Databases
Scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles may be located by searching the Library’s subscription databases. Listed below are suggestions for the most useful databases for articles on topics in medieval studies. A complete list of all our Digital Resources are available from the Databases link.
- Academic Search Premier [INFO]
- ITER:Gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance (some full-text) [INFO]
- Humanities International Index (many full-text) [INFO]
- World History Collection (all full-text)[INFO]
- MLA International Bibliography (index only)[INFO]
Books and More
The Library catalog (LOLA) is a database of books and other print/non-print materials, such as videos/DVDs, music CDs, and scores. The catalog offers a variety of searches - Keyword, Subject, Author, Title, and Call Number. At the university level, it is essential to use books for nearly all research needs. Both historical and new developments may be found in books.When searching the Online Catalog, be sure to try both a KEYWORD and a SUBJECT search; they will provide different results. Lamson Library owns a significant and widely known collection of materials relating to the Middle Ages. The number of subject headings is large and quite varied. A few examples of standard LC SUBJECT Headings for topics related to medieval studies are:
- Subject search for Middle ages
- Subject search for Art medieval
- Subject search for Civilization medieval
- Subject search for Literature medieval
- Subject search for Manuscripts medieval
- Subject search for Philosophy medieval
- Subject search for Feudalism
- Subject search for Crusades
Also, the terms MIDDLE AGES or MEDIEVAL are often attached as a subheading for a variety of main subject headings. When you enter MIDDLE AGES, for example, as an initial subject, you will retrieve a list of list of subjects, some beginning with the subheading MIDDLE AGES, first, as seen in this example:
Enter subject: MIDDLE AGES
You will see this subject heading “string” in the list:
Which will locate books with the actual subject heading:
Reference Material
Reference sources are a good starting point for research - they provide background information on a topic, identify and explain key concepts, or cite critical research that has been done. Some key resources for linguistics and language study are listed below.
- Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
- Dictionary of the Middle Ages
- The new Penguin atlas of medieval history
- The New Cambridge medieval history
- Key figures in medieval Europe : an encyclopedia
- Medieval folklore : a guide to myths, legends, tales, beliefs, and customs
- Women in the Middle Ages : an encyclopedia
- A dictionary of medieval heroes : characters in medieval narrative traditions and their afterlife in literature, theatre, and the visual arts
- Medieval science, technology, and medicine : an encyclopedia
Web Sites
In general, web sites are not the best choices for serious research because there is no guarantee the information being posted is authoritative, up-to-date, or sufficiently in-depth. Only use sites that you know are reputable, scholarly, current, and unbiased. The following are sites that seem to meet these criteria:
- Index of websites related to: Medieval Studies
- See also other specific topics containing material relevant to the Middle Ages on the History Topic page
Other Related Pages:
More…
- Ask a Librarian
- Subject librarian: Lissa Zinfon
