Research Guides: First Year Seminars: FYS 124 Curiouser and Curiouser

Library Session 10/28/25

What are these sources?

Go to this padlet and evaluate the three sources in your groups. Then

Identify what type of source it is and
Decide if you would possibly use it if you had this research question: How does Six of Crows challenge or reinforce common tropes of disability representation in young adult literature?

You do not have to read the entirety of each article! Just skim enough that you are able to look for clues to answer the above two questions.

Background Information

Gale Reference eBooks
Provides a database of encyclopedias and reference sources for research. Coverage include the Arts, Business, Education, the Environment, History, Literature, Medicine, Multicultural Studies, Religion, Science and Social Science. 2000 – present.
Oxford English Dictionary
Provides full-text access to the Oxford English Dictionary. The OED is regarded as the most authoritative and comprehensive English language dictionary in the world. It contains over 600,000 entries and 3.5 million illustrative quotations. Use quick or advanced search, or browse words by subject, usage, region, or origin.

Finding Secondary Sources

MLA International Bibliography
Covers literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory and criticism, and dramatic arts, as well as the historical aspects of printing and publishing. Over 6,000 journals and series, plus 1,200 book publishers, are indexed. Articles date from 1926-present.
Literature Criticism Online
Provides excerpts from criticism on literature from classical times to 1800. Our subscription includes: Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400 – 1800, Shakespeare Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literature Criticism and Contemporary Literature Criticism.
MUSCAT Plus
MUSCAT Plus searches for books, journal articles, media, and more in Musselman Library and beyond.
JSTOR
Provides access to content across all disciplines. Search or browse books, journals, images, and primary sources.
Literature Online
Provides full-text access to over 350,000 works of American and English literature (poetry, fiction, drama, prose, and the Bible) from the 8th century to the present day. Search criticism, primary texts, author pages, and reference works.
Literature Resource Center
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses on over 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.

Finding Sources

Encyclopedias and handbooks are great sources to find background information on your topic. Be sure to look at the bibliographies or further reading sections for other potential sources.

Gale Reference eBooks
Provides a database of encyclopedias and reference sources for research. Coverage include the Arts, Business, Education, the Environment, History, Literature, Medicine, Multicultural Studies, Religion, Science and Social Science. 2000 – present.
Oxford Reference
Combines reference coverage of the full subject spectrum with the resources of Oxford Companions. Quick and easy retrieval of subject reference entries, bilingual dictionaries, English dictionaries, and quotations & proverbs. 5 users.

Search MUSCAT Plus to see what books we have on your topic in our collection (both in print and electronically). Search WorldCat for books that we do not own, but can borrow for you through Interlibrary Loan.

MUSCAT Plus
Musselman Library's catalog. Search the library's holdings for books, journals, magazines, newspapers, videos, DVDs, sound recordings, and more. TIP: Start with a keyword search and then continue your search using relevant subject headings.

WorldCat
Provides citations to books & other materials owned by over 10,000 libraries around the world (subject matter covers material from all time periods).

MLA International Bibliography
Covers literature, language and linguistics, folklore, film, literary theory and criticism, and dramatic arts, as well as the historical aspects of printing and publishing. Over 6,000 journals and series, plus 1,200 book publishers, are indexed. Articles date from 1926-present.
Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL) via Literature Online
Provides citations to content on all aspects of English literature and English language. Over 880,000 records covering monographs, periodical articles, critical editions of literary works, book reviews, and collections of essays published worldwide, from 1920 to the present. Search ABELL in LiON and link to full-text if available.
Literature Criticism Online
Provides excerpts from criticism on literature from classical times to 1800. Our subscription includes: Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400 – 1800, Shakespeare Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literature Criticism and Contemporary Literature Criticism.
Literature Online
Provides full-text access to over 350,000 works of American and English literature (poetry, fiction, drama, prose, and the Bible) from the 8th century to the present day. Search criticism, primary texts, author pages, and reference works.
Literature Resource Center
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses on over 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.
ProQuest Central
Provides access to thousands of full-text scholarly journals, trade and professional titles, newspapers, magazines, dissertations, working papers, case studies, and market reports. Content covers all major subject areas, including business, health and medical, social sciences, arts and humanities, education, science and technology, and religion.
Film and Television Literature Index with Full Text
Provides indexing and abstracts for nearly 560 journals plus cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for 270 journals. Contains more than 160 full-text journals and over 160 full-text books. Access Variety movie reviews dating back to 1914. Includes more than 63,000 images from the MPTV Image Archive.

Children's Literature and Culture
Provides access to a collection of rare books, games, ephemera, and artwork from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries covering the socio-cultural history of the times. These primary source materials demonstrate the publishing methods characteristic of the golden age of children’s literature, from mass-produced chapbooks to richly illustrated books, and shows how new concepts were introduced to young readers. Contents include a selection of titles from European publishers and some written in French or German, but the collection focuses primarily on American literature and culture.
MUSCAT Plus
MUSCAT Plus searches for books, journal articles, media, and more in Musselman Library and beyond.
OverDrive
Provides access to a selection of popular fiction and nonfiction e-book titles. Compatible with Kindle, Nook, and other e-readers, as well as a variety of mobile and non-mobile devices.

Gettysburg Public Library
The public library has many children and YA books! You can sign up for a library card and check out materials we might not have at the college.

Borrowing Materials from Another Library

If the library doesn't have an item you want, you can request to borrow a copy from another library via our interlibrary loan service.

Articles (PDF) usually arrive within 24 hours. Books may take 4-7 days. A book chapter (PDF) may arrive in 1-2 days.

small button with the words Gett It! For articles, use the Gett It button in databases to see if we have access. If not, you will see an option to sign into Muscat Plus and submit your request.

For books and book chapters, search Muscat Plus. If you don't see what you want, click "search other libraries" and then submit your request with the "request from other libraries" link on the results page. Or, you can use the interlibrary loan form at the top of Muscat Plus.

More directions for requesting books/book chapters and journal articles are on the library website.

First Year Seminars: FYS 124 Curiouser and Curiouser

Research, Instruction, and Student Success Librarian

Reading Scholarly Articles

Citation Help