Finding Books
Step One: UIUC Online Library Catalog
There are two ways to search the UIUC Library catalog. Both offer the same content but the method of searching and presentation of results varies.
- Through the new Primo Library Catalog. This catalog requires you to register with a login and a password to request materials. It also lets you search books in I-share (see below for more details.)
- Through the Library Easy Search. This interface lets you search the UIUC catalog for books, articles, journals and media. .
Getting the actual book: When you locate your item you have two choices.
Print books
You can request the item and pick it up at any of the departmental libraries. Or, you can retrieve the book yourself from either the main stacks or the departmental library where the book is located. If you choose this option, make sure you jot down the location and call number of the item.
Electronic Books
Access will depend on the publisher. In some case you will be able to download full books via PDF. In others you might be able only to view the book online. In all cases the Library follow the publisher's requirements.
Step Two: I-Share
Once you have verified that the book you are looking for is either not located in the UIUC catalog or all copies are checked out, you may order it through Primo Library Catalog and selecting "All I-share Libraries." Items typically arrive within 5-10 days and you will receive an email when the item is available for pick up.
Step Three: Interlibrary Loan
If the item is not available in the UIUC catalog or through I-Share, then your next stop will be Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery. First, keep your full citation handy -- you'll need it. Second, login to the ILLiad server using your NetID and password. From the ILLiad main menu, select "Request a Book." Be sure to fill out as much of the form as possible, including the source of your citation. This will ensure that ILL can place your request in a timely manner. You'll be notified by email when your item is ready to be picked up.
WorldCat -You can search WorldCat to find books on your topic, which might not be in the UIUC nor the I-share catalog. Once you find a title of interest, you can order it through Interlibrary Loan
Example Subject Headings
Fairy tales
Fairy tales--England
Fairy tales--Germany--History and criticism
Symbolism in fairy tales
Tales
Legends
Folk literature, Galician
Folk literature, Romance-language
Article Databases
- Children's Literature Comprehensive Database This link opens in a new windowThe CLCD presently contains catalog records in MARC format that have children's headings assigned. These records come with all of the official cataloging data, subject terms, and annotations. In addition, the database contains critical reviews of thousands of children's books, ranging from the earliest baby board books to novels and nonfiction for young adults.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowProvides access to a collection of aggregated and integrated reference books from high-quality publishers.
- IBZ Online - International Bibliography of Periodical Literature This link opens in a new windowUniversal index of periodical literature covering basic research from all fields of knowledge, and is particularly strong in the humanities and the social sciences. Over 11,500 periodicals are indexed by this multilingual database, now containing over 3.2 million records. It is international in scope, and indexes a significant proportion the the periodicals published on the European continent.
- Literature Criticism Online This link opens in a new window
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Part of Gale Literature Criticism Online. LCO covers a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras and genres, offering tens of thousands of hard-to-find critical essays. Database subscriptions may include any or all of the following titles, based on subscriber preferences: Contemporary literary criticism; Twentieth-Century literary criticism; Nineteenth-Century literature criticism; Literature criticism from 1400-1800; Shakespearean criticism; Classical and medieval literature criticism; Poetry criticism; Short story criticism; Drama criticism; and Children's literature review. - Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
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Searchable database of full-text articles, essays, book reviews, plot summaries, poems, short stories, plays, and interviews with contemporary writers. - MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Alternate version: MLA International Bibliography in the classic EBSCO user interface (best for exporting more than 50 results or combining saved searches).Indexes critical materials on literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore. Proved access to citations from worldwide publications, including periodicals, books, essay collections, working papers, proceedings, dissertations and bibliographies.
- NoveList This link opens in a new windowNoveList is an electronic readers' advisory resource which assists fiction readers in finding new authors and titles. It includes titles, authors, publication information, subjects, book reviews, over 1200 theme-oriented booklists, 150 award lists and links to 1000 fiction related web sites.
- ProQuest One Literature This link opens in a new windowThis database contains 3 million literature citations from thousands of journals, monographs, dissertations, and more than 500,000 primary works. These include rare and obscure texts, multiple versions, and non-traditional sources like comics, theatre performances, and author readings. It also includes book reviews and criticism related to this content.
Databases with Middle Eastern and African Folktales
- Index Islamicus This link opens in a new window
Alternate version: Index Islamicus in the classic EBSCO user interface (best for exporting more than 50 results or combining saved searches). Index to literature on Islam, the Middle East and Muslim areas of Asia and Africa, and Muslim minorities elsewhere. Includes citations to over 2,000 journals, conference proceedings, monographs, and book reviews from 1906 to present.
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles from more than 200 scholarly journals in history and the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences. Disciplines covered include literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others. A brief bibliographic description of each title is given. Searches can be conducted across the full text of all journals in the database.
- ProQuest Dissertations and Theses This link opens in a new windowPQDT is a collection of citations to dissertations and theses worldwide from 1861 to the present day. Full-text is available for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and some of the older graduate works. PQDT is also the official digital dissertations archive for the Library of Congress. Also included are the citations to British and Irish dissertations and theses (PQDT: UK & Ireland) since 1761 and abstracts for content since 1986.
Note: UIUC masters theses are not in PQDT. They are only found in IDEALS or in the library catalog.
Databases with Slavic Fairy Tales
- Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Alternate version: Historical Abstracts with Full Text in the classic EBSCO user interface (best for exporting more than 50 results or combining saved searches). Covers the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and more. Provides indexing of more than 1,700 academic historical journals in over 40 languages back to 1955.
- American Bibliography of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies This link opens in a new window
Alternate version: American Bibliography of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies in the classic EBSCO user interface (best for exporting more than 50 results or combining saved searches). Covers North American scholarship on East-Central Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet Union. Contains bibliographic records for journal articles, books and book chapters, book reviews, dissertations, online resources, and selected government publications.