Information Services

Books & Media
Search the Library Catalog to find books, video's, government publications and journal titles. The catalog can be searched by author, title, keyword or subject and contains the holdings of Connecticut College as well as Trinity College and Wesleyan University. To search for books and media outside of the local catalog, use WorldCat.

Books in the Library are arranged by Library of Congress (LC) subject headings.  Examples of LC subject headings that may be useful for locating books and videos relating to French studies follow:

Reference books are a useful starting point for your research.  Examples of French studies reference resources available in Shain Library are listed below.  More extensive lists of specific types of reference books in Shain Library related to French Studies can be found at France and French Culture, French Language Dictionaries and French Literature. Information related to the study of world countries, including France can be found at Reference Resources on World Countries.

Encyclopédie Française (1986)|
AE 25 G69  v.1-21[Reference]

Medieval France: An Encyclopedia (1995)
DC33.2 .M44 [Reference]

Encyclopedia of Contemporary French Culture (1998)
DD33.7 .E53 [Reference]

Biographical Dictionary of French Political Leaders Since 1870 (1990)
DC342 B56 [Reference]

Dictionnaire des Peintres Sculpteurs Dessinateurs et Graveurs (1999)
N40 B47 v.1-14 [Reference]

Grand Dictionnaire Larousse Chambers, Anglais Francais/Francais Anglais (1993)
PC2640 G73 [Reference]

Dictionnaire de l'Anciènne Langue Française
PC 2889 G6 v.1-10 [Reference]

The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French (1995)
PQ41 N48 (Reference)

Dictionnaire des Littératures de Langue Française (1994)
PQ41 B4 v.1-4 [Reference]

Other resources for locating information on books and media include:
Books in Print
Book Review Digest

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Style Manuals
A collection of style manuals and writing guides are kept on the shelf behind the reference desk. Information is also available from the Citation Guides for Print and Electronic Resources page.

Databases & Indexes
A full listing of all scholarly databases is available grouped by subject or listed alphabetically.

Art Index Retrospective (via WilsonWeb)
A bibliographic database that cumulates citations to Art Index volumes 1-32 of the printed index published between 1929-1984. The database cites articles from periodicals published throughout the world. Periodical coverage includes English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins, as well as periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch. In addition to articles, Art Index Retrospective indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals.

Arts & Humanities Index (via FirstSearch)
Indexes the world's leading arts and humanities journals covering articles, bibliographies, editorials, letters, reviews, and more. Also indexes selected articles from social science and science journals .

Historical Abstracts
An index to journal articles, book and video reviews, and dissertations covering world history from 1450 to the present. Historical Abstracts does not cover the United States and Canada, that is covered in America: History and Life.

Humanities Index (via FirstSearch)
Indexes feature articles, book reviews, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction (including dramas and poems), and reviews of plays and television and radio programs. Coverage is 1984-present.

International Political Science Abstracts
Produced since 1951 by the International Political Science Association, IPSA is a bibliographic database that indexes and abstracts articles from periodicals published throughout the world. Coverage is 1989 forward.

Iter Bibliography
A bibliography of close to 500,000 records for articles, essays, books, and reviews. Updated daily and with thousands of new records added annually, this powerful research tool will be of great use to scholars interested in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (400-1700).

MLA Bibliography (Modern Language Association)
Indexes critical scholarship on literature, language, linguistics and folklore. Coverage includes journal articles, series, monographs, dissertations, bibliographies, proceedings and other materials. The database includes all records indexed from 1963 to the present.

World News Connection
Extensive database of translated and English-language news and information taken from the foreign media (newspaper articles, conference proceedings, television and radio broadcasts, periodicals, and non-classed technical reports) covering socioeconomic, political, scientific, technical, and environmental issues and events. 1995 to present

Internet Resources
WESSWEB:  Western European Specialists – French Studies Web  Produced by the Association of College and Research Libraries, this website provides access to scholarly resources in French studies.

Le Site du Premier Ministre - Portail du Gouvernement Français – Official portal to the French government.

Culture.fr : La Portail de la Culture - The website of France’s Ministry of Culture and Communication, with a variety of links to news, cultural events and online exhibits.

Tennessee Bob's Famous French Links - A comprehensive list of links to French topics, developed by a former professor at the University of Tennessee – lists over 10,000 sites by category.

Embassy of France in the United States  - Website developed and maintained by the Press and Communication Office of the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C.

EuroDocs:  Primary historical documents from Western Europe, from Brigham Young University.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France  - The National Library of France

Site Officiel du Musée du Louvre – Official website of the Louvre Museum.

Yahoo France  -Search the web in French

Foreign Language Newspapers
Le Monde. Sélection hebdomadaire  (library retains current three months)
Le Canard Enchaîné (library retains current six months)
Newspapers Online
World News (UT Library)
Internet Public Library Reading Room

e-Journals
A complete listing of full text electronic journals is located on the Library homepage under the Journal Locator link.Titles of importance to French Studies include:
French Colonial History
French Forum
French Historical Studies
French Politics’, Culture and Society
French Review
Modern Language Journal
Nineteenth-Century French Studies
Yale French studies

Assistance
For assistance in locating or using these or other sources, please contact the Reference Desk or schedule an appointment for a Personalized Research Session.

Page content by Linda Alexander

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