This Subject Guide offers information on sources available to UA Library patrons related to Literature. The resources found in this Guide will be useful to:

• High School or college students needing criticism and other sources for literature projects.
• Book clubs looking for discussion ideas through book reviews, author biographies, and more.
• Readers wanting to learn more about their favorite genres or authors. 
• Anyone interested in discovering their next great read.

Writers, see our Creative Writing Subject Guide for library resources chosen especially for you. 

Those interested in learning English or another language, please check out the UA Library’s ESOL and World Language Resources subject guide.

Indexes / Databases

The following are part of Upper Arlington Public Library’s collection of Research Tools. Unless you are in one of our library locations, you will need your library card number and PIN to access them. Please note: Links to our databases open in a new window or tab in your browser.

Gale Literature – Are you looking for literary criticisms on a certain book, poem or short story, or do you want to read a biography of a prominent author or read a plot synopsis of a classic? For research on all literary topics, authors and their works, this database includes full-text research articles covering all genres, disciplines, time periods and regions of the world.

Literary Reference Center – This database is another great source for information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and time-frames.

Novelist Plus – The source for those always wondering what to read next, Novelist Plus is a comprehensive and easy-to-use reader’s advisory tool for fiction and non-fiction.

Literature Databases: American & English Literature Collection -This source is a collection of works of poetry, drama and prose from the 16th through 20th centuries, based on books and other sources originally published in print.

Reference Resources

Materials always available for use in the Research Department of the Tremont Branch Library include many sources like:

• Book Reviews
• Literature Encyclopedias
• Literary Criticism Collections

Here are just a few examples of recently acquired titles:

• Masterplots
• Ruffner’s Allusions
• Poetry Dictionary

Journals / Magazines

Some current issues of the following magazine and journal titles are available for checking out, while in some cases older issues may be accessed at the Tremont Branch’s Research Department. Follow the links to the catalog or see a librarian for more information:

• Analog: Science Fiction and Fact
• Bookmarks
• Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
• New York Review of Books
• Poetry
• Yale Review

Archives / Special Collections

Local Sources

The Ohio Room, located in the Research Department at the Tremont Branch Library, houses the Upper Arlington Collection, where you can find fiction and non-fiction books by Upper Arlington authors, as well as books about Upper Arlington. 

There you will also find back issues of Ohio literary magazines:

• The Journal (The Ohio State University’s literary magazine) 
• Ohioana Quarterly
• Ohio Writer/Muse

Book Reviews 

The Research Department is also home to many print sources for current and historical book reviews. Titles include:

• Book Review Digest – Covering the years 1905 through 2008
• Booklist – 1976 to present
• Kirkus Reviews – 1969 to present
• Publisher’s Weekly – 1987 to present

Websites

These recommended websites are chosen by a Reference Librarian as reliable sources for information related to Literature:

• BookPage Book Reviews
• BookWire
• Goodreads
• New York Times Best Sellers List
• NPR Book Reviews
• Project Gutenberg
• Reader’s Circle
• USA Today Books

Search Starters

See a list of titles the library has in its collection on subjects related to Literature:

• Best Sellers
• Books and Reading
• Literature – History and Criticism
• Literature – Appreciation
• English Language – Criticism