks if you want online ebooks. For tangible items held in Kennedy click on the filter: Robert E. Kennedy Library. You can also filter a second time for books. But remember, If you are signed into OneSearch any record for an item not immediately available will give you clear options for getting articles, chapters, or whole books.
- WorldCat This link opens in a new window100s of libraries in North America - and we share most print materials!
Find Older Magazines via Google Books
- Google BooksTo Find Older Magazines:
1) Enter keyword search
2) Select Tools
3) Under ANY DOCUMENT TYPE - choose MAGAZINES