How To Find a Poem
It is easier and faster to start your research in the online catalog before checking the shelves.
Online Catalog
The online catalog computers at both the LAC and PCC Libraries provide access to both print (books, periodicals, pamphlets) and nonprint (audio and video tapes) available at both campuses. You may search your topic by author, title, subject, keyword or call number.
How to Find Information About a Particular Poet in the Online Catalog:
Search the online catalog by subject to find books that contain interpretations or criticism of an author's work(s):
- ANGELOU, MAYA
- BROWNING, ROBERT, 1818-1889.
- BROWNING, ROBERT, 1818-1889 -- CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION
Information on obscure, minor, or contemporary authors may sometimes be located in broader literary books. Search under the following subject headings in the online catalog:
- AMERICAN POETRY--AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS
- AMERICAN POETRY--WOMEN AUTHORS ENGLISH POETRY
- CHRISTMAS POETRY
- POETS, FRENCH
- POETRY
Search the online catalog by KEYWORD
- AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY
- MEXICAN AMERICAN POETRY
Long, separately published poems, such as Paradise Lost, the Waste land and The Odyssey, can be found in the online catalog by title (and by author, if one is known).
Examples:
- ODYSSEY
- HOMER
How to Find Poetry Criticism
Most of the books on the subject of literature are shelved in the P call number section in the LBCC Libraries.
- PN 6099-6110 Poetry
- PN 6109.9 Poetry by Women Authors
- PR 201-1227 History of English Literature; Collections of English poetry
- PS 580-619 Collections of American Poetry
- PS 589 Women poets
- PS 590 Men poets
- PS 591 American poetry arranged by ethnic groups
There are many book in the LAC REFERENCE ROOM that are very useful in finding criticism of poems.
- Contemporary Literary Criticism - Ref PN 771 C59
- Guide to American Poetry Explication - Ref PS 201 G85 1989
- Guide to British Poetry Explication - Ref PR 311 G84
- Magill's Bibliography of Literary Criticism - Ref PN 523 B53 1979
- Poetry Criticism - Ref PN 1010 P62
- Poetry Explication - Ref PR 502 K86
- Poetry for Students - Ref N 1101 P64
The following indexes are helpful in locating scholarly articles and book chapters about poems. Search under the author's last name, and then under the title of the poem.
- Essay and General Literature Index - INDEX TABLE
- Humanities Index - INDEX TABLE
- MLA International Bibliography - Ref Z 7006 M64
- Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature - INDEX TABLE
Note: several poems are not published separately. Rather, they are included in anthologies or in volumes of the author's collected works. Search the online catalog by author. Scan the entries on the screen for words like "works," "selected works," "collected works" or "complete works" following the name of the author as in, Browning, Robert, 1812-1889. Selected works. 1971. The LAC and PCC libraries also have several indexes that can be used to locate poems published in anthologies and periodicals. A few of these indexes are listed below.
- The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry in Collected and Selected Works - Ref PN 1022 G72 1996
- Granger's Index to Poetry - Ref PN 1022 G7
- Index to Black Poetry - Ref PN 1025 C4
- Index to Poetry for Children and Young People - Ref PN 1023 B72
Poetry indexes usually list poems by author, title, first line, or subject. This is a sample entry in The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry in Anthologies (Ref PN 1022 G7 1997):
My Last Duchess. Robert Browning. AWP; EBNV; PoE; etc.
Abbreviations and complete titles are listed in the "List of Anthologies," which is located in the front of the index. The complete title for AWP is An Anthology of World Poetry, and it is edited by Mark Van Doren. To find out whether or not this book is owned by the LBCC libraries, search the online catalog either by author or by title, disregarding initial articles (A, AN, and THE). Examples: by author: A/VAN DOREN, MARK; or by title: T/ANTHOLOGY OF WORLD POETRY. The call number of this book is: PN 6101 V3 1936 and it is located in the LAC library.
The following reference books are useful in finding biographical information as well as criticism of authors. Unless otherwise indicated, the books are located in the LAC Library Reference Room.
- 50 American Poets - Z 7155 J6
- 50 Modern British Poets - Z 7155 S32
- Contemporary Literary Criticism - PN 771 C59
- Contemporary Poets - Z 7155 C6
- Critical Survey of Poetry - Z 7155 C72 (LAC); Ref Z 7155 C7 (PCC Reference)
- Crowell's Handbook of Contemporary American Poetry - Z 7155 M3
- Dictionary of Literary Biography - (search the online catalog by title)
- Masterplots II: Poetry Series - Z 7155 M34 1992
- New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics - PN 1021 N39 1993
- Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Poetry - Z 7155 O94
- Poetry Criticism - Ref PN 1010 P62
- Poetry for Students - Ref PN 1101 P64
Dictionaries and Guides
- Dictionary of Literary Terms - Ref PN 41 C83
- Glossary of Literary Terms - Ref PN 44.5 C83
- Poetry Handbook - PN 1021 D4 1974 (1 copy - Ref; 1 copy - Circulating shelves
- Poet's Dictionary - Ref PN 44.5 P3
Online Databases
To locate periodical articles and essays about a particular poem, search the online databases by keyword or by the last name of the poet. The Library subscribes to various online databases such as: ProQuest, Literature Resource Center, etc. Passwords to the online databases are available at the LAC or PCC reference desks. You must present a student ID with current semester sticker to obtain the passwords.
Internet Sites
For assistance, please see the librarian at the Reference Desk.
updated 11/2006.