German Research Guide
The following guide aims at introducing you to the variety of research sources available to you at Queens College Libraries.
Bibliographer for GermanStart with:
- Select specific language within the field of Germanic Language & Literature. Choose a topic that is interesting to you and which will work within your assignment's parameters.
- Search the topic in an encyclopedia, handbook or dictionary to gain basic understanding of the subject. A sample of suggested titles available in BRL are listed under Encyclopedias & Dictionaries.
Continue with:
- Search for books in CUNY+ and other online library catalogs listed under Find Books. To browse the library collection, use the general call numbers listed under Browse BRL Book Collection.
- Search library databases for articles published in journals, magazines or newspapers listed under Find Articles.
- Consult Associations or Web Gateways sites for any additional information on your subject.
- Remember to evaluate the accuracy of your resources, and think critically about their arguments. When in doubt, check with your instructor in the German Department.
- Consult the guides listed under Citation Style Manuals to correctly cite your sources.
Books
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
- Encyclopedia of German literature (Ref. PT91 .E53 2000)
- Historical dictionary of German theater (Ref. PN2657 .G73 2006)
- Handbook of Germanic etymology (Ref. PD580 .O74 2003)
- Oxford companion to German literature (Ref. PT41 .G3 1997)
- Twentieth-century German dramatists, 1919-1992 (Ref. PT666 .T87 1992)
Find Books
- CUNY+ Catalog
- Search for books and other materials at the Queens College Libraries, as well as other CUNY libraries. For a general subject search, limit your search to any of the following subjects: German language, Germanic languages, German literature, Germanic literatures. For books on critical analysis of individual authors or their works, select search type “keyword in subject” and add terms criticism and interpretation to your specific search.
- New York Public Library
- Search CATNYP, the catalog of the research libraries at NYPL. Books at the research libraries are non-circulating and must be consulted on site. NYPL has one of the premier research collections in the country and is open to all New York State residents.
- WorldCat
- Search for books and other materials in libraries worldwide
- Browse BRL Book Collection
- Use the Library of Congress classification guide for Germanic Language and Literature to browse the book collection of the Benjamin Rosenthal Library on Level 5.
Find Articles
Use the following databases (listed in rank order) to search for journal articles on a topic related to Germanic Language and Literature.
- MLA Bibliography
- MLA International Bibliography indexes books, articles and dissertations published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics, providing coverage from 1926 to the present.
- Humanities Source
- Offers full text plus abstracts and bibliographic indexing of the most noted scholarly sources in the humanities, as well as numerous lesser-known but important specialized magazines.
- Literature Resource Center
- Full-text journal articles, literary criticism, reviews, biographical information, and overviews on over 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.
- Ethnic NewsWatch
- An interdisciplinary full text database of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Includes full text coverage of German Life, German Review, Scandinavian Review, and Swedish Press.
- Academic Search Complete
- Multi-disciplinary database includes subject access to German Quarterly, German Life and Letters, Germanic Review, New German Critique.
For additional information, consult the following databases:
- Arts & Humanities Citation Index
- Provides access to bibliographic information, author abstracts, and cited references from over 1,150 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals.
- Biography Reference Bank
- An excellent source for biographical information.
- MagillOnLiterature Plus
- This database is composed of approximately 35,000 critical analyses of individual works of literature, 6,500 biographical records, more than 1,000 images, and a glossary of 1,310 literary terms.
- Twayne's Authors Online
- View full text discussions of an author's works and a chronology of the author's life.
Find E-Journals
Search for exact periodical title, ex. Spiegel or browse the library's E-journals by subject, select: Languages & Literatures: Germanic Languages or Germanic Literature.
Associations
- AATG
- The American Association of Teachers of German site includes information on programs, teaching resources and offers an online store.
- Goethe-Institut
- The Institute promotes the study of German abroad and encourages international cultural exchange.
Web Gateways
- Online Text Collections in Western European Literature
- ACRL's links to literary texts. Arranged by language.
- Ethnologue
- An extensive research resources on the world's 6,700 languages from the SIL International. Includes language maps, bibliography and computer resources for each language.
- The Online Books Page
- Offers access to digitized books. Search by LC call number PD Old Germanic and Scandinavian Languages and Literature, PF West Germanic Languages, PT Germanic Literature.
- Voice of the Shuttle
- Web site for humanities research. Offers a selection of annotated links to German language and literature web links.
