World Theatre III

Working Knowledge

In order to begin your research, you need to develop a working knowledge of your topic. A good gauge of "working knowledge" is if you can talk intelligently about your topic for one minute.

Resources for Background Information

Reference works, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are excellent places to gather background information and develop a working knowledge of a topic. Encyclopedias can be general (like Wikipedia, Brittannica, World Book, etc.) or subject-specific (The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, Companion to Theatre in Australia, The Encyclopedia of Stage Plays into Film, etc.)

Where to Find these Resources

Reference materials come in both print and electronic format, and all can be searched for in CUNY+. Print reference materials are going to be located on the 4th floor of the main library. Electronic reference materials can be found in a number of e-book databases, such as Gale Virtual Reference Library and Oxford Reference Online. See below for descriptions of these e-book databases.

What is it?

Hunter OneSearch combines in one searchable place these three things: the CUNY library catalog; a massive index of articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers; and unique digital content from the library.

How can I access it?

Type your search terms in the box on the Hunter Libraries home page. 

How do I search for specific materials?

OneSearch is just one option. You may select different tabs to search for just Books, Journals, Reserves, or a list of our Databases. 

E-books can be discovered via a CUNY+ search, or by going directly to an individual e-book database. Here are a few to try:

Cambridge Histories

• Excellent source for contextualizing your work
  
• Sample titles: Political and Social Theory, Regional Histories (various locations around the world), The Cambridge History of American Theatre (3 volumes), The Cambridge History of British Theatre (2 volumes)

ebrary

• Over 45,000 academic titles from all areas of study
• Interface allows users to underline and make notes, save titles to a personal book shelf, link out to other sources, and print up to 50 pages, dowload chapters and books to certain e-readers (see help menu for details)
• Sample titles: Localizing Caroline Drama: Politics and Economics of the Early Modern English Stage, 1625-1642; Barbarous Play: Race on the English Renaissance stage

Literature Criticism on Line

• Good place to look for critical analysis of a work & information about writers
• Sample titles: Contemporary Literary Criticism; Shakespeare Criticism; Contemporary Authors

Literature Resource Center

• Criticism, biographies, and bibliographies of major writers

Books from other CUNY libraries

If you find a circulating book in another CUNY library that Hunter does not own, you can place a request for it to be delivered to Hunter via CLICS, our inter-campus borrowing system. Visit this link to see how CLICS works.

Books outside the CUNY system

If you need a book that is not available within CUNY, you may request it via InterLibrary Loan (ILL). For information, FAQs, and to set up your account go to: https://hunter-cuny.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/logon.html