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The
Vikings
Subject
Guide to Library Resources Available
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Viking
Helmets
Did not have horns:
too cumbersome for battle
Vikings:
the only European warriors to use the battle-axe
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The Vikings, the proud symbol of Long Beach City College,
have long been noted as fierce warrior-pirates from the icy
regions of Scandinavia. Well, they did raise fear in the hearts
of men as their ships' dragon-heads appeared through the fog
like sea monsters and sliding onto shore the fiercest Beserker
Vikings came wildly swinging their battle axes. The largest
longships could carry more than 60 warriors who could quickly
embark from their shore-landed ships. A medieval prayer echoes
the fear of the Europeans: "From the fury of the Norsemen,
good Lord deliver us." (see John R. Hale:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7Ejasen01/texts/longship.htm)
Modern research, however, has found that the Viking culture
of Sweden, Denmark and Norway was far more complex than that,
and the violence of the Viking culture was no more ruthless
than other groups in Medieval Europe of the 8th through 11th
centuries A.D. Vikings spread trade through Russia to Constantinople,
Arabia and the Near East, and even East Asia. They brought
new agricultural techniques to their settlements in Northern
France and England, and they explored far and wide to establish
settlements in Iceland, Greenland and briefly, North America.
Today we find Nordic influence in our own language and culture.
This guide was created to assist you in locating available
information on the Vikings at the Long Beach City College
Library and through the Internet. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikings
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good place to start a paper is to read a little general literature
about the field (encyclopedia, internet article) and look up
basic terms that are unfamiliar to you. The Encyclopedia
Britannica (in print or online)
is an excellent source of information on topics about the Vikings.
The
next step would be to look for books which cover or touch
upon your specific topic. Use the chapter headings and indexes
of books that seem relevant to zero in on your topic.
Finally,
look for journal articles focused on your specific area of
inquiry for more in-depth and recent coverage.
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When
unable to find answers to your questions in these resources, the
internet and other reference books will often give you new leads
to the answers. Finally, don't forget the wealth of information
contained in videos. Your research about the Vikings will be enhanced
by information and visual material documented in videos.
FIND
REFERENCE TOOLS
Viking
Ornamental
Dragons |
Reference
tools such as indexes, directories, bibliographies, guides,
encyclopedias and atlases are generally found in a reference
area where many people can refer to general information.
Items found in reference areas cannot be checked out of
the library.
Occasionally other copies of reference-type items can
be found in the circulating collection for you to check
out.
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To
find articles and books on various aspects of the Viking
world, the main printed indexes in the Reference Area to
use for extensive research are (use Interlibrary
Loan to request books & articles
not available at LBCC):
Humanities
index.
Location: LAC Index Table (Reference
Room) Call Number: AI3 .H85
Social sciences index.
Location: LAC Index Table (Reference
Room) Call Number: AI3 .S62
(Previous volumes known as Social Sciences & Humanities
Index AI3 .R49)
Reference
Books on Norse Mythology
Norse
mythology : legends of gods and heroes. 1968.
Location: LAC Reference Room Collection.
Call Number: BL860 .M86 1968
Eddic
[mythology].1964.
Location: LAC Reference Room Collection.
Call Number: BL25 .M8 1964 vol.
2
Norse mythology A to Z : a young reader's companion. 1991.
Location: LAC Reference Room Collection.
Call Number: BL850 .D34 1991
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FIND
BOOKS IN THE CATALOG
Norsemen
Reflect
Norse Mythology |
Books
can be located by searching Voyager,
the Library's online catalog. Use the term of a Viking area
such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland. You
may also search for Viking religion, civilization, archaeology,
culture, epigraphy, inscriptions, numismatics, architecture,
history, mythology, art, art history, language, literature,
atlases, or historical geography. Look also for items under
medieval history or the middle ages. Combine these terms
in a keyword search for the best results, following subject
links in desired records to find more similar records.
To
find Electronic books in Voyager
which can be read online from home, try a search using general
terms and adding a Quick Limit of E-Books. You will need
to view the record for the book to click on the link to
the website that hosts the book. To view from home you will
need passwords which can be found with the passwords for
online databases available from the librarians.
