For background information and definitions refer to the following library reference works and online reference collections:

Cambridge Guide to Literature in English [CREDO Reference] Cambridge University Press, 1993.

The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature [CREDO Reference], Continuum Pub., 2005.

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, St. Martin’s Press, 1997.
Main Level, Reference: R 809.38766 En19E

Authors of Books for Young People, Scarecrow Press, 1990.
Main Level, Reference: R 809.89282 Au814A

Biography Resource Center.
Includes reference works such as Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, Newsmakers, and Contemporary Authors Online.

Children’s Books and Their Creators, Houghton Mifflin, c1995.  

Main Level, Reference: R 028.16203 C437C
Using index in back of book, refer to the following subjects for relevant entries: “Young Adult Novels” (pp.799-800); “Middle-Grade Fiction” (p. 772).

Something About the Author, Thomson/Gale Pub. 
Main Level, Reference: R 928.1 C737S [182 vols]    
Provides brief biographical info, list of works by the author, “sidelights,” and bibliography of reviews/critical sources. Alternating volumes provide cumulative index to all previous volumes.

Twentieth-Century Children’s Writers, St. James Press, 1995. 
Main Level, Reference: R 809.89282 T918T 1995
Provides brief biographical information, list of works by the author (also includes listing of adult titles, if any, written by the author).  Summaries/overviews of authors’ major works are also provided.

Writers for Young Adults, Charles Scribner's Sons, c1997.
Main Level, Reference: R 810.99283 W939W  [3 vols]  

Authors of Books for Young People, Scarecrow Press, 1990.
Main Level, Reference: R 809.89282 Au814A

Biography Resource Center [Thomson Gale]
Includes reference works such as Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, Newsmakers, and Contemporary Authors Online.

Children’s Books and Their Creators, Houghton Mifflin, c1995.  

Main Level, Reference: R 028.16203 C437C

Using index in back of book, refer to the following subjects for relevant entries: “Young Adult Novels” (pp.799-800); “Middle-Grade Fiction”(p. 772).

Something About the Author, Gale Research, 1971-.
Main Level, Reference: R 928.1 C737S [182 vols]    
Provides brief biographical info, list of works by the author, “sidelights,” and bibliography of reviews/critical sources. Alternating volumes provide cumulative index to all previous volumes.

Literature Resource Center [Thomson Gale]
Search here for your author or use advanced search criteria to compile a list of authors by type. Contains biographical information from Contemporary Authors and Dictionary of Literary Biography databases, as well as British Writers [Main Level Reference: R 820.9 B777B] and thirteen Scribner print sources.

Twentieth-Century Children’s Writers,  St. James Press,1995.  Main Level, Reference: R 809.89282 T918T 1995 Provides brief biographical information, list of works by the author (also includes listing of adult titles, if any, written by the author).  Summaries/overviews of authors’ major works are also provided. Writers for Young Adults, Charles Scribner's Sons, c1997. Main Level, Reference: R 810.99283 W939W [3 vols]

Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults,  Beacham Pub., c 1989-1999.
Main Level, Reference: 028.162 B353B [11 vols]
 
Best Books for Young Adults, Young Adult Library Services Assoc./American Library Association, 2000.
Main Level, Reference: R 028.162 C245B

Books for You:  An Annotated Booklist for Senior High: Covering Books Published from 1994-96, National Council of Teachers of English, 1997.
Main Level, Reference: R 028.52 M213A3 1997

Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography. Ruth Nadelman Lynn. 4th ed., Bowker, 1995.   Main Level, Reference: R 016.80883 L993F   

Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, H.W. Wilson, 2005.  Main Level, Reference: R 028.52 J959J  Great Books for High School Kids: A Teacher’s Guide to Books that Can Change Teens’ Lives, Beacon Press, 2004.  Upper Level, Circulating Collection: 028.535 G798G Nonfiction for Young Adults: From Delight to Wisdom, Oryx Press, 1990. Upper Level, Circulating Collection: 011.62 C245N

Speaking for Ourselves, Too: More Autobiographical Sketches by Notable Authors of Books for Young Adults, National Council of Teachers of English, 1993. 
Main Level, Reference: R 928.21 Sp31S

 
Characters in Young Adult Literature, Gale Research, 1997.
Main Level, Reference: R 809.3 G412C

Juniorplots 3: A Book Talk Guide for Use with Readers Ages 12-16, Bowker, 1987.

