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Resources for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies
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The reference collection provides materials to assist you in finding background information, facts, and statistics. Use these sources at the beginning of your research to get an overview of a topic or to identify synonyms or related terms that will apply to your topic. Later, return to these sources to clarify concepts or define new vocabulary. The bibliographies in reference works can direct you to important works in an academic field.
Examples of the kinds of reference books you may find include:
Curry, Hayden. A legal guide for lesbian and gay couples. by Hayden Curry, Denis Clifford and Robin Leonard. 7th national ed. Berkeley, CA: Nolo Press, 1993. Ref KF538.C87 1993 Intended as a practical guide to help lesbian and gay couples understand the laws that affect them. Provides sample legal forms and contact list of organizations that can provide current legal status information.
Dynes, Wayne R. Homosexuality: a research guide. New York: Garland, 1987. Ref HQ76.25.D9 1987 An international bibliography covering from the 19th century to 1986, organized by major topic and subtopics with subject and personal name indexes. It does not cover fiction.
Encyclopedia of homosexuality. Edited by Wayne Dynes; associate editors, Warren Johansson, William A. Percy. New York: Garland, 1990 2 vol. Ref HQ76.25.E53 1990 An important work of over 700 signed articles each ending with references to more information.
Garber, Linda. Lesbian sources: a bibliography of periodical articles, 1970-1990. New York: Garland, 1993. Ref HQ75.5.G367 1993 Covers articles written by and about lesbians arranged by subject. Does not overlap with Clare Potter's The Lesbian Periodicals Index listed below.
Gay & lesbian literature. Introd. to Gay male literature, Wayne R. Dynes. Introd. to lesbian literature, Barbara G. Grier. Editor: Sharon Malinowski. Detroit: St. James Press, c1994. 2 vols. Ref PN56.H57G365 1994. Covers over 200 fiction and non-fiction writers whose work has contributed significantly to the field of gay and lesbian literature. For each entry includes a biography of the author, a list of the author's works, and a bibliography of criticism of the author followed by a critical essay. International in scope, it provides several indexes by:f topics and authors, nationality, gender, general subject and genre, and awards.
Gay histories and cultures: an encyclopedia. George E. Haggerty, editor. John Beynon, Douglas Eisner, assistant editors. New York: Garland, 2000. Ref HQ75.13.G37 2000 An alphabetical arrangement of entries for both topics and individuals with references at the end of the entry. Covers all time periods and cultures as well as contemporary issues. Includes a detailed index.
The gay and lesbian literary heritage: a reader's companion to the writers and their works, from antiquity to the present. Edited by Claude J. Summers. New York: Henry Holt, c1995. Ref PN56.H57G366 1995 Essays on topics, authors, and national literatures arranged alphabetically each ending with a short bibliography. Includes an index of topics and authors.
Hogan, Steve. Completely queer: the gay and lesbian encyclopedia. Steve Hogan and Lee Hudson. New York: Henry Holt, c1998. Ref HQ75.H63 1998 This work focuses on the "multifaceted international subculture self-identified lesbians and gay men have cultivated and refined in the second half of the 20th century." - Introd. Arranged alphabetically by topic with references at the end of each entry, a chronology back to 12,000 B.C. and a detailed index.
Hunt, Ronald J. Historical dictionary of the gay liberation movement: gay men and the quest for social justice. Lanham MD: Scarecrow Press, 1999. Ref HQ76.5.H86 1999 "...describes many of the key organizations and their leaders, many of the essential issues and the range of strategies, and the situation in numerous countries." - Editor's foreword. Focuses on gay men and does not include lesbians. Has extensive bibliography, mostly in English.
Kranz, Rachel. Gay rights. New York: Facts On File, c2000. Ref HQ76.8.U5K73 2000 Provides an overview of gay rights in the United States in its historical context including legal, cultural aspects, a chronology, paragraph-length biographies, a discussion of how to research gay rights and an extensive annotated bibliography.
Lesbian histories and cultures: an encyclopedia. Bonnie Zimmerman, editor. New York: Garland, 2000. Ref HQ75.5.L4395 2000 An alphabetical arrangement of entries for both topics and individuals with references at the end of the entry. Covers all time periods and cultures as well as contemporary issues. Includes a detailed index.
