Library

Spanish

Below are suggested resources to use when researching a Spanish topic. For research strategies and techniques, visit the resources linked from the menu at the left.

Getting Started | Finding Articles | Getting Fulltext | Specific Research Topics| Writing and Style Guides

 

Getting Started

Before jumping in and looking for research, it is a good idea to have a refined topic and to know a little about it. Start with broad resources like encyclopedias, bibliographies, and handbooks to start to get a sense of what is available on your topic in the universe of information.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias:

Bennahum, Nonotchka D., et. al., eds. Hispanic Culture of South America. Detroit: Gale, 1995
Reference: F2237 .H 1995

Collier, Simon et. al., eds. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean. Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge U. P., 1992.
Beatley Reference: F 1406 .C36 1992
This single-volume encyclopedia includes chapters such as "The Physical Environment," (climate, geography, etc.); "Economy;" "The Peoples," covering pre-Columbian through contemporary society; "Politics and Society;" and "Culture," which includes articles on languages and dialects, art, literature, music and maps.

Kern, Robert W., et. al., eds. Historical Dictionary of Modern Spain, 1700-1988.New York, Greenwood, 1990.
Reference DP192 .H57 1990

Olson, James S., et. al., eds. Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Empire, 1402-1975. New York: Greenwood, 1992.
Reference: DP56 .H57 1992

Multicultural Reference Center: Info

Tenenbaum, Barbara A., et. al., eds. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. New York: Scribners, 1996. Beatley Reference: F 1406.E53 1996.
Includes 5,287 signed articles by 832 scholars. This 5-volume encyclopedia covers many aspects of Latin American history and culture, including economics, politics, literature, art, and even figures from popular culture. And index with cross references in included in volume 5.

Ward, Philip, ed. The Oxford Companion to Spanish Literature. Oxford: Clarendon, 1978.   Beatley Reference: PQ 6006.O93
This one-volume companion includes short articles with biographies, important names and dates. A good source for quick reference.

Biography and Bibliography:

Contemporary Literary Criticism: Info
An extensive collection of critical essays on contemporary authors. Each CLC-select entry contains a biographical/critical introduction, listing principal works and sources for further study. A good starting point for beginning research on a particular author.

Sole, Carlos A., ed. Latin American Writers. New York: Scribner, 1989.  Beatley Reference: PQ 7081.A1 L37 1989.
This 3-volume work includes in-depth, signed articles concerning the live and works of major Latin American writers. Articles include a bibliography covering 1st editions, translations, criticisms, etc.

Handbooks and Guides:

Handbook on Latin American Studies. Austin: U. of Texas P., 1936-
Online version access via Library of Congress; Print version in Beatley Reference: F 1410.H36.

Finding Articles

Search the following indexes to find articles on the topic of Spanish. See individual Resources by Subject guides for more specific indexes covering topics within the broader field of Spanish.

Cross-disciplinary Databases:

Academic Search Complete
Provides full-text articles to over 8000 scholarly publications covering subject areas such as the humanities, social sciences, language and linguistics, arts and literature, medica sciences, and ethnic studies.

DialNET Spanish Language Journals
DialNet indexes Spanish language journals (and English-language journals about
relevant Spanish topics) in science, art, literature, humanities and the social
sciences. Full text is available for all journals published by the Universidad
Complutense.

Expanded Academic ASAP
Covering all subject areas from the humanities to the social sciences. Includes many full-text articles from scholarly publications as well as news sources and the popular press.

Lexis-Nexis Academic
This is a great resource for finding news articles. This database includes: national and regional newspapers, wire services, broadcast transcripts, international news, and non-English language sources, among others. To find news stories in Spanish, choose "Non-English Language News" from the drop down menu in the "Guided News Search" tab. Then select "Spanish Language News" from the drop down menu in step 2. You can also select the news source!

El Mundo
http://www.elmundo.es
According to E-Media Tidbits, "On Oct. 18, El Mundo (a major daily paper
from Spain) opened its online archives without restrictions. This allows
research in the news from 1994 up to the present." Click on "en
elmundo.es" and then on "Buscar" to call up the search engine.

History, Culture, and Society:

Clase and Périodica
Clase indexes documents published in Latin American journals specializing in the social sciences and humanities. Périodica covers journals specializing in the sciences and technology. Offers access to more than 300,000 bibliographic citations published in 2,600 scholarly journals published in Spanish, Portuguese, French and English.

Historical Abstracts
Indexes abstracts of journal articles, citations to books, and dissertations.

Humanities Full-Text
Indexes articles in all aspect of the humanities and includes feature articles, book reviews, biographies, original works of fiction, etc.

Latin American Studies:

Clase and Périodica
Clase indexes documents published in Latin American journals specializing in the social sciences and humanities. Périodica covers journals specializing in the sciences and technology. Offers access to more than 300,000 bibliographic citations published in 2,600 scholarly journals published in Spanish, Portuguese, French and English.

Indexes abstracts of journal articles, citations to books, and dissertations.

Humanities Full-Text
Indexes articles in all aspect of the humanities and includes feature articles, book reviews, biographies, original works of fiction, etc.

