Mythology Resources - LPC Library Research Guide

Reference Encyclopedias
Books & Audiovisuals
Periodicals
Internet Resources
Citation of Sources

Please ask a reference librarian for assistance at any time. We will be glad to help!

Reference Sources

Use reference sources for background information, broad overviews and summaries. The reference collection includes general and subject dictionaries and encyclopedias, biographies, directories, bibliographies, almanacs, atlases, etc. Many also contain bibliographies for further research. Reference books cannot be checked out from the library but may be photocopied.

General

World Book Encyclopedia. - Ref AE5.W55 2005 -

Subject Specific

There are several excellent mythology reference materials at the LPC library. Here are just a few examples of subject specific materials that you will find of use.

Dictionary of Native American Mythology - Ref E98 R3 G46 1992
Women of Classical Mythology - Ref BL715 B445 1991
Mythologies - Ref BL311 D513 1991
Myths and Legends of the World - Ref BL311 M97 2000
Mythology of All Races - Ref BL25 M8
A Dictionary of World Mythology - Ref BL303 C66 1980
Mythologies of the World - Ref BL303 M95
Myth - Ref BL303 M354 1996

Books & Audiovisuals

Use the online catalog to find materials in the library. This will show you all the books and audiovisual materials LPC Library owns. You can search for a book, DVD, or video by the author, title, subject, or keyword. A subject search allows you to find books about a topic or a person. You may also ADD LIMITS to your search, such as "DVD" to find only DVDs.

Examples of subject searches:

Mythology and African (Note: The term "mythology" can be modified this way with any number of religions, countries, continents, etc.

Egypt and queens and mythology

Mythology and classical and art

Trojan War

Periodicals and Electronic Print Resources

Periodicals provide in-depth analyses of events and trends, research studies on particular subjects, and professional literature. Las Positas College subscribes to several excellent journals as well as some popular magazines that may report on research that is of interest to you.

Look up the titles of periodicals in the Library Catalogto see if the Library subscribes to them.

In addition, you may want to find articles by using an online database. These electronic print resources can be accessed in the LPC Library or from home at the LPC Library Homepage.

Examples:

Religion and Philosophy Collection (EBSCO) - Provides extensive coverage of such topics as world religions, major denominations, biblical studies, religious history, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of language, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy. The database offers more than 300 full text journals, including more than 250 peer-reviewed titles, making it an essential tool for researchers and students of theology and philosophical studies.

Academic Search Premier(EBSCO) - Provides full text for more than 4,600 scholarly publications, including full text for more than 3,500 peer-reviewed journals. Coverage spans virtually every area of academic study and offers information dating as far back as 1975.

Suggestion: Do a keyword search for "mythology, greek" and select "peer-reviewed" under Limit Your Results
Under Search Options you can limit your search in order to retrieve materials from peer-reviewed journals or full-text articles. If you are looking for something from a specific publication you can also limit your search by entering the name of the magazine or journal.
You may also choose to search the two databases, Academic Search Premier and the Religion and Philosophy Collection at the same time by checking both before clicking continue.

GenderWatch - Full-text database of periodicals and other publications that focus on the impact of gender on culture and society.

Suggestion: Do a search for "women and mythology." Select any of the articles listed that are of interest to you

Internet Resources

You may want to explore some Internet resources to supplement or enhance your research. Always be cautious of information you find on the Web since the quality of sources varies tremendously on the Internet. It is always a good idea to check the information against another source. As with all information resources, whether in print or on the Internet, you evaluate its quality based on the following criteria:

Accuracy (Is it free from mistakes and errors?)
Authority (What are the qualifications of the author?)
Objectivity (Is there any strong bias?)
Currency (Is the information up to date?)
Coverage (To what extent is the topic explored?)

Examples of Relevant Web Sites:

Encyclopedia Mythica <http://www.pantheon.org/>. "This is an encyclopedia on mythology, folklore, legends, and more. It contains over 6100 definitions of gods and goddesses, supernatural beings and legendary creatures and monsters from all over the world."

Myths and Legends <http://members.bellatlantic.net/%7Evze33gpz/myth.html>. This is an excellent index to a wealth of internet sites on all subjects concerning mythology.

Citation of Sources

Keep printouts of your sources, or write out all pertinent information on author, title, publisher, date, or Internet address to identify where you got the information. Follow the format recommended by your instructor or ask a librarian to show you a "style manual." There are links to these instructions on the LPC Library web page: Citation Style Guides, as well as to the online resource, NoodbleBib, a bibliography composer.

Stephanie Fish, Librarian

Email a Librarian

Library Telephone: 925.424.1150
Library Fax: 925.606.7249