Maggiore, Dolores J. Lesbianism: an annotated bibliography and guide to the Literature, 1976-1991. 1992 ed. Metuchen:NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1992. Ref HQ75.6.U5M34 1992 This book is an updated edition of a work began as an attempt to provide social workers with a bibliography on lesbianism in 1988 to allow them to better understand lesbian clients they would encounter in their work.
Murray, Raymond. Images in the dark: an encyclopedia of gay and lesbian film and video. Philadelphia: TLA Publications, c1994. Ref PN1995.9.H55M87 1994 A compilation of films and videos, mostly over 60 minutes in length, "written, scored, directed by and starring gays and lesbians; and films that have gay/lesbian themes, or ones in which lesbian or gay characters are fleetingly presented." - Introduction.
Parish, James Robert. Gays and lesbians in mainstream cinema: plots, critiques, casts and credits for 272 theatrical and made-for-television Hollywood releases. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, c1993. Ref PN1995.9.H55P37 1993 "This reference book reveals how, over the decades, the makers of mainstream Hollywood product - in contrast to hardcore pornography - have dealt with the subject of homosexuality on screen in theatrical and television feature films." - Introduction.
Potter, Clare. The lesbian periodicals index. Compiled and edited by Clare Potter. Tallahassee, FL: Naiad Press, 1986. Ref HQ75.6.U5P68 1986 Indexes 42 periodicals no longer published, almost all from the 1970's, showing political, cultural, racial and class diversity within the lesbian community. Indexes book reviews and cartoons, drawings, etc. Does not overlap with Linda Garber's Lesbian Sources listed above.
Reader's guide to lesbian and gay studies. Editor: Timothy F. Murphy. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, c2000. Ref HQ75.15.R43 2000 A set of bibliographic essays that list and discuss the key works to consult for information a wide variety of issues, time periods, topics and countries.
Ridinger, Robert B. Marks. The homosexual and society: an annotated bibliography. New York: Greenwood, c1990. Ref HQ76.25.R52 1990 Over 1500 entries covering a 2000 year period ending in 1987 dealing with subject of homophobia.
St. James Press gay & lesbian almanac. Editor: Neil Schlager, with foreword by R. Ellen Greenblatt. Detroit: St. James Press, c1998. Ref HQ76.3.U5S75 1998 Intended not to be a collection of trivia but a "comprehensive, substantive volume written in a scholarly tone." - foreword. It "explores significant issues facing gays and lesbians today, including marriage, military service, employment, law and health." - foreword. Each topical chapter is followed by biographies of people in that field and references to further information.
Stewart, William. Cassell's queer companion: a dictionary of lesbian and gay life and culture. London: Cassell, c1995. Ref HQ76.25.S74 1995 Includes "entries on lesbian and gay politics, history, film, theatre, popular culture, style and slang," mostly from the United Kingdom and United States but also from other countries and cultures around the world. - from Introduction.
Who's who in contemporary gay and lesbian history from World War II to the present day. Edited by Robert Aldreich and Gary Wortherspoon. London: Routledge, c2001 2 vols. Ref HQ75.2.W46 2001 Strives to "provide a comprehensive modern biographical survey of figures significant to the history of homosexuality in the Western world." - from dust jacket. Includes biographees from non-English speaking western countries.
Because GLBT is an interdisciplinary field, printed sources that may be useful are likely to be found in more than one part of the Library of Congress classification system. Try browsing in the following areas:
HQ 71-75.26 General works and Gay and Lesbian Studies
HQ 74-74.2 Bisexuality
HQ 75.3-75.6 Lesbians
HQ 75.7-76.2 Gay Men
HQ 76.5 Gay Rights Movement
HQ 77.7-77.95 Transsexualism
KF 539 Legal Aspects of Same Sex Marriage in the U.S.
PN 56.H57 Treatment of Homosexuality in Literature
PN 56.L45 Treatment of Lesbianism in Literature
PN 1995.9.H55 Homosexuality in Motion Pictures
RC558-560 Homosexuality as a Psychiatric Disorder
Word searching (key word searching): Try the names of specific people, issues. events, etc. Look at a record for an item that is on your topic and use the subject headings (they're clickable!) in that record to find other items on the same subject.
Subject searching: With a subject as broad as GLBT, there are lots of possible subject headings in Muse to try. If a word search does not lead you to useful subject headings, check with a reference librarian or consult the 5 volume Library of Congress Subject Headings on the ready reference shelf near the reference desk. Many headings can be subdivided by countries. Here is a sample:
Bisexuality
Gay men
Gay parents
Homophobia in literature
Homophobia in sports
Homosexuality, Male -- China
Homosexuality and literature -- Latin America
Homosexuality in literature
Lesbianism -- Drama
Lesbians -- Family relationships
Same-sex marriage
Newspapers General Articles Art, Literature & Music Sociological, Economic & Policy Medical & Psychological Citation Which index or database might be best for your needs depends on what kind of information you are looking for. For example, do you want popular news stories to gauge media coverage of an issue? Do you want the economic impact of a policy decision? Or do you want the latest in medical research? Here are some places to start. If you are having trouble finding what you need, save time by checking with a reference librarian who can suggest the best tools to try and show you how to use them.
Newspapers: Back to Articles Academic Universe indexes newspaper articles in major national and regional U.S. and major foreign newspapers. Does not always include the text of the article.
Ethnic NewsWatch (online 1991-present) An index in either English or Spanish to the contents of over 200 newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic and minority press in the United States. Search by keywords or by terms from its subject list such as "human/interpersonal relations (gay)" or "human/interpersonal relations (lesbian)".
National Newspapers indexes five newspapers back to the mid 1980's: Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Includes the full text of the articles.
Palmer's Full Text Online indexes the London Times from 1790-1905. Includes the full text from 1800-1870.
Proquest Historical Newspapers indexes the New York Times back to 1851 and the Wall Street Journal back to 1889. All of the text is not available at this time but will be within a year or so.
General Articles: Back to Articles The following two databases index both popular press magazines and some scholarly journals. The full text of the articles is included more than half the time. Both of the following indexes work well using specific keywords. Once you find an article on your topic, the subject headings or descriptors listed near the end of the record will lead you to other articles on your topic.
Expanded Academic ASAP (online 1980-present) Keyword searches work best for specific names, events, issues. If you change the default search from keyword to subject, try broad terms like "homosexuality" or search "lesbians". The search results will give you an option of looking at a couple thousand articles arranged by sub topic if you select "Narrow by subdivision."
Proquest Research Library (online 1971-present)
Art, Literature and Music: Back to Articles Art Index Ref N1.A1A78 (Print 1929-1995) (Internet 1978-present) Covers such subjects as "homosexuals in motion pictures" and "homosexuals and motion pictures" as well as "artists gay." Try names of individuals or particular films or art works.
MLA International Bibliography Ref PB12.M64 (print 1964-1996) (online 1993-present through SilverPlatter) This is the major index for articles and reviews of literary, film and popular culture topics in multiple countries and languages.
Music Index Ref ML118.M84 (print 1949-present) This index covers all types of music, not just opera and classical but rock, pop, rap. Try looking up the two subject headings, "homosexuality" and "lesbianism" or try the names of specific composers, performers or works.
Sociological, Economic and Policy: Back to Articles Alternative Press Index Ref A13.A27 (print 1969-1999) "Citations are drawn from roughly 380 alternative, radical, and left publications, which report and analyze the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political, and social change." - Factsheet.
Contemporary Women's Issues (online 1992-present) Indexes books, journals, newsletters, research reports about women in many countries and covers such topics as gender equity and lesbian concerns. - from factsheet.
Econlit (online 1969-present) The main index to articles in economics. International in scope, it indexes articles on such topics as the economic impact of same sex marriage, wage discrimination and domestic partner benefits.
JSTOR (see below)
Left Index Ref HX1.L34 (print 1990-1999) "A complete guide to the diverse literature of the left, with an emphasis on political, economic, social and culturally engaged scholarship inside and outside academia." - product factsheet.