Sociological Abstracts
A primary resource for finding the latest research in the field of sociology and related disciplines. Indexes and abstracts for articles published in more than 2,600 journals and other serial publications, plus conference papers, books and dissertations.

Literature and Literary Criticism:

Clase and Périodica
Clase indexes documents published in Latin American journals specializing in the social sciences and humanities. Périodica covers journals specializing in the sciences and technology. Offers access to more than 300,000 bibliographic citations published in 2,600 scholarly journals published in Spanish, Portuguese, French and English.

Humanities Full-Text
Indexes articles in all aspect of the humanities and includes feature articles, book reviews, biographies, original works of fiction, etc.

MLA and LION: Info: MLA and Info: Lion
MLA is the premiere database for conducting journal searches in the topics including literature, linguistics, and folklore. Combined with LION, there is an added benefit of having reference sources, the text of selected works of literature, as well as access the ABELL index. Search MLA simultaneously with LION or limit to just MLA or ABELL. The advanced MLA search will allow users to limit searches to articles published in many foreign languages, including Spanish.

Getting Fulltext

Because not all indexes are fulltext--or 100% fulltext--you may have to elsewhere to find an article for which you have a citation. Consult the resources below to find out how to get access to the articles you need.

Library Online Catalog to see what Simmons owns in print or electronically

Fulltext Journal Locator (Serials Solutions)   just for e-journals, indicates which database covers which years of full-text journals.

Interlibary Loan if Simmons does not have an article electronically or in print.

Writing and Style Guides

The Simmons Library web site includes an overview of how to create a bibliography and cite references using a variety of different styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago. Please contact a librarian for further assistance.

Finding information on Specific Research Topics

For more information on more specific topics within the discipline, contact a librarian.

History & Politics & Culture:

Beezley, William H. and Judith Ewell, eds. The Human Tradition in Modern Latin America. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 1997.
Renovation Storage (Request!): F 1413 .H87 1997

Bethell, Leslie, ed. The Cambridge History of Latin America. Cambridge, New York: Oxford U.P., 1984-1996.
Multiple locations for this multi-volume work. Vols, 1, 2, and 11 are in Beatley. F 1410 C1834 1984. Other volumes in storage, please request via the online catalog.

Derechos
Derechos is an organization promoting human rights. Access information about human rights in Latin America. This links to the Spanish-language page. An English language page is also available. Available free on the web.

LANIC
The Latin American Network Information Center, hosted at the University of Texas at Austin, is a directory of resources on all aspects of Latin American studies. Available free via the Internet.

Skidmore, Thomas E. Modern Latin America. New York: Oxford U.P., 2005. Beatley: F 1413 .S55 2005.

UNESCO Archives Portal: Latin America
A directory, with links, to the national archives of Latin American countries.

WESS Iberian Studies
Maintained by the Western European Studies Section of the ACRL, it is a directory maintained by member librarians, of high-quality, scholarly resources available on the Internet.

Wiarda, Howard J. and Harvey F. Kline. An Introduction to Latin American Politics and Development. Boulder, CO.: Westview, 2001. Beatley: JL 960 .W515 2001

Literature and Literary Criticism/Theory:

General:

Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005.   Reference: PN41 .A184 2005

Latin American Literature:

Figueroa, Ana. Escritoras Hispanoamericanos: Espejos, Desplazamientos, Fisuras, Dobles Discursos. Providencia, Santiago: Editorial Cuarto Propio, 2001.   Beatley: PQ 7081.5 .F54 2001.

Krstovic, Jelena, ed. Hispanic Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.   Beatley Reference: PQ 7081 .A1 H537 1994
This 2-volume set includes lengthy articles covering the major voices among Latin American writers. Includes biograhical information, works, criticism, and a bibliography for further reading. Index includes an author index (cross-referenced for name variants), a nationality index, and a title index.

LANIC
The Latin American Network Information Center, hosted at the University of Texas at Austin, is a directory of resources on all aspects of Latin American studies. Available free via the Internet.

Messinger-Cyprus, Sarah, et. al., eds. Women Authors of Modern Hispanic South America: A Bibliography of Literary Criticism and Interpretation. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1989.   Beatley: PQ 7081 .C94 1989

Moss, Joyce and Lorraine Valestuk. Latin American Literature and its Times. Detroit: Gale, 1999   Reference: PQ 7081 .M625 1999

Literature of Spain:

Cammarata, Joan F. ed. Women in the Discourse of Early Modern Spain. Gainesville: U. P. of Florida, 2003.
Beatley: PQ6066 .W56 2003

Labanyi, Jo. Gender and Modernization in the Spanish Realist Novel. Oxford; New York: Oxford U.P., 2000.
Beatley: PQ6144 .L333 2000

Voice of the Shuttle
Hosted at the University of Califoria at Santa Barbara, includes links to literature resources freely available via the Internet. To find information on a favorite author, you can search from the top page, or to see what is available for literature in Spanish or Portuguese, choose "Literatures (other than English) and then choose "Spanish and Portuguese.

WESS Iberian Studies
Maintained by the Western European Studies Section of the ACRL, it is a directory maintained by member librarians, of high-quality, scholarly resources available on the Internet.

Page updated: April 24, 2007

 

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