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Try
a keyword search and look at the subject headings assigned to
some of your hits, then link to those subject headings for more
records. If you don't find records in the LBCC Library for what
you need, try searching online
databases for articles and search other
libraries for books. You may use Interlibrary
Loan to request books not found at LBCC.
Some of the topics you might search in Voyager
for concerning the Vikings, their settlements, and their mythology
include the following (search online
databases for articles and search other libraries
and use Interlibrary
Loan to request books not found at LBCC):
Asgard
Beowulf
Berserker
Birka
Bjarni Herjolfsson
Brynhild
Denmark
Dragons
Dublin
Erik the Red
Fafnir
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Faroe Islands
Freya
Gotland
Greenland
Grendel
Hel
Iceland
Kiev (Kaenugard)
Leif Eriksson
Loki
Long Ship
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Mead
Midgard
New Foundland
Normandy
Normans
Norse Mythology
Norsemen
Norway
Novgorod (Holmgard)
Odin
Runes
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Sagas
Sigurd
Stave Churches
Sweden
Thor
Valhalla
Valkyries
Vikings
Vinland
Volva
York (Jorvik) |
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You can also
browse the shelves by the Library of Congress Classification letters
assigned to books in these subject areas either in the Reference
Area or on the stack level listed for books that can be checked
out:
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Find
these call numbers on Stack Level 1, Sub-basement of LAC:
BL860
-- Norse Mythology
CC -- Archaeology
CJ -- Numismatics
CN -- Insriptions, Epigraphy
DL65 -- Viking History
Find
these call numbers on Stack Level 2, Basement of LAC:
E105 -- Vikings in America
G -- Historical Geography, Atlases
GN -- Anthropology, Prehistoric Archaeology
GR -- Folklore
GT -- Manners and Customs
Find
these call numbers on Stack Level 3, First Floor of LAC:
N6763 -- Viking Art
Find
these call numbers on Stack Level 4, the Mezzanine of LAC:
PD -- Scandinavianl Languages & Literatures
Find
these call numbers on Stack Level 5, the Second Floor of
LAC:
VM -- Ships
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FIND
VIDEOS
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Some
videos may be found in Voyager,
the online catalog, to be checked out. First select a Quick
Limit of Videorecordings, then do a keyword search
on the word Vikings or a term from above.
You
may also view videos inhouse from the Instructional Media
Collection. Search Medianet
for the word Vikings or a term from above.
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FIND
ARTICLES
A few periodical
titles currently held by the LAC library in hard copy and containing
information on the Vikings include:
Viking
Ship Museum |
Archaeology
Cultural Anthropology
Journal of Anthropological Research
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
National Geographic
Smithsonian
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The Library
has a subscription to several online
databases containing information on research on
the Vikings. These databases are particularly helpful in finding
information as many journals can be searched simultaneously by
the keywords you select. The full-text is then most often available
online for printing or sending to your email account. Some of
these databases include:
Only current
faculty, students or staff may use these databases. Ask for passwords
at the Reference Desk at either Library. The Librarians can instruct
you on using these article databases. There is a free
workshop offered for learning the ins and outs
of online database searching.
FIND
INTERNET RESOURCES
Many good
resources can be found on the Internet for current research, basic
information, and indexes to more resources. You will also come
across many sites produced by school classes and others that will
not carry the authority you might be looking for. So review the
origin of the information you find carefully. Follow the links
by clicking on the pictures on this page. A few other interesting
sites to visit include:
WRITING/RESEARCH
ASSISTANCE
Viking
Ship Replica |
Finally,
while you are writing your paper, there is an online subject
guide, Writing
Tips, with links to online help for organizing and
formulating your paper, and finding online dictionaries
and citation tools.
There
is also a Writing Center at both campuses to help you
with the fundamentals of your paper, for information call
the Writing Center at LAC (562)
938-4520 and at PCC:
(562) 938-3991.
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Increase Your Research Skills!
Enroll for Lib1 (Information
Resources 1-credit)
or Lib3 (Information Competency 3-credits)
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Library
Homepage |
http://lib.lbcc.edu/handouts/vikings.html
Compiled 4/2004 by P. Nielson
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