Librarian for Middle Eastern, Islamic, and South Asian Studies
Research Assistance
Research assistance in the social sciences and humanities is available at the Charles E. Young Research Library. See Research Help for complete Library research support options.
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Quick Links
- Map of UCLA LibrariesDoes not include other campus collections outside the official library system. See next link for locations and hours of other collections at UCLA.
- Other Collections at UCLAThese are collections located within departments and research units outside of the official UCLA Library system.
- Off-Campus (VPN or Proxy Server) Access to Library eResourcesHow to access licensed online content from off-campus.
- UCLA Department of HistoryWebsite of the Department of History at UCLA.
- UCLA Center for Oral History Research (COHR) This link opens in a new windowCOHR conducts in-depth, multi-session oral history interviews with individuals who have been a part of the history of Los Angeles and its many communities. Over 2000 interviews document a wide range of areas related to Southern California history, including the histories of Black, indigenous, people of color and immigrant communities, the arts, political activism, politics and government, and UCLA history. Transcripts available in Library Special Collections (YRL).
Key Online Reference Works
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowDesigned specifically for academic institutions, this is the world's most comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database. The database includes many articles on South Asia and on Asia in general.
- Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) This link opens in a new window
Includes citations to Western-language periodical articles, monographs, chapters in edited volumes, conference proceedings, anthologies, Festschriften, and so on, from 1971 to the present. Monographs are included up to 1991. Search tips: In many cases, you may want to browse the subject classification or use Browse BAS by country-subject. To locate monographs published after 1991, consult WorldCat (see link below).
- eSocialSciencesIncludes some peer-reviewed journals, discussions, book reviews, etc. The resources emphasizes South Asia and India. To access the material, you will need to register, but the registration is free.
- Gale E-Books (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new windowProvides access to online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other specialized reference sources.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Index and abstracts for articles on the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life) published since 1955.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowIndexes worldwide publications on literature, language, linguistics, folklore, film, television, and theater from 1923 to the present. See also the MLA Directory of Periodicals.
- Official Publications of IndiaGovernment documents relating to pre- and post-independence South Asia, from two major collections within the British Library--the Oriental and India Office Collections and the Official Publications Section of the former British Museum.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Spans 25 different subject areas, bringing together digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias. UC subscription allows limited simultaneous users, so if you can't connect try again later. Please note: UCLA Library has access to a selected number of Oxford reference titles, and not the entire set.
- Reference Universe This link opens in a new window
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.
- Sards 3Contains bibliographic references to South Asia research articles published in journals, collective volumes, conference proceedings, Festschriften, and so forth.
- South Asia Union Catalogue (SAUC)The SAUC aims to develop an historical bibliography of materials printed in South Asia from 1556 to the present. In addition, it will serve as a union catalogue, in which libraries throughout the world that own copies of South Asian imprints will register their holdings.
- South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)Documents the South Asian diaspora communities from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and many other nations in the United States. It includes rare materials from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- WorldCat (OCLC FirstSearch) This link opens in a new window
OCLC FirstSearch catalog includes citations for books, journals, manuscripts, maps, music scores, sound recordings, films, computer files, newspapers, slides, videotapes, archival material, etc., in libraries around the world.
Key Online Databases
- ARTstor This link opens in a new windowA digital library of images, their associated information, and software tools designed to enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship. The ARTstor Digital Library contains over 980,000 images from a wide range of cultures, time periods, and artistic genres.
- Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) This link opens in a new windowIndex of western-language monographs, articles, and book chapters on all parts of Asia published since 1971.
- Digital South Asia LibraryAs a project of the Center for Research Libraries, the Digital South Asia Library is a global collaborative effort to make important and rare South Asian resources available to the international community.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Index and abstracts for articles on the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life) published since 1955.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full text back issues of core scholarly journals, browsable and searchable across multiple disciplines. Coverage starts with first issue, with moving wall for most recent 3-5 years. UCLA has access to selected JSTOR e-books only. JSTOR also includes primary source collections, including images from Artstor.
- PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
International coverage of articles, books, conference proceedings, and government documents on social and political policy, political science, public administration, current affairs, and related topics from 1972 to the present. Includes PAIS Archive, which covers 1915 to 1976.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Full-text news (including broadcast transcripts), business, legal, and reference information. Useful for finding full-text of current performing arts and media industry news in major newspapers. Includes biographical information from Who's Who titles. Formerly LexisNexis Academic.
- Periodicals Index Online (PIO) This link opens in a new windowIndex to articles published in over 7,000 periodicals in the arts, humanities and social sciences, covering the period 1665-1995. Full text of many articles can be found in Periodicals Archive Online.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full text of current issues (from about 1990) of scholarly journals published by university presses, chiefly in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Browsable by discipline and full-text searchable across all disciplines. UCLA has access to Muse e-books published from 2017-present, plus a selected number of other e-book titles.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the journal literature of most disciplines. Indexes major journals with all cited references captured. Combines the following citation databases: Science Citation Index Expanded; Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI); Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI); Conference Proceedings Citation Index.
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international literature in political science, international relations, law, and public policy.