Search Tips for American Studies

Maybe there are more relevant databases than the ones you are using already? If you want to see what else is there, check the Database Information System (DBIS). Consult our specific guidelines on how to make the best use of it.

• Literary Studies & Linguistics: In "Gesamtbestand" in DBIS, use the "Erweiterte Suche". Choose "Anglistik, Amerikanistik". You can refine your search by selecting the database type and / or choosing "USA" or "Nordamerika" in the region-filter. You can also add a subject heading, e.g. linguistics.
  • Please note the excellent survey of databases in Haug, Jochen. Erfolgreich recherchieren: Anglistik und Amerikanistik. Berlin u.a. de Gruyter Saur, 2012. Erfolgreich recherchieren.
• Geography, History, Law, Politics, Social Science: In "Gesamtbestand" in DBIS, use the "Erweiterte Suche" and choose in "Fachgebiete" "Geographie" or "Geschichte" or "Soziologie" or "Politologie" or "Rechtswissenschaft" and combine with the region-filter. Use "USA" or "Amerika" as filters, since "Nordamerika" sometimes renders too few results.

You can also choose multiple regions (and subjects) at once: Keep the STRG-key pressed and mark them with the mouse, then start search. If you click on a single title, the field "Bibliotheken mit Bestandsnachweis" shows you which library has licensed it, if it is not freely available.

• Extra tip for Law: Consult the website of the Specialised Information Service Law (Fachinformationsdienst für internationale und interdisziplinäre Rechtsforschung, FID Recht) which informs about important electronic resources and offers a subject-specific metasearch (ViFa Recht).

Please note that you can suggest databases for licensing!

If you want to upgrade your research skills systematically, consult the following publications which give a detailed overview on search strategies and helpful resources in your field.

Literary Studies & Linguistics

Courtney, Angela. Literary research and the Era of American Nationalism and Romanticism: Strategies and Sources. Lanham, Md. Scarecrow Press, 2008. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 2.

Haug, Jochen. Erfolgreich recherchieren: Anglistik und Amerikanistik. Berlin u.a. de Gruyter Saur, 2012. Erfolgreich recherchieren. (includes linguistics)

Matuozzi, Robert N., and Elizabeth B. Lindsay. Literary Research and the American Modernist Era: Strategies and Sources. Lanham, Md. et al. Scarecrow Press, 2008. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 3.

Stein, Linda L., and Peter J. Lehu. Literary Research and the American Realism and Naturalism Period: Strategies and Sources. Lanham Md. et al. Scarecrow Press, 2009. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 4.

History

Enderle, Wilfried. "USA". Clio Guide: Ein Handbuch zu digitalen Ressourcen für die Geschichtswissenschaften. Ed. Laura Busse, et al. Berlin, 2016 [read it online].

Law

Vogel, Ivo. Erfolgreich recherchieren: Jura. 2. Auflage. Berlin: de Gruyter Saur, 2015. Erfolgreich recherchieren. De Gruyter Studium. (International and foreign law on pp. 83-118)

Please also consult the website of the Specialised Information Service Law (Fachinformationsdienst für internationale und interdisziplinäre Rechtsforschung, FID Recht) which informs about important electronic resources and offers a subject-specific metasearch (ViFa Recht).

The John F. Kennedy Institute’s library holds the largest North American Studies collection in Germany, and the broad range of subjects represented at the library make it unique on the European continent. Read more about their collections and projects!

Newspapers, Comics, and TV-Series

The JFKI library holds extensive collections of North American and Canadian newspapers, comics & TV-series. To find items of these source types please use their search engine Primo.

For guidelines and search tips for these item types, please consult the JFKI library's Research Help!

Historical Holdings (Works Published up to 1945)

To browse our historical holdings by topic, use the electronic version of the Classified Catalogue („Band-Realkatalog“). Please note the general information on this historical reference tool.

Below you find the paths through the historical classification which lead you to relevant material, however they might not be complete - most likely there will be even more classes which contain interesting items for you. Once you get acquainted with the classification you will navigate easily through it and surely experience moments of serendipity!

