Library Catalogs

OU Library Catalog--people can be searched as authors or as subjects

World Cat--union catalog of libraries worldwide

MelCat--union catalog of many Michigan libraries; 1st stop to interloan books

Subject headings, a sampling

Indians of North America [with subdivisions such as History, Folklore, Legends, Intellectual Life, Civil Rights, Cultural Assimiliation, etc.]

Cherokee Indians [and other specific tribes]

American Literature--Indian Authors

Indian Authors

Databases & E-Journal Collections

MLA Bibliography--the standard index for literature. Coverage begins in 1926. Includes citations to journal articles, books, chapters, and dissertations. Subject headings that work here include: Native Americans, North American Indians, Native American Writers, Native American-White Relations, Cheyenne Indians [and other specific tribes], specific writers.

America, History and Life-- indexes journal articles, books, chapters in books, and dissertations on the history and culture of the United States and Canada..  Indexing began in 1964. Subject headings that work here include: Indians, Literature, American Indian Movement, Law, Civil Rights, Sovereignty, specific writers.

Film and Television Literature Index--indexes journal and magazine articles (and even some books) on film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. Continuation of the print Film Literature Index (Ref. PN 1993 F647).

JSTOR--Online collection of many scholarly journals from volume 1 until 2 to 5 years ago. Full text of articles is searchable! Includes American Indian Quarterly (from 1971 to 2001), Western Historical Quarterly (from 1970 to 2001, current issues from the History Cooperative), William and Mary Quarterly (1944 to 2001, current issues from the History Cooperative).

ProjectMuse--online collection of many university press journals from current issues back 5 to 10 years. Full text of articles is searchable! Includes Studies in American Indian Literature (from 2004), American Indian Quarterly (from 2000).

New York Times, Historical (1851-2004)--Note that you can restrict your search to a date range ("from" "to"). This is a great source for obituaries of famous people, for articles on events, or even for searching topics.

Reference Titles--a sampling

The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Native American Rights Movement Ref. KF 8203.36 .G76 1996

Blackfeet Religion--web site from Access Genealogy: Indian Tribal Records

Chronology of American Indian history : the trail of the wind
Ref. E 77 .S72 2001

Columbia Guide to American Indian Literatures of the United States Since 1945 / edited by Eric Cheyfitz
on reserve at the Circulation Desk

Credo Reference--a collection of online reference works

Documents of United States Indian Policy
Ref. KF 8205 .D63 2000

Dictionary of Native American literature [in Reference collection and also online]
Ref. PM 155 .D53 1994

Encyclopedia of American Indian Civil Rights
Ref. KF 8210 .C5 E53 1997

Encyclopedia of American Studies
Ref. E 169.1 .E625 2001 and online

Encyclopedia of North American Indians
Ref. E 76.2 .E53 1996

Native American Literatures : An Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors, and Themes
Ref. PS 153 .I52 W47 1999

Returned by the People: A History of American Indians and the Bill of Rights, by John R. Wunder
3d floor KF 8205 .W86 1994 and online

Contact Information

Library Instructor: Millie Merz, 241 KL, 248-370-2457, merz@oakland.edu

Course Instructor: Gladys Cardiff

RefWorks

• RefWorks - a reference management tool that allows you to create a personal database of references and automatically generate formatted bibliographies for your projects.

Steps to Using RefWorks

Step 1 —Log in to RefWorks. (If you do not have an account, first create one. Be sure that you give your OU e-mail account when you register.)

Step 2 —Export records from the MLA Bibliography. Instructions for exporting.

Step 3 —Create folder/folders for your bibliographic records.  (View “Organizing your references” tutorial.)

Step 4 —Put your imported references into appropriate folders.  A reference can be placed in more than one folder.

Step 5 —Export references from other sources—the Library Catalog, JSTOR, and ProjectMuse (links take you to instructions).

Step 6 —Add references manually.  Sometimes you have references that you find in books and bibliographies that you need to add “by hand.” 

Step 7--Search for Duplicates. Be careful which records you delete, usually preserving the one in a folder or with more information.

Step 8 —Share folders.  You can share folders with your fellow students, with your professor, or with anyone.  Be sure to click on “Allow users to post comments on references” when you share a folder with your instructor. 

Step 9 —Save a folder "shared" with you to your own RefWorks account.  This involves “exporting” the shared folder to your RefWorks. 

Step 10 —Create a bibliography from your references. Use with caution!

Potential Problems

1.Pop-ups. You may have to change your pop-up settings--in Google or Yahoo toolbar, in browser settings, and/or your internet security software (e.g., Norton).

2. You may get a screen indicating that "there is a problem with this website's security certificate." Click on "continue to this website."

3. When exporting a shared folder to your RefWorks from off campus, you will need to use the access code for OU (RWOakUniv) and log into RefWorks.

Other Info

Does the library have access to a journal online? Easiest way to find out is to check the "Alphabetical List of Online Journals" from the library's "Find Articles" page.

Where do you find lists of databases and other online resources available at OU? The easiest way to find these is to check "Databases by Subject" or "Databases A to Z" from the "Find Articles" page.

Get It

When you are using the library's databases, be sure to click on the blue link when the article you want does not have a full text link in the database. will then take you to the article from another source or take you library catalog record for print holdings or take you to a form to request a copy of the article via interlibrary loan.

Some other library web pages:

• OU Library's Research Guide for English
• Course page for English 319