Reference Online
Below are a few places you can find definitions and encyclopedia articles; from off campus you will have to login with your myNOVA username and password.
- AtoZ: World Culture This link opens in a new windowA wealth of reference information about the nations of the world. Includes information about demographics, climate, culture and travel. (NVCC)
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowA collection of over 500 reference books on a variety of topics. (NVCC)
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
(Formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) includes full-text encyclopedias, handbooks, and other sources for multidisciplinary research. (VIVA, NVCC) - Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowMore than 100 Oxford University Press dictionaries and reference books. (VIVA)
- Pop Culture Universe This link opens in a new windowA collection of reference articles on pop culture in America in the 20th century. Browse by decade. (NVCC)
Reference in Print
The Film Encyclopedia by Call Number: PN1993.45 .K34 2012Ephraim Katz's celebrated and comprehensive cinema Bible, The Film Encyclopedia, has been lovingly expanded to include new, thorough coverage of independent films, the artistic and technical aspects of film making, and the trends that lie close to the heart of today's movie buff.
A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir by Call Number: PN1995.9.F54 G83 2013This extensive encyclopedia describes movies from noir's earliest days and even before, looking at some of noir's ancestors in US and European cinema as well as noir's more recent offshoots, from neonoirs to erotic thrillers.
Idols of Modernity by Call Number: eBookBringing together the best new work on cinema and stardom in the 1920s, this illustrated collection showcases the range of complex social, institutional, and aesthetic issues at work in American cinema of this time.
The Encyclopedia of Film Composers by Call Number: eBookThe Encyclopedia of Film Composers features entries on more than 250 movie composers from around the world. It not only provides facts about these artists but also explains what makes each composer notable and discusses his or her music in detail.
Closely Watched Films by Call Number: PN1995.9.E9 F17 2004How do films work? How do they tell a story? How do they move us and make us think? Through detailed examinations of passages from classic films, Marilyn Fabe supplies the analytic tools and background in film history and theory to enable us to see more in every film we watch.
Why to Use Reference Books
An encyclopedia is a type of reference book. Use a reference book to:
- Define important vocabulary words related to your topic,
- Find a basic overview and main issues related to your topic,
- Find references to additional resources, and
- Discover important background information related to your topic.
You will typically not use a reference book or encyclopedia as a source in your research. The information in these sources is for your own background knowledge.
Search Tips
Use broad terms, as encyclopedias usually provide general overviews of topics.
screenwriter
Use quotation marks ( " " ) around phrases (two or more words); this tells the database to look for the words in a specific order.
"film noir"