Clark Family Library: English Literature: Find Books/eBooks

Geotom Catalog

Use the search box below to search for books and eBooks in W&J's catalog.

GeoTom Catalog

Where can you find relevant books for English research?

English research can be very interdisciplinary. However, class P of the Library of Congress classification system is devoted to Language and Literature. Below are the sections which may be the most helpful to you:

PN is General Literature
PR is English Literature
PS is American Literature

The Library of Congress classification and subject headings systems are large and complex systems subject to government approval, and as a result, sometimes the process to update the classifications and subject headings to their most current terms, especially those pertaining to race, gender, and sexuality, can be slow. Please feel free to ask a librarian more about how the classification and subject headings systems are structured, their biases, and current efforts to improve the terminology within them.

Other Places

Digitized Books

Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
Full text access to over 200,000 e-books covering all academic subject areas.
eBooks on EBSCOhost This link opens in a new window
More than 850 eBooks and 3,900 publicly accessible eBooks are available to W&J ID card holders through our subscription. eBooks cover topics such as: business, health, and science. Browse holdings in Geotom catalog by typing NetLibrary as author.

HathiTrust Digital Library
HathiTrust Digital Library is a digital preservation repository and highly functional access platform. It provides long-term preservation and access services for public domain and in copyright content from a variety of sources, including Google, the Internet Archive, Microsoft, and in-house partner institution initiatives.
Google Books
Google Books contains millions of scanned books. You can read the full-text or do a keyword search of many of the books.
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg offers over 49,000 free, high quality ebooks. All of their titles were previously published by bona fide publishers. They digitize and proofread their online collection with the help of thousands of volunteers. Over 100,000 free ebooks are available through their Partners, Affiliates and Resources sites in Europe, Australia, Germany and Canada. Volunteers are also facilitating online publishing by contemporary authors. This service is bringing the Project Gutenberg moniker to authors in virtually any genre or subject. When you are searching for a book that you cannot find in our physical collection or in Project Gutenberg your solution is to request it by Interlibrary Loan.

Online Reference Books- Great for background information

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
This database is great for background information. It provides access to more than 630 full-text reference books and over 3 million full-text entries. It covers literary criticism in detail, business, history, Shakespeare, biographies. Credo.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Formerly known as Gale Virtual Library (GVRL), this database is an online library of reference eBooks, including many titles from academic book publishers. The database is multidisciplinary with strengths in world and American history, literature, and economics. A great database to start your research.

Can't find what you're looking for? Use these links to access materials we don't own.

Citizens Library
Citizens Library is the public library located at 55 S. College Street at the corner of E. Wheeling Street. Go to their website for hours, their online catalog and other information. They also have a good collection of popular fiction. All you need is your W&J ID to get a Citizen's library card.
E-ZBorrow
E-ZBorrow is the fastest way for W&J Students, Faculty, and Staff to borrow books that may not be available at the Clark Family Library. You can simultaneously search and request books from more than 50 academic library catalogs throughout Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia.
Interlibrary Loan
Use these forms to request materials through interlibrary loan. This is a free service that provides you access to materials W&J doesn't own.
WorldCat
WorldCat is a global catalog of library collections. Find items we don't own and then request them through ILL.