Search Tips for English, British & Irish 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) which is a very useful tool. Read more 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, applying the region-filter and / or adding 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 or a suitable subject heading.

Consider that you can also pick 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

Bowers, Jennifer, and Peggy Keeran. Literary Research and the British Renaissance and Early Modern Period: Strategies and Sources. Lanham, Md. Scarecrow Press, 2010. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 8.

Hartsell-Gundy, Arianne, and Bridgit McCafferty. Literary Research and British Postmodernism: Strategies and Sources. Lanham, Md. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. Literary research: Strategies and Sources 13.

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

Keeran, Peggy. Literary Research and the British Eighteenth Century: Strategies and Sources. Lanham, Md. [u.a.]: Scarecrow Press, 2013. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 12.

Keeran, Peggy, and Jennifer Bowers. Literary Research and the British Romantic Era: Strategies and Sources. Lanham, Md. Scarecrow Press, 2005. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 1.

Lewis, Alison M. Literary Research and British Modernism: Strategies and Sources. Lanham Md. u.a. Scarecrow Press, 2010. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 7.

Matthews, J. G. Literary Research and Irish literature: Strategies and Sources. Lanham Md. u.a. Scarecrow Press, 2009. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 5.

van Vuuren, Melissa S. Literary Research and the Victorian and Edwardian Ages, 1830 - 1910: Strategies and Sources. Lanham Md. Scarecrow Press, 2011. Literary Research: Strategies and Sources 9.

History

Enderle, Wilfried. “Großbritannien und Irland.” Clio Guide: Ein Handbuch zu digitalen Ressourcen für die Geschichtswissenschaften. Ed. Laura Busse, et al. Berlin, 2016 [read it online].

The website of the Institute of Historical Research http://www.history.ac.uk/ also offers very useful research information, including online-courses on different topics related to digital research.

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).

Historical Holdings (Works Published up to 1945)

To browse our collection 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 English and Irish authors in English: Along with Canadian and North American authors under Literatura & Linguistica / Fabulae Romanenses / In specie / Occidentales / Singulorum Populorum / Anglicae...

Poetry: Literatura & Linguistica / Lyrik / Poetae Anglici...; Literatura & Linguistica / Lyrik / Poetae Anglo-Saxonici, Anglo-Normannici etc...; Literatura & Linguistica / Lyrik / Poetae variarium nationum / Poetae Celtici...

Drama: Literatura & Linguistica / Poetae dramatici / Poetae dramatici: Collectiones et poetae singuli /  Apud recentiores populos / Apud occidentales populos / Apud plures populos affines, quorum linguae affines sunt / Apud populos Germanici originis / Apud Anglos...; Literatura & Linguistica / Poetae dramatici / Poetae dramatici: Collectiones et poetae singuli /  Apud recentiores populos / Apud occidentales populos / Poetae dramatici Celtorum

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

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

English, Anglo-Saxon and Celtic languages: Literatura & Linguistica / Linguistica / De linguis Europaeis / Linguae Germanicae...; and Linguae Celticae...

English and Irish History: Historia & Geographia / Geschichte europäischer Staaten / Historia Britanniae Ecclesiastica...; Historia Britanniae Particularis...; Historia Britanniae Universalis...

Itineraries: Historia & Geographia / Itineraria / Literatur bis Erscheinungsjahr 1933 / In specie / Itinera per Europam / Per Magnam Britanniam et Hiberniam; as well as Itineraria / Literatur ab Erscheinungsjahr 1934 / Europa / Großbritannien und Irland...

Natural history, Geography: Mathematica & Scientiae naturales / Historia Naturalis speciatim / Geographia historico-naturalis / In specie: secundum regiones / Orbis partes descriptae...

Mineralogy: Mathematica & Scientiae naturales / Mineralogia / Mineralogia in specie / Mineralogia geographica / Speciatim / Europa: Alpen, Mittelmeer / Europa media et borealis / Magna Britannia

Botany: Mathematica & Scientiae naturales / Botanice / Botanice in specie / Botanice geographica / Speciatim / Europa / Europa media et borealis / Magna Britannia...

Zoology: Zoologia / Zoologia universalis / Zoologia geographica / Europae / Angliae...

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.

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 / British and Irish History.

In this main class, you can browse more than 22.000 books, but you will also find relevant titles under the headings "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 weekly lists of all new records published by the British Library. They can be downloaded for free on their website: http://www.bl.uk/bibliographic/natbibweekly.html These lists are arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification numbers: Main class language = 4, main class literature = 8.
• the British National Bibliography which lists all books and journals published in the United Kingdom and Ireland since 1950: http://bnb.bl.uk/.

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, the following German libraries offer large collections relevant for English, British and Irish studies:

• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München 
• Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz.