Much literary criticism is published in books, so make sure you're searching for them in addition to journal articles. Often students say that they don't want to use books in their research because they don't have the time to read the entire book. But remember that you don't always have to read a book in full for it to be useful. You can read selectively: maybe just a chapter or two are relevant to your topic. Additionally, scholarly books have extensive bibliographies, so check there and in the footnotes/endnotes for more useful sources!
See the next tab in this guide for tips on how to identify scholarly books.
You can search for print (hard copy) books and ebooks at Hunter using the OneSearch tool.
In OneSearch, search for a book by title, author, or subject by typing those into the search bar or using the advanced search feature. After searching, you can use the filters on the right side of the screen to limit your results by date, resource type (select "books" and "book chapters"), subject, and other categories.
To access an ebook, click on the green "full text available" link.
Limiting Your Search to Ebooks Only
Locating Print Books in Cooperman Library
To locate a print book on the shelf at Cooperman Library, you will need the book's call number, a unique number that identifies that book. Copy the call number down from OneSearch, then check this list to see which floor the book is on based on the first letter in the call number.
Most books on language and literature have a call number beginning with P, and are located on level B2 of Cooperman Library.
To take a book home with you, bring it to the Circulation Desk near the 3rd floor exit of Cooperman Library and check it out using your OneCard.
With a Hunter OneCard, current students, faculty, and staff can visit and check out books from any CUNY library except the School of Law.
You can also request that books from other CUNY Libraries be delivered to you at Hunter through our CLICS service:
Search for the title you want in "all CUNY Libraries" in OneSearch, click on the title, sign in with your CUNY login credentials, and follow the prompts to place a request. You will receive an email when the book is available for pick-up at the Cooperman Library Circulation Desk. Delivery generally takes 4-7 business days, so if you need the book sooner than that, you might consider going in person to the other CUNY library instead.
(Be aware that--unfortunately--you cannot remotely access ebooks from other CUNY campuses.)
If you need a book that Hunter doesn't own, and no other CUNY library owns a copy, you can request it through our InterLibrary Loan (ILL) service, free of charge to Hunter students, staff, and faculty. Hunter students are allowed 5 interlibrary loans at one time. Keep in mind that the book must be physically shipped to Hunter from somewhere else, so in most cases this takes at least a week.
You can also use InterLibrary Loan to request any article or chapter that Hunter Libraries don't own. These are delivered to you electronically in pdf format, and generally arrive much more quickly.