Primary Contact:
Sue Cody
Email:
codys@uncw.edu
Phone:
910-962-7409
IM Chat Name:
AIM: sueann53

Encyclopedias and Guides to Resources

These reference sources in the library focus on the Beat Movement and the 1950s and 1960s:

The ABC-CLIO Companion to the 1960s Counterculture in America. Reference E169.O2 H3515 1997

America in the 20th Century. Volume 6 covers the 1950s; Volume 7 covers the 1960s. Reference E169.1 A471872 1995

American Decades. Volume 6 covers the 1950s and volume 7 covers the 1960s.
Reference E169.12 .A419

Beat Culture: Icons, Lifestyles and Impact. Reference PS228 .B6 B368 2005

The Beat Generation: A Gale Critical Companion. Reference PS228 .B6 Z68 2003 (3 volumes)

Dictionary of Literary Biography Reference PS 21 .D5
v. 16: The Beats: Literary Bohemians in Postwar America (2 parts)
v. 237: The Beats: A Documentary Volume

Historical Dictionary of the 1960s. NetLibrary EBook

The Sixties in America (3 volumes). Reference E841 .S55 1999

The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties. Reference ML105 .F35 1986

This Fabulous Century. Volume 6 covers the 1950s and volume 7 covers the 1960s.
Reference E161 .T55

This bibliography lists key resources to look for:
The Beat Generation: A Bibliographical Teaching Guide. Reference PS 228 .B6 L39 1998

Finding Books and More

Randall Library Online Catalog: (Click on Search Catalog)

For access to materials in Randall Library: includes sophisticated search capabilities like limiting by language and format or combining subject headings. Also allows users to send search results to their email addresses.

WorldCat : From the Library Home Page, choose the "Database& Article Searching" link, then choose the "WorldCat" link.

WorldCat is the union catalog of books, web resources, and other material located worldwide cataloged by OCLC member libraries (approximately 26,000 libraries.) Books in the catalog are generally available via Interlibrary Loan, and many of the websites are freely available.

Search Tips:

• Case does not matter. Punctuation marks are not needed.
• Keyword searches will likely retrieve something on your subject. This type of search looks in practically all parts of the catalog record, and is the only way to access the data in the Contents Notes field of records. However, if you are not using the terms catalogers use to identify a subject, keyword searches may actually retrieve fewer items than a subject search.
• Subject searches use a controlled vocabulary, bring more consistency to searches and organizing records by subtopics. Library of Congress Subject Headings are used in both the local catalog and in WorldCat. Some subject headings for the 1960s include:
  Beat generation
  Bohemianism -- United States
  Hippies
  
  Nineteen fifites
  Nineteen sixties
  United States -- History -- 1953-1961
  United States -- History --1961-1969
  United States -- History-- 1961-1963
  United States -- History-- 1963-1969
  Unites States -- Manners and customs -- 1945-1970
  United States -- Social history -- 1960-1980
  
  Or try a heading for a specific event:
  
  Stonewall Riots, New York, N.Y., 1969
  Student movements
  
• Primary Source Subheadings: There are several subject subheadings used to identify books or other resources that are compilations of primary source material. Look for:

correspondence* diaries* interviews* literary collections personal narratives pictorial works

posters songs and music sources speeches, addresses, etc.* treaties

*These subheadings are typically used under Subject Headings for individuals, e.g., Kerouac, Jack or terms describing groups of people, e.g., Intellectuals.

More on Subject Searching:

• Catalogers use the most precise subject heading to describe a publication. For instance, a book on Bohemians in New York will have Bohemianism -- New York, not Bohemianism -- United States in the subject heading.
• Just because an item's subject heading does not include "History" as a subdivision does not mean it has no history in it. In particular, look at the publication date. It may be a source contemporary to the period, i. e., a primary source.
• After finding some sources through searching the online catalog, be sure to browse the shelves near these times. The call numbers are devised to place materials on the same subject together on the shelf. In the catalog, the call number is presented as a link, so you can even browse the shelves when searching the catalog.
• You may also wish to browse the Reference Collection to see what special sources are available. A basic outline of the Library of Congress Classification scheme is at http://www.loc.gov/catdir.cosi.lcco.html

Journal Databases & Indexes

Use these specialized databases and journal indexes to search for articles in journals and magazines.

• America: History & Life Indexes and summarizes articles and reviews published since 1954 in over 2,000 history journals.
• Historical Abstracts Indexes and summarizes article and reviews about world history since 1450 published since 1954 in over 1, 700 journals.
• Humanities International Index Indexes journals and books in the humanities, published 1975-present.
• JSTOR Full-text searching of an archive of over 40 history and 25 political science journals. Typically excludes the latest 3-5 years of publication.
• PAIS Archive Public Affairs Information Service contains references to monographs, periodical articles, notes and announcements, and analytics. Indexes publications issued between 1915 and 1976.

FOR NEWSPAPERS & PERIODICALS PUBLISHED DURING THE PERIOD

• Christian Science Monitor Index INDEX AI21 .C462
• Index to Articles By and About Negroes. INDEX AI3 .O4
• International Index to Periodical Literature (1907-1965) INDEX AI3 .R5
• Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (1890-2001) INDEX AI3. R48
• New York Times Archive Full image online access to the NYT from 1851-2001.
• The Times (London). The newspaper is available on microfilm. The Official Index to the Times is in INDEX AI21 .T46.
• Essay and General Literature Index INDEX AI3 .E752 Indexes essays from books.

USEFUL FREE WEB SITES

The Beat Generation Archives

The Beat Generation: Audio and Video Materials in the UC Berkeley Libraries

The Beat Page

Digital History: 1950s and Digital History: 1960s U.S. history, with readings, primary sources, teaching resources, and audio and image resources, and other related links.

Last Update: August 29, 2007

Page maintained by Sue Cody codys@uncw.edu