Literature & Books Databases

American and English Full Text Literature Collections (Chadwyck-Healey Ltd.) — A fully searchable library of more than 350,000 works of English and American poetry, drama, and prose, plus biographies, bibliographies and key secondary sources. Book Review Digest Plus (CPL Cardholders) A library classic for nearly 100 years, Book Review Digest has now become Book Review […]

(Chadwyck-Healey Ltd.) — A fully searchable library of more than 350,000 works of English and American poetry, drama, and prose, plus biographies, bibliographies and key secondary sources.


A library classic for nearly 100 years, Book Review Digest has now become Book Review Digest Plus dramatically expanding its scope (from its former base of 109 periodicals) with entries drawn from over 8,000 periodicals covered by other Wilson databases. With coverage back to 1983, Book Review Digest Plus indexes reviews of current fiction and non-fiction, and provides review excerpts and over 100,000 full text reviews.


This database covers 300,000 books. Virtually every book has at least one substantial review excerpt (up to 500 words), most have at least two, and many books have several review excerpts for a complete picture of how the book was received at the time it was published. Over 1.5 million book reviews are cited.


Gale Reference Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) – Contains biographical/critical essays on the most important living novelists writing in English worldwide.


Contemporary Poets (CPL Cardholders)
Gale Reference Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) – Provides biographical and bibliographical information on 789 of the world’s most important contemporary English-language poets, including 120 new to this edition. Entries include personal and career information, addresses, a detailed bibliography, a list of further reading sources, and more. Each entry also includes a signed critical essay covering each poet’s career and works, written by an expert in the field.


Dictionary of Literary Biography systematically presents career biographies and criticism of writers from all eras and all genres. Long published in print, the database version of Dictionary of Literary Biography offers instant searching of the entire series by a variety of search options including: author, title, subjects, birth and death dates, nationality, ethnicity, and gender. Also included are essays on publishing houses and literary topics.


Additional downloadable e-content; the digital version of books, journals, and reference resources. Accessible 24 hours a days, seven days a week.


This unique reference offers precise access to nearly 65,000 essays contained in some 5,300 anthologies and collections; a wealth of information that might be otherwise hidden away in your library. Some 300 single and multi-author collections are indexed annually, plus more than 20 selected annuals and serials. Coverage spans the entire range of the humanities and social sciences, including literary works, art history, drama, and film.


For Students Online (CPL Cardholders)
Gale Reference Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) – This resource collects more than 115 volumes from such critically laudedFor Students titles as Drama for Students, Novels for Students, Poetry for Students and Short Stories for Students. Volumes in each series explore the most often studied works of literature in detail, providing author information; plot summaries; discussions of principal themes, plot, characters, setting, etc.; age-appropriate historical and cultural commentary; and full text criticism.


Gale Reference Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) is a database of eReference titles that includes encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. This collection spans topics within the subjects of information and publishing.


Library Science – Gale Reference Ebooks (CPL Cardholders)

Gale Reference Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) is a database of eReference titles that includes encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. This collection spans topics within the subject of library science


Gale Reference Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) is a database of eReference titles that includes encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. This collection spans topics within the subject of literature.


Literature Criticism Online is the most extensive compilation of literary criticism available. It is comprised of the complete contents of 10 individual, award-winning Gale series that represent a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras and genres. Included are centuries of the scholarly and popular commentary from broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals: tens of thousands of hard-to-find essays at your fingertips. The following series are included in this database: Contemporary Literary Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Shakespearean Criticism, Literature Criticism from 1400–1800, Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Drama Criticism, Children’s Literature Review, Dictionary of Literary Biography and Something About the Author.


Gale Reference Ebooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) – Provides in-depth literary and historical background on the most commonly studied nonfiction essays, books, biographies, and memoirs in a streamlined, easy-to-use format. Covering 15-20 works per volume, this reference series gives high-school and undergraduate students an ideal starting point for class assignments, term papers, and special projects.


Novelist K-8 helps librarians, teachers, parents, and other adults who care about children in grades K-8 find fiction and non-fiction books to read tailored to their reading level and interests. Or, kids can try it themselves to help them select books they’ll enjoy. Using simple search techniques, find helpful resources such as expert reading recommendations, read-alikes, book discussion guides, thematic book lists and more.


Novelist Plus(CLEVNET Cardholders)

Novelist Plus helps readers of all ages or those who help readers find fiction and non-fiction books they’ll enjoy. Using simple search techniques, find helpful resources such as expert reading recommendations, read-alikes, book discussion guides, thematic book lists and more.


Search more than 3 million articles from some 375 leading magazines; many of the articles are peer-reviewed. Find articles by keyword, subject heading, publication, dates, journal, author, article title, ISSN, article type, and more. This database provides full text coverage of Wilson Library Bulletin, including PDF page images.


Something About the Author presents information on tens of thousands of authors and illustrators of books for children and teens. Included are the complete contents of two long-published print series: Something About the Author and Something About the Author: Autobiography Series. Biographical sketches include personal data, career, awards and honors, writings, adaptations, additional sources and more–searchable by keyword, full text, named author, and illustration caption. Specially commissioned autobiography essays and an abundance of personal photos provide an entertaining and informative first-person perspective of the lives and careers of their subjects.


Tumblebook Library (CPL Cardholders)

Books come to life through animation, narration, sounds and music. Tumblebook Library is a collection of electronic picture books for children, which are sure to entertain and evoke a love of reading.


Oxford’s Very Short Introductions offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects–from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, and Literary Theory to History. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume provides incisive and provocative–yet always balanced and complete–discussions of the central issues in a given topic. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how it has developed and influenced society.


(OCLC) — The world’s most comprehensive bibliography with 40 million bibliographic records representing 400 languages. Covers information back to the 11th Century. Includes holdings information from the world’s libraries.