Upper Level, Circulating Collection: 028.1 G412J3

Seniorplots: A Book Talk Guide for Use with Readers Ages 15-18,  Bowker, 1989.
Upper Level, Circulating Collection: 028.1 G412S

Science and Technology in Fact and Fiction: A Guide to Young Adult Books, Bowker, c1990.  
Main Level, Reference: R 016.5 K381S2

The Indian Subcontinent in Literature for Children and Young Adults:An Annotated Bibliography of English-language Books, Greenwood Press, 1991.
Main Level, Reference: R 015.54062 K528I

Picture This: Picture Books for Young Adults: A Curriculum-Related Annotated Bibliography, Greenwood Press, 1997.

Main Level, Reference: R 028.55 M437P

Building an ESL Collection for Young Adults: A Bibliography of Recommended Fiction and Nonfiction for Schools and Public Libraries, Greenwood Press, 1998.
Main Level, Reference: R 016.4282 M123B

The Book Scene: Especially for Teens, Minneapolis Public Library, 1995.
Main Level, Reference: R 011.62 B644B

Great Books for Girls: More than 600 Recommended Books for Girls Ages 3-14,  Rev. ed., Ballantine Books, 2002.
Main Level, Reference: R 028.16242 Od2G

Comics to Classics: A Parent's Guide to Books for Teens and Preteens, International Reading Association, c1988.
Upper Level, Circulating Collection: 028.162 R251C

What Do Young Adults Read Next?: A Reader's Guide to Fiction for Young Adults, Gale Pub., 1997.

Main Level, Reference: R 016.813008 Sp35W v.2  

Contains entries for approximately 1500 books published from 1988-1992 and ten indexes to their series, awards, time periods, locales, subjects, characters' names and descriptions, audience age levels, authors, and titles.

African Children’s and Youth Literature,Twayne Publishers, 1995. 
Upper Level, Circulation: 820.99282 Os1A

Books by African-American Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, American Library Assoc., 1991. 
Main Level, Reference: R 016.8108 W672B

Hispanic Literature Criticism, Gale Research, c1994.    
Main Level, Reference: R H860.9 H625H [2 vols]

Hispanic Literature Criticism, Supplement, Gale Research, 1999. 

Main Level, Reference: R H860.9 H625H [suppl]

Hispanic Writers : A Selection of Sketches from Contemporary Authors, Gale Research, c1991.
Main Level, Reference: R H860.9 H625H2 

Multicultural and Ethnic Children's Literature in the United States, Scarecrow Press, 2007. 
Main Level, Reference: R 810.93529 G428M 

Multicultural Writers Since 1945: An A-to-Z Guide, Greenwood Press, 2004. 
Main Level, Reference: R 809.045 M919M 

Native American Literatures: An Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors, and Themes, ABC-CLIO, 1999.
Main Level, Reference: R 810.9897 W617N

 The Books & Authors database offers new ways to explore the endless possibilities and combinations of books, authors, genres and topics. Combining over 140,000 titles, 50,000 authors, and thousands of read-alike, award winner and librarian's favorites lists, Books & Authors helps bring readers and literature together. Through the use of expertly written and arranged content and a dynamic, cutting edge user interface, Books & Authors makes exploration of genre fiction and essential non-fiction fun! By leveraging our entire award-winning What Do I Read Next? collection, patrons and students alike can be sure that their next big read comes with a BIG recommendation  (From Gale database descriptions).

Writing Center, Presbyterian College
Citation styles, writing guides, and scheduling an appointment with a tutor.

Humanities: Documenting Sources [Research and Documentation Online], Bedford/St. Martins, 2003.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Modern Language Association, 2003.
Main Level, Reference: R 808.02 M72M. Copy also available at Reference Desk.

