Foreign Language Resources

This guide is intended to assist students performing research in the area of foreign languages. It is by no means a comprehensive list of all materials available in the Library or on the Internet but is a representative sample.

Online Catalog
Journal Articles
Reference Materials
Internet Resources

Online Catalog

The Online Catalog is an excellent place to start your research. It will allow you to identify books in the Davis Memorial Library about your topic. The Online Catalog is available from any Internet accessible computer at http://davislibrary.methodist.edu/. Use the Keyword search to locate materials. Type in the concepts you are looking for, using “and” to combine terms (e.g. French and grammar). Before typing in your search terms, use the “Set Search Limits” button to choose a language in which the material will be written, and then select the language desired.

Journal Articles

Electronic databases (listed on the Electronic Resources webpage at the Library’s website) are your best sources for journal articles on your topic. These databases allow you to find information on a topic or a current issue. When using these resources, or any other tool in the Library, write down or print out the full citation (author, article title, journal title, volume, issue, date, and pages).

General Resources

Academic Search Premier is always a good place to start. You will find a wide variety of articles on various topics here. Check the boxes marked “peer reviewed,” “scholarly,” or “refereed” to limit your search to scholarly/academic journals only.

Subject Specific Resources

MLA International Bibliography
The MLA Bibliography is a citation database covering the areas of literature, language, and linguistics. Citations are from journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and proceedings. It covers the time period of 1963 to present. Linked full-text is available for some articles from the Academic Search Elite database. Searches may be limited to language of publication in the search screen. Use the Advanced Search screen to set multiple limits (e.g. publication type, peer-reviewed, etc.).

Project Muse
This full-text database for the social sciences and humanities includes journals about language and linguistics, literature, and history. Users may browse the journals to look at individual issues or search for a specific topic.

netLibrary
netLibrary is a online book database. It includes a few titles written in languages other than English and also includes books about foreign language literature. Use the Advanced Search screen to limit to language if needed.

Finding the Text of Journal Articles

If you have a citation and need to locate the complete article:

1. Use the Journal Finder link on the Electronic Resources webpage to see if the journal title is available online. Journal Finder searches the Library’s full-text subscriptions and free journals on the Internet to see if the journal is available. Match the dates in the citation to the dates available.

2. Journal Finder also indicates if the title is available as a print copy in the Library. Items available in the Library are indicated with a picture of an open book. The entry includes the format of the item (unbound, bound, microfilm, or microfiche).

3. Finally, if the article is unavailable full-text online or through the Library’s print subscriptions, interlibrary loan is available. Fill out the form on the library’s website or in person at the Library. You must plan ahead with this option as articles may take up to or more than 2 weeks to arrive. Allot this time in your planning process.

Reference Materials

Planning Your Research

If you are working on an extensive project, plan enough time to research your topic, gather your materials, read them, and compose and review your project. The reference librarians and your instructor can help you with your research process. For items not available at the DML, Interlibrary Loan is an option if you have budgeted enough time for the items to be ordered and arrive (up to two weeks). Forms for ordering books and articles are available at the Library or from the Library’s website under the Library Services link.

Title	Location
Language Dictionaries
German	R 433.2
French	R 443.2
Italian	R 453.2
Spanish	R 463.2
Russian	R 495.7
Chinese	R 495.1
Japanese	R 495.6
Literature Resources
German
Contemporary German Fiction Writers	R 833.914 C761
Oxford Companion to German Literature	R 830.3 G233o 1986
French
Dictionary of Modern French Literature	R 840.3 D661d
Dictionnaire des Litteratures de Langue Francaise	R 840.3 B378d vol. 1-3
Oxford Companion to French Literature	R 840.9 H342o 1987
Spanish
Contemporary Spanish American Poets	R 861.4 S453c 1992
Manual de Terminos Literarios	R 860.03 B297m
Oxford Companion to Spanish Literature	R 860.3 O98 1978
Latin American
Dictionary of Mexican Literature	R 860.9 D554
Latin American Literature and Its Times	R 860.9 M913l
Masterpieces of Latino Literature	R 860.9 M423
Russian
Dictionary of Russian Literature Since 1917	R 891.709 K19d 1988
Handbook of Russian Literature	R 891.303 H236
Russian Literature in the Age of Pushkin and Gogol	R 891.73 R969