Humanities Librarian
Marcia Whitehead
Contact:
Boatwright Library
28 Westhampton Way
804-289-8823
28 Westhampton Way
804-289-8823
Subjects: American Studies, Biography, Book Reviews, Citing Sources, Classical Studies, E-Books, English & Literature, First Year Seminar, French, German, Humanities, International Education, Language and Linguistics, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Latin American, Latino, and Iberian Studies, Master of Liberal Arts, Primary Resources, Reference Sources, Rhetoric & Communication Studies, Richmond Area , Russian, Scholarly Publications, Spanish, Special Topics
Most important databases
Primary Sources
- 18th Century Collections Online This link opens in a new windowSearch books, pamphlets, and broadsides published between 1701-1800 in Britain (and its territories), Ireland, and the United States. The database includes materials in a variety of languages (although it's mostly English), and it contains an array of works - from encyclopedias to novels to law books to religious tracts to auction catalogs. (Gale)
- 19th Century British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSearch a collection of national and regional newspapers of Victorian Britain (1800-1900). Note: UR has access to parts I and II of this database. (Gale)
- 19th Century British Pamphlets Collection This link opens in a new windowSearch pamphlets digitized from the collections of several UK universities. These pamphlets cover key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of 19th century Britain. (JSTOR)
- 19th Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSearch an archive of newspapers published in the 1800s by a variety of groups, including political parties, African Americans, Native Americans, women's rights groups, labor groups, and the Confederacy. This collection includes newspapers from every one of the 50 modern-day US states. (Gale)
- 19th Century UK Periodicals (Part II: Empire) This link opens in a new windowSearch a collection of periodicals that focus on the role Britain played as an imperial power throughout the 1800s. It contains periodicals from Australia, Canada, Ceylon, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. (Note: We only have access to Part II: Empire). (Gale)
- Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans (1639-1800) This link opens in a new windowSearch for books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in America during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most subject areas and genres of literature are represented in this collection. It also includes supplemental material from the the Library Company of Philadelphia. (Newsbank/Readex)
- Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker (1801-1819) This link opens in a new windowSearch for books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in America during the early 19th century. Most subject areas and genres of literature are represented in this collection. It also includes supplemental material from the the Library Company of Philadelphia. (Newsbank/Readex)
- Early American Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSearch for newspaper articles published in the US from the colonial period through Reconstruction. This collection was a gift of Edwin S. Snead III, class of 1951. (Newsbank/Readex)
- Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles from 7 national papers (Atlanta Constitution, Barron's, Christian Science Monitor, LA Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post) and 13 historically Black papers (Atlanta Daily World, Baltimore Afro-American, Chicago Defender, Cleveland Call and Post, Kansas City Call, Los Angeles Sentinel, Louisville Defender, Michigan Chronicle, New York Amsterdam News, Norfolk Journal and Guide, Philadelphia Tribune, Pittsburgh Courier and St. Louis American). Full-text dates vary for each newspaper. (ProQuest)
- New York Times Historical Newspaper & Index This link opens in a new windowAccess the archives of the New York Times from 1851-2019. (ProQuest)
- Times Digital Archive, 1785-2019 This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles from the archives of the Times of London newspaper, which covers general news, culture, fine arts, politics, history, and more. (Gale)
Journal Articles
These databases are useful for finding articles, essays, and book chapters on language, literature, linguistics, and related topics. If the full text is not in the database you are searching, click the Locate It button or use the Journal Titles search in the red box on the main page to determine whether we have access to a journal. If we do not have access to a journal article or book, you can request it from our Interlibrary Loan service.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Search for journal articles on most topics. This multi-disciplinary database is a good place to start if you don't know where else to begin. (EBSCO)
- America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new windowSearch for journal articles on the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. (EBSCO)
- ATLA Religion Database This link opens in a new windowSearch for journal articles in the area of religion and theology. ATLA stands for "American Theological Library Association." (EBSCO)
- Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new windowSearch for journal articles on all aspects of world history (excluding the US and Canada) from 1450 to the present. (EBSCO)
- Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective This link opens in a new window
Search for journal articles on topics related to the humanities and social sciences. (EBSCO)
- Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new windowSearch for journal articles on topics related to the humanities. (EBSCO)
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowSearch for journal articles on topics in the arts, humanities, social sciences and some math/science. Most journals have volumes/issues dating from the 19th century to within 3-5 years of present day. (ITHAKA)
- Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new windowSearch for biographies, overviews, and critical analysis of literary topics, authors, and their works. (Gale)
- MLA International Bibliography with Full Text This link opens in a new windowSearch for journal articles on topics related to the study of language, literature, linguistics, rhetoric/composition, and folklore. (EBSCO)
- Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window
Search for journal articles on topics related to all major fields of philosophy. (EBSCO)
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowSearch for journal articles on topics related to the arts, humanities, and social sciences. (Project MUSE)
- Reader's Guide Retrospective (1890-1982) This link opens in a new window
Search for older magazine articles with this database, which indexes the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States. (EBSCO)
- Women's Studies International This link opens in a new window
Search for articles from journals that publish feminist research in areas of sociology, history, political science, public policy, international relations, arts and humanities, business, and education. (EBSCO)
Electronic Encyclopedias
These are places to quickly check on the meaning of a literary term or for biographical information about an author.
- The Dictionary of the History of Ideas,Earlier edition of The New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, but this one is online.
- Cambridge Companions Online This link opens in a new windowSearch these ebooks for essays that provide an introduction to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics, and periods. Subjects covered include Africana studies, anthropology, classical studies, English and literature, music, philosophy, and religious studies. (Cambridge)
- eBook Collection (Gale) This link opens in a new windowSearch for ebooks that provide a broad overview of many topics. The database includes mostly reference works, such as encyclopedias, almanacs, yearbooks, handbooks, and more. (Gale)
- Grove Art Online This link opens in a new windowSearch this encyclopedia for background information on most aspects of the visual arts (painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts and photography) from prehistory to the present. (Oxford)
- Grove Music Online This link opens in a new windowSearch this encyclopedia for background information on all genres of music and musicians (best for classical and jazz). The database does include dictionaries like The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, among others. (Oxford)
- Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new windowSearch for biographies, overviews, and critical analysis of literary topics, authors, and their works. (Gale)
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowSearch for background information on a variety of topics published in the Oxford series of reference books. Find information on topics in the arts, sciences, history, language and literature, and more. (Oxford)