The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style. [CREDO Reference Collection] Houghton-Mifflin, 2005.

This authoritative survey of English usage, grammar, and style offers guidance on almost any writing problem imaginable. Arranged in a single, easy-to-use A-Z list, the guide's entries include examples and quotations that show not only correct and incorrect usage but also the relative effectiveness of different expressions in context.

Finding Books   back to top THOMCAT Use the online catalog to locate books in Thomason Library. You can search by author, title, keyword, or subject. When searching for a PERSON, use AUTHOR or SUBJECT search, with last name first:   Angelou, Maya [as AUTHOR]     Angelou, Maya [as SUBJECT]     Cormier, Robert [as AUTHOR]     Cormier, Robert. Chocolate war [as SUBJECT/specific work]     Gaiman, Neil  [as AUTHOR]     Gaiman, Neil  [as SUBJECT --in PASCAL catalog]   SUBJECT searching requires use of Library of Congress subject headings. The terms below are examples of subject headings related to Postcolonial literature:   Language Arts Secondary United States   Young Adult Literature Study and Teaching Middle School   Young Adults—Books and Reading   Minority teenagers -- Books and reading -- United States       Subject searching is an effective and precise method of searching the catalog, however, KEYWORD searching has benefits, also. If you are unsure of the exact title or the correct subject heading to use, try a KEYWORD search using two or three of the most significant words from the title or subject you are trying to find. Place phrases in "quotation marks." Connect words with AND, OR, NOT to focus your search. Try truncation at the end of a word stem to retrieve singular, plural, and other variations of the word.  Use an asterisk (*) to truncate from 1 to 5 characters. Use a double asterisk (**) to include word endings with an unlimited number of characters.   KEYWORD Searching Tips Add an ASTERISK * to the root of a word for TRUNCATION. This will usually expand your search results,  by retrieving any variations on the word stem. For example: adolescen* = adolescent, adolescents, adolescence       >>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<< Use AND between words to narrow your search. In this example, all items retrieved must have BOTH the phrase young adult* AND the word book*    young adult* AND book*      >>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<< Use OR between words/phrases to expand your search and group words in OR statement with parentheses (  )   (teen* OR adolescent* OR young adult*) AND novel* Try KEYWORD Searching with ThomCat, other Library Catalogs, & the Library's journal databases.   PASCALCAT -If you need books in addition to those found at Thomason Library, try your search here for books in other academic libraries in SC. Through PASCAL Delivers, you can order books online for delivery within 3-4 working days. This service for current PC students, faculty, and staff is a project of PASCAL- Partnership Among SC Academic Libraries. Borrowers will be notified by e-mail when requested items arrive at Thomason Library. Click here for searching and ordering tips. WorldCat – A catalog of books and materials at libraries worldwide. Try searching here to find ALL books available on a topic. Materials available at Thomason Library are highlighted and others can be borrowed through ILL or searched in PASCALCAT. Interlibrary Loan - ILL is available to PC students, faculty and staff in order to share resources between libraries. Check link for instructions.
Locating Articles & Criticism:		back to top
Reference Sources & Criticism
Literature Resource Center[Thomson Gale] Biographical, bibliographical and contextual information from the Contemporary Authors and Dictionary of Literary Biography databases, as well as full-text criticism from the Contemporary Literary Criticism Select database. Contains full-text journal articles from more than 250 literary journals, critical essays, author biographies, and definitions of literary terms from Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Oxford Reference Online - Premium Collection This collection brings together language and subject reference works from one of theworld'slargest reference publishers into a single cross-searchable resource. It is a fully-indexed, cross-searchable database of over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press, giving subscribers unprecedented access to a comprehensive information resource plus added functionality and more detailed information from titles in the world-renowned Oxford Companions Series.   Journal Articles   back to top Academic Search Premier - Humanities[EBSCOhost] Search this subset of full text peer-reviewed humanities journals indexed in Academic Search Premier. MLA International Bibliography  [EBSCOhost] Indexes critical literary and language scholarship and provides access to journals and serials published worldwide, as well as books, essay collections, working papers, proceedings, dissertations, and bibliographies. Nearly 45,000 records are added annually. JSTOR   Arts & Sciences Collections I, II, & III contain an archive of over 350 full-text journals which are searchable through JSTOR or accessible through Journal Finder, which guides the user to full-text articles available at Thomason Library. The collections include journals in economics, history, political science, sociology, and humanities. This archive covers the full run of journals from the first issue of volume one; however, the most current three to five year issues of the journals are not available as specified by the publishers in their agreements with JSTOR. Project MUSE Basic Undergraduate Collection   Current and recent volumes of 112 core journals in the humanities and social sciences.
