Get Help
Assistance is available whenever the library is open (see current Library Hours).
In person:
See the reference librarian in person at the Library Reference Desk for immediate service.
Phone us at: 805-378-1472
Email us at: mcreference@vcccd.edu
Email us your reference question being as clear and specific as possible concerning your needs.
Using the Databases
- Bloom's Literature This link opens in a new windowThis database includes reference essays, topics in fine art and dance, scholarly criticism examining great authors and their works. The database has full-length videos of classic plays and films, hundreds of full-texts, classic works, full-text poems, and stories, and more. The Shakespeare Center holds plays and poems, including a comprehensive overview of every play, performance videos, an extensive library of criticism from the sixteenth century to the present, research and writing advice. Additionally, there is material covering Shakespeare's life and times, his contemporaries, his stage, his language, and many other related topics.
- EBSCOhost (search multiple databases) This link opens in a new windowSearch across a number of EBSCO databases simultaneously.
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
A collection of encyclopedias and specialized reference volumes, in ebook format, for multidisciplinary research. The diverse subject areas from which the volumes have been chosen include: Arts, Literature, Biography, Sciences, and Social Sciences. These reference materials, originally published in print format, are now accessible electronically and can be searched by keyword, article title, or subject. Articles may be printed or e-mailed.
- Gale Literature Criticism/Resource Center This link opens in a new window
Unlock information in primary sources, critical articles, literary and cultural analysis, and biographies. Search across centuries to see the broader continuum of the story you choose to tell. We have integrated Literature Resources from Gale and Literature Criticism Online into a single research environment to help you take your research to new levels.
- Gale LitFinder This link opens in a new windowGale Literature: LitFinder provides access to a wealth of literary works and secondary-source materials covering world literature and authors throughout history. Including more than 132,000 full-text poems and 670,000+ poetry citations, as well as short stories, speeches, and plays. Biographies, work summaries, photographs, and a glossary are also included.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
This archive provides access to back issues of more than 500 scholarly journals spanning many disciplines. This is not a current issues database; typically there is a gap from 1 to 5 years between the most recently published journal issue and the back issues available in JSTOR. Articles can be searched by key word. Retrieved articles appear as high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as they were originally designed and printed.
- Project Muse This link opens in a new windowThis database provides access to an interdisciplinary collection of material, including scholarly journals and open source books, in the area of humanities and social sciences. Sponsored by Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Salem Press eBooks This link opens in a new windowThis database provides ebooks in numerous areas of study and research including science, history and historical primary sources, literature and literary criticism, psychology and behavioral sciences, and careers. The collection can be searched, including by keyword or subject. Print versions of these books are available in the library.
This database includes literary criticism from scholarly journals, as well as work overviews from reference books.
For best results, use the "Works Search" search to find information on poems, short stories, novels and plays.
Use the "Person Search" to get information on a particular author.
A "Works Search" on George Orwell's novel Animal Farm yields the following results:
This database includes scholarly criticism examining great authors and their works. The database has full-length videos of classic plays and films, hundreds of full-texts, classic works, full-text poems, and stories, and more. It also includes essay topics and tips for how to write about frequently studied authors. 
General Databases
- EBSCO Academic Search Complete
A scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.
- Gale Academic OneFile
A database of peer-reviewed articles from nearly 13,000 academic journals in the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects.
- EBSCO eBook Collection
A searchable collection of more than 14,000 eBooks. Sources include reference books, scholarly monographs, fiction, and non-fiction.
- ProQuest US Newsstream This link opens in a new windowU.S. Newsstream enables users to search the most recent premium U.S. news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites in active full-text format. For academic and public libraries, U.S. Newsstream offers exclusive access to the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and co-exclusive access (with Factiva) to The Wall Street Journal. U.S. Newsstream also offers one of the largest collections of local and regional newspapers, and is cross-searchable on the ProQuest platform.
