The Library has many resources to help you complete your literary criticism assignment. If you are writing a paper on a popular author or work, the library may have some books that you can check out. If the author or work is not widely known, you may use the Reference books or refer to other Internet resources.
Literary Criticism Books that you can check out
Literary criticism books that can be checked out are located on Level 1 in the Central Library book stacks and are typically labeled with the call number of 813.09 Author's last name.
You can search the library catalog for the title or author of your work. If it has a call number that doesn't have an R in front, look for a status of Checked In, then you can usually locate the item on Level 1. For example if you searched for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald you would see some results with the following call numbers:
813.09 FITZGERALD - The majority of these will be on Level 1 in the center aisle towards the back. If you see Cliff's Notes as the publisher, it will be located on Level 3 in boxes near the elevators.
FIC FITZGERALD, F. - A call number of FIC in front means Fiction and is the actual work itself.
Central Library Book Stacks Floor plan layout map
| Level 3 | Fiction & Reference Books | Main Entrance |
Level 2 200s 100s 000s |
Books with Non Fiction Call Numbers 000 to 599 300s |
500s
400s |
Level 1 699
600s |
Books with Non Fiction Call Numbers 600 to 999 800s Literary Criticism books that you can check out are located under these typical call numbers: 813.09 Author's Lastname, F. 812.09 Author's Lastname, F. 700s |
999
900s
92s |
Literary Criticism Reference Books that can only be used in the library
When you enter the Central library's main entrance you are immediately on Level 3 where you can access the Reference books collection. Reference books cannot be checked out but you can make photocopies for 20 cents each page.
An easy way to browse the Reference Book resources is to look up the author or name of your assignment on the Gale Literary Index website. From there you can see which Reference books contain the information you need. Write down the page and volume numbers to help you locate the information, then look for the Reference Book title in the chart below. The library does not carry all titles referenced in the Gale Literary Index website. If the book is listed below, it will be located on the main floor of the reference area.
Level 3 Main Entrance Literary Criticism Encyclopedia Sets of Reference Books at the Central Library R 810.9 AME - American Writers R 928 CON - Contemporary Literary Criticism R 809 NOV - Novels for Students R 810.9 REF - Reference Guide to American Literature R 809.3 SHO - Short Stories for Students XR 928 A2 - Something About the Author (in the Children's area) R 809.308738 ST. JA - St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers R 928 TWE - Twentieth-century Literary Criticism R 809.1 WOR - World Poets |
Literary Criticism Reference books that Library does not own.
NA - Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults
NA - Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography
NA - Discovering Authors
NA - Discovering Authors: British
NA - Exploring Novels
NA - Exploring Short Stories
NA - Gothic Literature:
NA - Literary Movements for Students
NA - Literature and Its Times
NA - Mystery and Suspense Writers
NA - Poets: American and British
NA - Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Writers
NA - Science Fiction Writers
NA - St. James Guide to Crime & Mystery Writers
NA - Supernatural Fiction Writers
NA - World Literature Criticism
Other Internet Resources for Literary Criticism Research
Ipl2 Online Literary Criticism Collection contains extensive critical and biographical websites about authors and their works that can be browsed by author, by title, or by nationality and literary period.
Shakespeare Criticism is a collection of resources devoted to works by William Shakespeare.
SparkNotes Shakespeare is a site provided by the publisher of No Fear Shakespeare books.