PAIS International Ref H1.P8 (print 1915-1990 PAIS Bulletin) (online 1972-present through Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Internet Database Service.) An index of articles, books, and government documents, international in scope, on public policy interpreted very broadly. Does not include full text. A key word search of "same sex marriage" will find 22 articles. Viewing an article and clicking on the descriptor "gay marriage" will find 40 articles.
Sociological Abstracts Ref HM1.S67 (print 1952-1997) (online 1963-present through Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Internet Database Service.)An international index of the social sciences. Does not contain full text articles. It has citations only until 1974 when abstracts were added.
Women Studies Abstracts Ref HQ1111.W65 (print 1972-present)The major index to journal articles in women's studies and covers lesbian topics.
Women's Studies Index Ref HQ1180.W683 (print 1989, 1991-present) Indexes about 70 periodicals and includes book, film, music and theater reviews.
Medical and Psychological Back to Articles Medline (online 1992-present through Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) The premier medical database maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Internet Database Service includes a collection of databases that index various scientific fields. Under the subject area alphabetical list, check "Biological Sciences" to search a subset of databases related to human health and biology.
PsycINFO PlusText (online some full text starting in 1992-present) This is the online version of Psychological abstracts which indexes the major psychology journals. Indexing goes back to the late 1800's for some journals.
PubMed (online 1960's-present through U.S. National Library of Medicine) The free government version of Medline.
Citation: Back to Articles Web of Science is a family of three citation databases: Science Citation Index (1969-present), Social Science Citation Index (1969-present) and Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1975-present). When you know a key article on a topic, you can use a citation index to trace who has cited that paper as well as look up articles by topic or find the references cited within an article. If you have never used a citation index before, a reference librarian can show you how it works.
Journals: Many journals may have an article related to GLBT topics. The Finding Articles section above can help you find indexes and databases that will lead you to articles on a topic. Gould Library subscribes to several journals directly related to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies:
The Advocate no.602-610, 1992- (print) (available online through Infotrac and Proquest) Also indexed in the Contemporary Women's Issues.
Curve Jan. 1999- (online through Infotrac)
Gender & Education v.9- Sept. 1997- (online through Proquest)
Gender & History v.1- 1989- (print)
Gender & Society v.7- 1993- (print) v.6- 1992- (online through Proquest) v.1- 1987- to three years ago (online through JSTOR)
Gender Issues v. 15- 1997- (online through Proquest)
GLQ v.5- 1999- (online through Project Muse)
Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review v.1-6, 1994-1999 (print) 1999- (online Infotrac)
Lambda Book Report 1994- (online through Proquest)
Project JSTOR This full text database archive includes entire journals from their first issue to about five years ago. It is not intended to include the most recent years. In the discipline of Sociology it includes 22 journals, some going back to before the 1940's.
Government Documents: Gould Library has an extensive collection of U.S. federal documents. Over 90% of this collection is listed in Muse and can be search by author, title, keyword or subject, just like a book. Government documents have their own classification system and are shelved separately from Gould's book collection. Documents are kept in order by the agency that produced them. Paper government documents can be checked out like books.
Statistical Universe provides tables of hate crime and bias motivated crimes reported at both the federal level and for some states.
Congressional Universe provide access to Congressional hearings and reports.
For more information about our government documents collections, both print and online and web, see our Government Documents page maintained by Carolyn Sanford.
Web Sites: The quality and authority of GLBT information on web sites varies tremendously. Use a search engine when you are looking for the name of a very specialized or specific organization or government agency. Otherwise you may find more useful information on your topic by checking out some web sites geared specifically to organizing GLBT Studies information on the web, such as:
Library Q: The Library Worker's Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resources: Reference. Ellen Greenblatt.
Librarians' Index to the Internet: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual Page.
Voice of the Shuttle: Gender Studies Page.
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
A Guide to Queer Resources in the Social Sciences. Katia Roberto.
Library Contact: If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for this page, please contact:
Karen Fischer
Phone: x7670
E-mail to: kfischer@carleton.edu
Office: 468 Gould Library
Maintained by: Karen Fischer
Last updated: Wednesday, 24-Mar-2004 11:50:27 CST