Literature - Online Resources
 

The Internet offers many excellent sources of information on literature. Additionally, Clark State students and faculty can access premium databases through OhioLINK both on campus and, using library issued bar code numbers, from remote locations. An excellent starting place for research on the Internet is the Librarians' Index to the Internet or LII . Many literature related sites can also be found through the use of search engines such as AltaVista or Google, but they may not always be reliable. (Another library handout, "Critical Evaluation of Sources" explains the pitfalls of inaccurate information on the Internet.) Sites recommended by LII have been verified by librarians for accuracy and for the authority of their authors. On the LII home page under "Arts, Crafts, & Humanities", click on "Literature". You will see a listing of about 50 subheadings ranging from "drama", "short stories" and "citing sources" to "cookbook history" and "pronunciation". Selecting a heading will yield anywhere from two to over fifty links to Internet sites. You may also get another set of subheadings, as under "authors" and "literature by country". Examples of sites which may be of value to students are:

Citing Sources in the Guide to Library Research site from Duke University Libraries . Gives examples, according to four different popular style manuals, of citations for a wide variety of resources such as magazine articles, books, databases, and government documents.

Encyclopedia Mythica -. "Contains over 6000 definitions of gods and goddesses, supernatural beings and legendary creatures and monsters from all over the world." Includes detailed information and links to related sites.

Absolute Shakespeare - "The essential Shakespeare resource for William Shakespeare's plays, sonnets, poems, quotes, biography and the legendary Globe Theatre." This site can be a life saver for students working on a paper or report. Included are study guides of the best known plays, plot summaries, character analyses and critical commentaries.

Literature: What Makes a Good Short Story - Offers the complete text of "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell. Paralleling the story is a guide to analyzing a short story. Also included are background information about the author, and literary criticism of her work.

GradeSaver ClassicNotes - Detailed summaries of works by more than a hundred classic authors. Entries include background information about the author, plot summaries, character analyses, links, and references to published criticism. Some study guides include e-text and quiz questions. This one of several Internet sources for study guides which can be particularly useful for college students.

These are just a few examples of sites accessible through LII. Students are encouraged to browse through the literature listings of LII as many other useful Internet sites can be found there.

As mentioned above, those affiliated with Clark State also have access to OhioLINK which offers over 150 premium online data bases. These are available from the Clark State Library or from any of the campus computer labs. They may also be reached via remote Internet access by anyone holding a Clark State library card with a current bar code identification number. Go to the Clark State Community College website and click on "Library", then log in on the OhioLINK home page.

Several databases which will be particularly useful to literature students are:

Academic Search Premier. "Provides full text for more than 3,460 scholarly publications covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. This database is updated on a daily basis." This can be reached from the EBSCO homepage by clicking on "TOPICsearch". Clicking on "Arts" will yield a list of subheadings including "Literature" with a selection of over 450 articles. Contemporary Authors. This database provides biographical information and bibliographies with descriptions of important works. Contemporary Authors includes writers primarily in English, but also foreign language authors whose works have been published in the United States or translated into English. Also included are print and broadcast journalists, screen and television writers, and others associated with film and broadcast media. It offers references to other sources of information about the authors. More than 120,000 U.S. and international authors are covered. Contemporary Authors is also available in hard copy in the Clark State Library (REF Z 1224.C6) (NOTE: if you are connecting to Contemporary Authors from off campus, please follow the link on the OhioLINK Databases page.)
The library staff is always available to assist with both online searching and print resources in the library. Students accessing the library from remote computers may call the library at 937-328-6022 for assistance.