Online Library Reference Works
Use these reference books to provide an overview of your topic, define terms, and list the seminal authors and works in the field.
- Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism
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Contains entries on individual critics and theorists, critical and theoretical schools and movements, and the critical and theoretical innovations of specific countries and historical periods. - Dance Treasures (Dance Heritage Coalition)A collection of short overviews, bibliographies, and essays on 113 major American "Irreplaceable Dance Treasures."
- World Folklore and Folklife This link opens in a new window
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Interdisciplinary database of reference materials and introductory essays on world folklore and myth, dance, religion, ethnography, and more. - Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas This link opens in a new window
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Digital library of reference entries, images, and other introductory materials covering arts and visual culture, film, fashion, gender and ethnicity, youth culture, and more. Includes several entries for popular dance.
- Oxford Dictionary of Dance
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Basic dictionary of dance styles and techniques.
- Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
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Oxford Music Online is the access point for Grove Music Online and other Oxford music reference resources, including The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition (2001), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992), and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition (2001) and updates. - Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
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Combines Grove Art Online, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, the Oxford Companion to Western Art, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, and the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Includes image partnerships with ARTstor, the British Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Images for College Teaching, Art Resource, Artists Rights Society, and numerous international art galleries and artists. - Oxford History of Western Music This link opens in a new window
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Full text from The Oxford History of Western Music with notes, bibliographies and further readings for all 69 chapters. Includes a great deal of content on classic Western dance and its relation to music, especially ballet. - Gale E-Books (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
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Searchable collection of online reference books, including several biographical sources. - American Indian Experience This link opens in a new window
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Full-text scholarship and reference content, primary documents, and thousands of images. Contains numerous entries on dance and the arts. - Latino American Experience This link opens in a new window
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Reference portal that includes interdisciplinary information on a range of topics, including dance, music, and other aspects of performance. - Daily Life through History (Academic) This link opens in a new window
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Includes reference books, images, and primary documents on a range of topics related to world history, folklore, dance, and culture. - Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
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A good place to start, but note that it is an index to over 15 million articles in 11,000 subject encyclopedias and handbooks, both print and online and does not provide full-text articles. Instead, it will connect you to our catalog so you know where to find the appropriate encyclopedia, dictionary or other reference work. You will be linked to UCLA's holdings for any entries you find.