Key Journals		back to top
ALAN Review Published  three times per year. by the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, a division of the National Council of Teachers of English. (Note: The Thomason Library has online access for this publication from 1994-2004 only)   Booklist  Published by the American Library Association, provides reviews of recently published books. The “Books for Youth” section provides categories “Books for Older Readers, “Books for Middle Readers,” and “Books for Young Readers.”   English Journal (Junior and Senior High)  Library has print issues from 1947 to present.  Online access is from publisher’s site. Follow instructions provided in Journal Finder to access this title.   The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books. Two issues per year. Includes short, critical annotations of all hardcover trade children’s and YA books published in the U.S. within a 6-month period (novelty books, board books, and mass market titles are reviewed selectively). Fiction is arranged by genre or school grade level. Nonfiction listed by Dewey classification.     Horn Book Magazine  A bimonthly journal containing reviews of children's and young-adult literature, articles, editorials, and interviews of authors and illustrators. Designed for professionals and academics in the field of children's books.   Language Arts  Focuses primarily on issues concerning children of preschool through middle school age.   Children's Literature Association Quarterly Children's Literature in Education is today's foremost source for stimulating articles and interviews on noted children's authors, incisive critiques of classic and contemporary writing for young readers, and original articles describing successful classroom reading projects. In addition, the journal offers timely reviews on a variety of reading-related topics for teachers and teachers-in-training, librarians, writers, and interested parents.   Children's Literature in Education Critical evaluation, analysis or commentary for librarians, teachers, students, writers and interested parents on social issues reflected in books, interviews with authors and illustrators and accounts of classroom practice and experience.   Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy  Peer-reviewed, intended as an open forum for the literacy & language arts education of older learners. Goals are to encourage innovative ways of teaching & studying literacy & to address problems faced by educators.   School Library Journal  Provider of news, information and reviews for librarians and media specialists who serve children and young adults in school and public libraries. Includes reviews of books, multimedia, and  technology. Web Sites   back to top
General YA Lit Sources
ASTAL: Alliance for the Study & Teaching of Adolescent Literature Annotated listings of multicultural books for young adult readers. Also includes teaching activities and ideas for specific multicultural young adult books   Books R4 Teens - Book summaries, teaching ideas, related media and texts, and links to related web sites. Site developed by the College of Education, University of Texas at Austin. Cynthia Leitich Smith's Children's & Young Adult Literature Resources Features: In Their Own Words: Interviews with Children's and YA Authors & Illustrators; Book Awards, Favorite Reads, Diverse Read. Index to Internet Sites: Children's and Young Adults' Authors & Illustrators  Internet School Library Media Center's index to author and illustrator Internet sites.   YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Assocation, a division of the American Library Association). Of particular interest is the organization’s Booklists and Book Awards  Lesson Plans     back to top Lesson Plans Library: Literature. From the Discovery Education web site (Discovery Channel). Provides lesson plans based on specific literary works, with a breakdown by Grades 6-8 and Grades 9-12.     Web English Teacher: Young Adult Literature  Lesson plans &other resources for works by approximately 80 authors
Get Help back to top Call 864-833-7080 E-mail libref@presby.edu Stop by the Reference Desk Teresa Inman 833-8313 Dan Lee 833-8437 tinman@presby.edu dlee@presby.edu Hours: 8.30 am - 10 pm for research questions & assistance. Personal appointments also available.