ENGL 102: Academic Writing & Literature: General Information

These databases are good first choices for finding literary criticism.

These databases can also be used to find literary criticism.

In the Books & Media Tab:

• Conduct a subject search on the author of the work in question.  This will give you books about the author.
• Don't forget to use Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT).  These can help you focus your results.
• If you are looking for literary criticism, try a subject search on the author's last name AND criticism.
• If your author is associated with a literary movement (e.g. Harlem Renaissance) do a subject search on the movement. 
• How do you do a subject search?
  • Go to the OneSearch and type in the subject you are looking for (e.g. Harlem Renaissnance), then hit return.
  • On the results screen, go next to the search bar and click on the advanced search link
  • On the Advanced Search screen you want to go to the drop down menu next to where it says Any field and select subject.
  • Under Material Type (to the right of the top search bar) from the drop down menu select Books/eBooks.
  • When you've selected all of these, click on the Search link.
  • 

If you are having difficulty finding information, talk to your professor or one of the librarians at the Research Assistance desk.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online via Oxford University Press (Full Text)

The Oxford English Dictionary is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.

If you need to find information on the time period that an author wrote in, or wrote about, the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life is the place to go.  It provides you an overview of history, domestic life, economics, politics, and religion for time periods ranging from the ancient world to the current day.

Resources not owned by the Campbell University Libraries can be borrowed from other libraries through ILLiad, an interlibrary loan (ILL) system available to Campbell faculty, staff, and students as an aid to research and study. Request it through our Interlibrary Loan service and we will borrow it from another library.  This service is free of cost.  Please allow up to 4-5 days for book requests, and 2-3 days for articles.

Check out this online tutorial to learn how to use ILLiad.

Need a Print Book?

Books physically located at the library can be delivered to online education and extended campus students by postal mail.  Books not owned by Campbell University Libraries can be borrowed from other libraries, and delivered to you by postal mail.

Learn how to request a book delivery.

If you have questions about Document Delivery, you may contact a librarian at reference@campbell.edu, or via phone at (910) 893-1467.