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For individual research help, schedule an appointment to meet with a librarian.
Encyclopedias and Other Starting Points
To develop a general topic into a specific research question, explore some of the encyclopedias and other sources below to get ideas and inspiration.
Some of the things you can look for include: genre, style, characters, themes, historical or cultural context, influences, or form.
For the Library Catalog search below, to make sure you JUST get encyclopedia/reference articles:
- Click the EVERYTHING button.
- Type the name of your film, genre, director, historical event, or other general topic related to film/a specific film.
- On your page of results, use the filters on the left to limit to Resource Type - Reference Entries.
Search the Library Catalog
Online Encyclopedias
- 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)
Websites
- AFI Catalog (American Film Institute)The first-ever scholarly listing of American films, this catalog contains over 54,000 records chronicling the history of American cinema.
- IMDbOnline database of information related to films, television programs, home videos, video games, and streaming content online. Originally a fan-operated website, the database is owned and operated by IMDb.com, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.