Prose of North American authors in English: Along with English, Irish and Canadian works, under Literatura & Linguistica / Fabulae Romanenses / In specie / Occidentales / Singulorum Populorum / Anglicae...

Prose of North American authors in languages other than English: Literatura & Linguistica / Fabulae Romanenses / In specie / Occidentales / Singulorum Populorum / Americae (populorum non Anglice loquentium) / Septentrionalis

Poetry: Literatura & Linguistica / Lyrik / Poetae variarium nationum / Poetae Anglo-Americanici...; Literatura & Linguistica / Lyrik / Poetae Germano-Americani

Drama: Literatura & Linguistica / Poetae dramatici / Poetae dramatici: Collectiones et poetae singuli /  Apud recentiores populos / Apud occidentales populos / Poetae dramatici gentium indigenorum, and Poetae dramatici Anglo-Americani

Satire: Literatura & Linguistica / Satirae / Singulorum populorum / Anglicae et Americanae

Miscellaneous literary writings and collections: Literatura & Linguistica /Scriptores varii argumenti / Scriptores singuli / Occidentales / Americani / Americani septentrionalis

North American Languages: Literatura & Linguistica / Linguistica / De linguis Americanis...

American History: Historia & Geographia / Historia Americae...

Itineraries: Historia & Geographia / Itineraria / Literatur bis Erscheinungsjahr 1933 / In specie / In Americam... ; as well as Itineraria / Literatur ab Erscheinungsjahr 1934 / America...

Natural history, Geography: Mathematica & Scientiae naturales / Historia Naturalis speciatim / Geographia historico-naturalis / In specie: secundum regiones / Orbis partes descriptae / Plures orbis partes junctim tractatae... or Orbis partes descriptae / Singulae orbis partes / America...

Mineralogy: Mathematica & Scientiae naturales / Mineralogia / Mineralogia in specie / Mineralogia geographica / Speciatim / America in universum...

Botany: Mathematica & Scientiae naturales / Botanice / Botanice in specie / Botanice geographia / Speciatim / America...

Zoology: Zoologia / Zoologia universalis / Zoologia geographica / Americae

A very useful tool to access earlier prints is our “Catalogue of English Books Printed Before 1801”:

Fabian, Bernhard, ed. A Catalogue of English Books Printed Before 1801 Held by the University Library at Göttingen. Compiled by Graham Jefcoate and Karen Kloth. Hildesheim [et al.]: Olms-Weidmann, 1987- (3 pts., pt. 4 forthcoming).

Please use Göttingen Online Classification as a starting point for browsing by topic. When you've found a relevant title, click on its subject headings and classes to find more items on the respective topics.

Literary Studies & Linguistics

Main class in Göttingen Online Classification: Philologien / English. Commonwealth / English outside the U.K. and Ireland / American English.

Particularly for primary literature the classification offers very useful browsing options. Please follow the general instructions for this method.

History

Main class in Göttingen Online Classification: History / History of the USA.

In this main class, you can browse more than 42.000 books, but you will also find relevant titles under the headings "History of America", "History of Historiography", "Auxiliary Science", "World History" (especially History of the World Wars), and "History of the Jewish People" in the respective subclasses.

If you want to keep on track with what is being published, you can check

• the American Book Publishing Record (ABPR, Bowker) which many libraries subscribe to. It appears in print, is arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification and indexed by author, title and subject.
• the New York Review of Books

Please note: Such indices can be quite extensive and are often not limited to academic publications. Thus, it can be rather tedious to comb through them. If you are not necessarily looking for the very latest publications, check a good bibliographic database instead which is fitting for your field. If you use suitable search terms and select the last and/or the current year as year of publication you will get a narrowed, but probably much more useful list of results.

Besides SUB Göttingen and the JFKI library, the following German libraries offer large collections relevant for American Studies:

• Universitätsbibliothek Mainz (USA-Bibliothek) 
• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München 
• Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz.