Asian American Literature [Red Spacer] San José State University [Tower Hall] Pathfinder to Clark Library & World Wide Web Resources Clark Library SJSU English Dept. * Home Page * Home Page * Online Catalog * Electronic Full-Text Resources * Faculty Directory * Electronic Indexes * Library Passwords & Proxy * Professor A. Noelle Williams Server * Link + * Interlibrary Loan * Hours * Contact Information A Note About This Guide This is a guide to Clark Library and Web resources that will help you write the kinds of analytical papers required in literature courses. Below are internal links that categorize the sources on this page. For more information about this resource page, see More Information About This Guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Menu Of Sources Contained In This Guide (Click on these links to travel to different sections of the page) * Asian American literature: Comprehensive sources * Asian American literature: National or Regional Perspectives * Selected Individual Authors Covered in this Course * Asian American History and Sociology * History and Sociology of Specific Ethnicities * Journal Article Sources: Printed Indexes & Electronic Databases * More Information About This Guide Asian American literature: Comprehensive sources Print and Web resources that cover Asian American literature as a whole (i.e., are not restricted to a single ethnicity), or include a wide range of authors. Books Bloom, Harold, ed. Asian-American Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1999. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 A84 1999 Critical anthology of fifteen essays that cover individual works and authors, including Bulosan, Kingston, and Yamamoto. The collection includes a chronology, comprehensive bibliography, and index. Cheung, King-Kok, ed. An Interethnic Companion to Asian-American Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 I58 1997 Contains critical essays by numerous writers. Following an introductory overview, six literatures are covered in individual essays (Chinese American, Filipino American, Japanese American, Korean American, South Asian American, and Vietnamese American). This is followed by five essays dealing with larger issues that place Asian American literature within historical and social contexts. Each essay is followed by an individual bibliography. The volume concludes with a general bibliography and index. Cheung, King-Kok, and Stan Yogi. Asian-American Literature: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1988. CLARK REFERENCE PS 153 .A84 C54x 1988 The only comprehensive bibliography of Asian American literature. Primary and secondary works are listed alphabetically by author within categories of Asian American literature (e.g., Chinese American Literature). Also includes historical and sociological sources of information, as well as multiple indexes to authors, editors, translators, and illustrators. The annotations are very brief (one sentence), and some entries are not annotated. Kain, Geoffrey, ed. Ideas of Home: Literature of Asian Migration. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1997. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 I34 1997 Critical anthology of sixteen essays exploring the literary theme of Asian migration to the West and the subsequent cultural search for assurances of home and community. Bulosan, Kingston, Chang-Rae Lee, and Hagedorn are examined, as well as many other authors. In addition to bibliographies at the end of individual essays, the collection includes a comprehensive bibliography and index. Kim, Elaine H. Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1982. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 K55 1982 Pioneering book-length study of Asian American literature, still considered one of the definitive comprehensive studies. The work examines the literature against the social contexts and self-images created by emigration to America. Includes an extensive (32 p.) bibliography and an index. Leonard, George J., ed. The Asian Pacific American Heritage: A Companion to Literature and the Arts. New York: Garland, 1999. CLARK REFERENCE PS 153 .A84 A87 1999 Contains short essays, each followed by suggestions for further reading. Essays about Asian American literature comprise 30% of the volume, including two devoted to Kingston and Hagedorn. The other essays cover linguistics, family, food, customs, and the Diaspora. Includes "Asian Pacific American Chronology and Statistics" and an index. Li, David Leiwei. Imagining the Nation: Asian American Literature and Cultural Consent. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1998. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 L5 1998 This work examines some of the internal strife within the emerging Asian American literary movement. It does so within the context of citizenship: what does it mean to be a citizen of the United States? The author has a great deal to say about Kingston's work and how it has been interpreted by Asian Americans and non-Asian Americans. Includes works cited and an index. Lim, Shirley Geok-lin, and Amy Ling, eds. Reading the Literatures of Asian America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 R43 1992 Critical anthology of twenty essays that cover both general themes and individual authors. The essays analyze the identity of Asian American literature, race and gender, borders and boundaries, and representations of self. Each essay concludes with an individual bibliography. Trudeau, Lawrence J., ed. Asian American Literature: Reviews and Criticism of Works by American Writers of Asian Descent. Detroit: Gale, 1999. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 A82 1999 Sourcebook of information on 45 Asian American writers. Each entry runs to about twelve pages and includes a brief introduction, short critical essays from at least three different authors, list of major works, and sources for further reading. Many essays are reprinted in their entirety, although some are excerpted. The editorial mission is to provide students with contrasting critical interpretations of each author, as well as a source of ideas for paper topics. Includes chapters on Bulosan, Gotanda, Kingston, Chang-rae Lee, Hagedorn, and Yamamoto. Wong, Sau-ling Cynthia. Reading Asian American Literature: From Necessity to Extravagance. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1993. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 W66 1993 Wong takes both a contextual and intertextual approach toward answering the question: "What distinguishes Asian American literature from other ethnic American literatures?" She examines four specific areas in the literature: (1) food and eating as symbols of cultural context; (2) how the "racial shadow" compares to the European concept of doppelgänger; (3) mobility; and (4) use of work, play, and art themes. She covers a wide range of Asian American work and concludes with an extensive bibliography. Journals and Journal Articles Amerasia Journal Clark has v.2 (1973-74) to the present. Publication frequency: 3 numbers per year. CLARK PERIODICALS E 184 .O6 A44 A joint publication of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the Yale Asian American Students Association, this journal is an important research publication in Asian American studies. Indexed in Infotrac Web from 1992 to the present. Also indexed in MLA Bibliography. Lim, Shirley Geok-lin, and Angela Noelle Williams. "Asian American Literature, January 1992-June 1996: An Annotated Bibliography." Available online: ADE Bulletin 116 (Spring 1997): 53-58. Annotated bibliography of Asian American prose narratives, critical studies, and anthologies published by major presses between 1992 and 1996. Does not include journal article citations or writing aimed at juveniles. This extensive bibliography demonstrates how much primary and secondary material is being written in Asian American literature. MELUS [Journal of The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States] Clark has v.1 (1974) to the present. Publication frequency: Quarterly. CLARK PERIODICALS PN 843 .M18 This is the the most important scholarly journal in the field. Indexed in MLA Bibliography and appears full-text in InfoTrac Web from December 1989 to the present. While the MELUS Web Site itself does not provide access to the journal's full-text, it contains other valuable resources for Asian American literature. Web Resources Asian & Pacific Island American History & Literature for K-12 Teachers This is a page on a site called "Internet School Library Media Center." Site administrator is Inez Ramsey, Professor Emeritus at James Madison University. This page contains a collection of very briefly annotated links to Asian American literary and historical Web resources. Even though this set of links is aimed at elementary and high school teachers, many of the linked-to sites are sophisticated enough for university research. Since this is a compilation of links, the content quality of the outside sites must be judged on an individual basis. Seattle Contemporary Review of Asian American Literature Nonprofit site that reviews and promotes popular Asian American publications, including children's books. It is light on content; but because it is updated every weekday, it provides a good way to stay current on the Asian American literary scene. The site's greatest value is a lengthy page of links to Asian American Web sites that range from literary journals to Internet community portals. Top of page Back to menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Asian American Literature: National or Regional Perspectives Ling, Amy. Between Worlds: Women Writers of Chinese Ancestry. New York: Pergamon Press, 1990. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .C45 L56 1990 A study of English language, full-length prose narratives published in the U.S. by women of Chinese (or partial Chinese) ancestry. Loosely arranged by chronology and theme, the book covers autobiographies, memoirs, fictionalized memoirs, and novels. Includes an annotated bibliography and index. Sumida, Stephen H. And the View from the Shore: Literary Traditions of Hawai'i. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1991. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 283 .H3 S86 1991 The author contends that Hawaii has produced its own distinct brand of Asian American literature that draws heavily upon native Hawaiian cultures. Examines Hawaiian literature's connection to the Asian American literature of the U.S. mainland, as well as its local heroic traditions. Contains separate bibliographies of primary and secondary works, and an index. Yamamoto, Traise. Masking Selves, Making Subjects: Japanese American Women, Identity, and the Body. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .J34 Y36 1999 Provides a new reading of Japanese American women authors of autobiography, fiction, and poetry. Japanese American women suffer from an "economy of visibility" (p. 5) which has led to a masking of the self, and to a literature of intense subjectivity. Includes a list of works cited and an index. Young, Mary E. Mules and Dragons: Popular Culture Images in the Selected Writings of African-American and Chinese-American Women Writers. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .N5 Y64 1993 An examination of how cultural stereotyping has influenced the literary output of African American and Chinese American women. The last chapter draws parallels and asserts differences between the two groups. Includes a bibliography and index. Top of page Back to menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Selected Individual Authors This section contains references to entire books of criticism, Web pages, or significant chapters within more comprehensive books of criticism that deal with the individual authors studied in this class. It does not attempt to index the multitude of critical articles published in journals. For references to indexes of journal articles, see Journal Article Sources: Printed Indexes & Electronic Databases. Multiple Authors Bloom, Harold, ed. Asian-American Women Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1997. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 A83 1997 Provides a biographical and a critical overview of 12 Asian American women writers, including Hagedorn, Kingston, and Yamamoto. The criticism consists of excerpts from longer essays, and thus provides a summary of critical opinion rather than in-depth analysis. Each chapter contains a bibliography of primary works. There is no index. Cheung, King-Kok. Articulate Silences: Hisaye Yamamoto, Maxine Hong Kingston, Joy Kogawa. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1993. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 153 .A84 C48 1993 What role does silence and oblique speech play in cultural identity and, particularly, in Asian American writing? Cheung examines themes of silence in the work of three authors: "Seventeen Syllables," "Yoneko's Earthquake," and "The Legend of Miss Sasagawara" by Yamamoto; The Woman Warrior and China Men by Kingston; and Obasan by Kogawa. Includes a bibliography and index. Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers of Color: Asian American A joint project of the Department of English and the Program in American Studies of the University of Minnesota, this Web site profiles the lives, works, and criticism of women writers of color. As of April 2000, it includes pages devoted to Kingston and Yamamoto; site developers plan to add many more authors in the future. Each page has links to additional Web resources. Since page content is written by "students and scholars from around the world," quality and accuracy might be uneven; there is no indication how strict the site sponsors are about ensuring the accuracy of the volunteer contributions. Carlos Bulosan Evangelista, Susan. Carlos Bulosan and His Poetry: A Biography and Anthology.. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1985. CLARK CIRCULATING PR 9550.9 .B8 Z66 1985 A critical biography of Bulosan comprises the first third of this volume. The last two-thirds is a selection of his poetry, including the complete text of Letter from America, "The Voice of Bataan," and 20 previously unpublished poems. Includes a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. San Juan, E., Jr. Carlos Bulosan and the Imagination of the Class Struggle. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1972. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 3503 .U5627 Z87 Distinctly political interpretation of Bulosan, emphasizing Bulosan's contributions to the literature of class struggle. Includes the Bulosan essay, "How My Stories Were Written." Also includes a bibliography of the selected writings of Bulosan and an index. Maxine Hong Kingston Amirthanayagam, Guy, ed. Asian and Western Writers in Dialogue: New Cultural Identities. London: Macmillan, 1982. CLARK CIRCULATING PN 771 .A78x 1982 Includes an important essay by Kingston about how reviewers misinterpret her work. Collection of 14 essays that explore the "literature of cross-cultural contact," showing that American and Asian literatures have influenced each other over time. The collection has two major divisions: (1) literary and cultural roles and (2) how different views of national identity influence the writing and reading of literature. There is an index but no bibliography--only in-text references. Gao, Yan. The Art of Parody: Maxine Hong Kingston's Use of Chinese Sources. New York: Lang, 1996. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 3561 .I52 Z68 1996 Examines Kingston's interweaving of Chinese myth and story into a complex parody that becomes distinctly American in its ultimate effect. Gao devotes almost equal space to The Woman Warrior, China Men, and Tripmaster Monkey. Includes list of works cited and an index. Goellnicht, Donald C. "Father Land and/or Mother Tongue: The Divided Female Subject in Kogawa's Obasan and Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior." Redefining Autobiography in Twentieth-Century Women's Fiction: An Essay Collection. Ed. Janice Morgan and Colette T. Hall. New York: Garland, 1991. 119-134. CLARK CIRCULATING PN 3426 .W65 R4 1991 Examination of Kogawa's and Kingston's autobiographies. Concludes with notes and a bibliography. Skandera-Trombley, Laura E., ed. Critical Essays on Maxine Hong Kingston. New York: G.K. Hall, 1998. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 3561 I52 Z63 1998 This collection reprints book reviews of The Woman Warrior, China Men, and Tripmaster Monkey that were printed when the works were first published. Following the reviews are in-depth critical articles about each work. The volume also includes an interview with Kingston, an overview of her entire work to date, and an index. Skenazy, Paul, and Tera Martin, eds. Conversations with Maxine Hong Kingston. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1998. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 3561 .I52 Z466 1998 Collection of 16 interviews with Kingston, ranging from newspaper and magazine profiles to in-depth interviews with literary editors and critics. Includes a chronology of Kingston's life and an index. Smith, Jeanne Rosier. Writing Tricksters: Mythic Gambols in American Ethnic Literature. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 374 .T7 S45 1997 Smith labels the trickster motif "a cross-cultural feminist theory." She examines this motif in Kingston's The Woman Warrior, China Men, and Tripmaster Monkey, then relates it to the work of Louise Erdrich and Toni Morrison. Includes a bibliography and index. Smith, Sidonie. "Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior: Filiality and Woman's Autobiographical Storytelling." A Poetics of Women's Autobiography: Marginality and the Fictions of Self-Representation. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987. 150-173. CLARK CIRCULATING PR 756 .A9 S65 1987 This is Chapter 8 in Smith's critical examination of autobiography as a literary genre. Contains end notes. Wong, Sau-ling Cynthia, ed. Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior: A Casebook. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. CLARK CIRCULATING CT 275 .K5764 A3 1999 Eight critical essays, by different authors, on The Woman Warrior. Includes an account of an interview with Kingston, conducted by Susan Brownmiller. Concludes with an annotated bibliography of selected Kingston criticism, as well as a general bibliography. Does not include an index. Hisaye Yamamoto Yamamoto, Hisaye. "Seventeen Syllables". New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1994. CLARK CIRCULATING PS 3575 .A43 S4 1994 Edited by King-Kok Cheung, this edition contains the title story as well as "Yoneko's Earthquake." However, most of the volume consists of background and criticism of Yamamoto's works--two of her essays, an interview, and nine critical essays about her stories. Includes a selected bibliography. Top of page Back to menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Asian American History and Sociology Asian American Village Sponsored by The Minorities' Job Bank, this site's home page is cluttered; but look for the menu of site "departments." These links lead to pages devoted to Asian American art, culture, history, and politics, among other topics. Good source for current news affecting the Asian American community. Kim, Hyung-chan ed. Asian American Studies: An Annotated Bibliography and Research Guide. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. CLARK CIRCULATING E 184 .O6 K56x 1989 Very comprehensive annotated bibliography of Asian American resources, concentrating on historical and sociological works, but also including religious and women's studies resources. Includes author and subject indexes. Ng, Franklin, ed. The Asian American Encyclopedia. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1995. CLARK REFERENCE E 184 .O6 A827 1995 Contains over 2,000 entries in 6 volumes. The entries range from short definitions to lengthy essays. Covers historical, demographic, and general cultural information about Asian Americans. Includes many illustrations, maps, charts, tables, and graphs. Palumbo-Liu, David. Asian/American: Historical Crossings of a Racial Frontier. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999. CLARK CIRCULATING E 184 .O6 P26 1999 A highly interdisciplinary social history of the assimilation of Asian immigrants into American culture, written by a professor of comparative literature at Stanford. Chapter 2 examines the image of Asian Americans in literature and film. Bulosan and Kingston are mentioned in the index. Contains an extensive (29 p.) bibliography. Takaki, Ronald. Strangers from a Different Shore. Updated and rev. ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 1998. CLARK CIRCULATING E 184 .O6 T35 1998 Written by an Ethnic Studies professor at U.C. Berkeley, this 591 page comprehensive work traces the entire history of Asian immigration to the U.S. Includes extensive bibliographical notes and index. Voice of the Shuttle: Minority Studies Page: Asian American Links Voice of the Shuttle is one of the best Web resources for humanities research. The Asian American section of the Minority Studies Page provides a collection of partially annotated links to various Asian American sources. Some of the sites are literary in theme. Top of page Back to menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ History and Sociology of Specific Ethnicities Herman, Masako, comp. The Japanese in America, 1843-1973: A Chronology & Fact Book. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana, 1974. CLARK REFERENCE E 184 .J3 H46 Includes texts of numerous primary U.S. government documents concerning Japanese Americans, including those surrounding the forced relocation during World War II. The volume opens with a 53 page chronology of Japanese American history. The appendixes have statistical and ready-reference information. Includes a bibliography and a name index. Melendy, H. Brett. Asians in America: Filipinos, Koreans, and East Indians. Boston: Twayne, 1977 CLARK CIRCULATING E 184 .F4 M44 History of Filipino, Korean, and East Indian immigration and settlement in America. Includes a selected bibliography and index. Nguyên, Quí Duc. Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1993. CLARK CIRCULATING DS 559.5 .N587 1994 Nguyên escaped from Vietnam when he was a teenager and was eventually reunited in America with his family. The book tells of his struggle to find a sense of home in a foreign land, far from his roots and heritage. Tsai, Shih-shan Henry. The Chinese Experience in America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986. CLARK CIRCULATING E 184 .C5 T833 1986 History of Chinese immigration and settlement in the United States. The author studies three divisions of Chinese Americans: the early sojourners, American-born Chinese, and students who remain after attending university in America. Includes a bibliography and index. Tung, William L. The Chinese in America, 1820-1973: A Chronology & Fact Book. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana, 1974. CLARK REFERENCE E 184 .C5 T86 Contains 44 page chronology of Chinese American history, along with texts of laws, treaties, and judicial decisions relating to Chinese Americans. Concludes with an extensive bibliography and index. Wilson, Robert A., and Bill Hosokawa. East to America: A History of the Japanese in the United States. New York: Morrow, 1980. CLARK CIRCULATING E 184 .J3 W54 History of Japanese Americans in the United States, which emphasizes the prejudicial barriers Japanese settlers faced in America. Includes an index and chapter notes, but no formal bibliography. Top of page Back to menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Journal Article Sources: Printed Indexes & Electronic Databases Academic Search Elite (EBSCOhost Web) Provides full-text for 1,250 interdisciplinary journals, with full-text coverage usually starting around 1994, although there is some full-text coverage dating back to 1990. Also provides abstracting and indexing for over 3,000 scholarly journals, including those in the humanities, multicultural studies, and social sciences. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. After authorization, click on "EBSCOhost Web." America: History and Life; and, Historical Abstracts Provides indexing and abstracting (but no full-text) for journal articles, books, and dissertations in U.S. and Canadian history, social sciences, and the humanities. Journal article indexing begins in 1964; books and dissertations in 1973. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. Bibliography of Asian Studies Provides indexing (but no full-text) for over 400,000 journal articles and book chapters, published from 1971 to present, dealing with East, Southeast, and South Asia. Includes 1991 and earlier indexing of individual books. Even though its coverage does not include Asian American articles or journals, per se, the articles indexed could provide valuable insight into current and historical issues in the heritage homelands of Asian Americans. Coverage and searching is complex--consider reading "About BAS" before you use this for the first time. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. Contemporary Authors Important source of information about 90,000 current writers in literature, drama, film, and journalism from around the world. Provides a biographical sketch for each author, and lists primary and secondary works by and about the author. This is a good source to turn to when you are just beginning to research an individual writer. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. Also available in paper format at CLARK REFERENCE DESK Z 1224 .C6 H. W. Wilson, Co. Essay and General Literature Index. New York: Wilson, 1900- CLARK REFERENCE INDEX AI 3 .E752 Provides author and subject access to essays published in collections or anthologies. Emphasizes essays in the humanities and social sciences. Updated semi-annually, with annual cumulations. For literature studies, provides far less coverage than the MLA Bibliography, but can be faster and easier to use. It also has coverage back to 1900, for searches of older essays. H. W. Wilson, Co. Humanities Index. New York: Wilson, June, 1974- CLARK REFERENCE INDEX AI 3 .H8x Paper version of Humanities Abstracts (below), containing indexing only. Covers 300+ journals. Updated quarterly with annual cumulations. Humanities Abstracts Full Text (Via WilsonWeb OmniFile Full Text Mega) Indexes, abstracts, and provides selected full-text to major humanities journals. Includes journals of literary and social criticism, linguistics, history, philosophy, and gender studies. Provides indexing from 1982 to present, abstracts from 1984 to present, and selected full-text articles from 1995 to present. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. After authorization, choose "OmniFile Full Text Mega, 1982-Present." You can also search Wilson's Social Sciences Abstracts Full Text from within OmniFile Full Text Mega. InfoTrac Web Provides indexing and abstracting for over 1,500 interdisciplinary periodicals--some scholarly and some general interest. Many, but not all, articles are full-text. Covers all major fields in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Contains full-text of MELUS (Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States) from December 1989 to the present. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. JSTOR Provides searchable full-text of 117 core scholarly journals, some of which date from the 1800s, concentrating in social sciences and the humanities. There is a two-to-five year time lag between current issues and their appearance on JSTOR. Includes journals from Asian Studies, History, Literature, and Sociology, among others. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. MLA Bibliography The most important index for literary criticism, covering journal articles, books, and book chapters. Does not provide full-text or abstracts--you must go to the journals or books themselves for the text. Indexes over 3,000 literary journals from around the world. Provides indexing from 1963 to present, but only began using descriptors for subject access in 1981. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. Sociological Abstracts Provides indexing and abstracts for articles published in over 2,000 sociological journals, conference proceedings, dissertations, reviews, and books since 1963. Does not provide full-text--you must go to the journals or books themselves for the text. From off-campus, you will need to access this through the Clark Library proxy server. Top of page Back to menu More Information About This Guide The sources listed in this guide are of three types: 1. Print resources in the collection of Clark Library. Some of these you can check out; those marked "Reference" or "Reference Index" must be used inside the library. The call numbers shown in this guide for library items are hyperlinked to the online catalog of Clark Library. If you click on the link, you will open the catalog entry in a new window, where you can (1) get more information about the item, (2) check its availability, and (3) put a hold on it, if it is checked out. Once you have finished looking at the catalog entry, simply close the new browser window to return to this page. 2. Electronic databases that Clark subscribes to. These can be accessed either in the library or from home. Because access is restricted to SJSU students and faculty, you must activate a proxy server on your browser, if you attempt to access them from home. For instructions, see Library Proxy Server Instructions. Some of these electronic databases contain full-text articles (e.g., JSTOR). Some, however, are bibliographic only, or are a combination of bibliographic and full-text (e.g., Humanities Abstracts Full Text). Even though they are not full-text, bibliographic databases can be very helpful in your research because they often contain abstracts (or summaries) of articles; reading an abstract is an excellent way to determine whether an article will help you in your research. If you find an article that looks good in a bibliographic database, you will have to check the Clark Library catalog to see whether the library subscribes to that journal and then come into the library to read it. 3. World Wide Web resources. Clicking on a Web link will open a new browser window. When you have finished using the Web resource, simply close the new browser window to return to this page. Top of page Back to menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ About Library of Congress Subject Headings Below you will find selected Library of Congress Subject Headings for Asian American literary criticism. These are not all the subject headings that cover Asian American literature--they are just examples. Most libraries in the U.S. use LC Subject Headings to provide subject access to the books in their collections. You can type these headings directly into the online catalog to find all the books in the library that have been assigned that heading. The books listed on this page are just a selection of what is available in the library. By using the headings below, you will find other items not on this list. When using LC Subject Headings, it is important to remember that some headings are more specific than others. For instance "Chinese Americans in literature" is more specific than "Asian Americans in literature." It is important to start with the most specific subject term for your information need . . . but if you don't find enough with the specific term, you should then use a broader term. By doing this, you might be able to find chapters or sections about your subject in books that are about a broader subject. For example, let's say you want to research Korean American writers. If you input American literature--Korean American writers into the Clark Library catalog, you won't get any hits (as of April 2000), because the Clark Library doesn't own a book that is only about Korean American writers. But if you input a broader term, American literature--Asian American writers, you will find books on the entire subject of Asian American writers, and in those books there might be a chapter or section on Korean American writers. To see a complete list of LC Subject Headings, visit the reference desk area of Clark Library and look in the red volumes that are lying on the counter. There is also a set in CLARK REFERENCE Z 695 .L696x. If you have trouble figuring out how to use them, just ask for help at the reference desk. Remember: these are selected headings only and are not the only headings that will help you find books about your paper topics. * American literature--Asian American authors--History and criticism * American literature--Chinese American authors--History and criticism * Asian Americans in literature * Chinese Americans in literature * Chinese American women in literature * Kingston, Maxine Hong Top of page Back to menu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Additional Clark Library Services You can borrow books and get photocopies of articles that Clark Library doesn't have through Link+ or through Interlibrary Loan. These are valuable library services that let you obtain specialized research materials that are not at Clark or available on the Web. Just click on the links in the menu above to find out about these services. You can find out what the libraries of the University of California might have by accessing the online catalog of the California Digital Library. Many of these materials can be requested through interlibrary loan, if Clark or Link+ libraries do not own them. Finally, if you have any questions about how library resources can help you write great research papers, please talk to a reference librarian. Librarians know about information, and they know how to help you find it. Their mission is to help students become successful researchers. Top of page Back to menu Clark Library Clark Library English Dept. Professor Williams Home Page | Catalog | Home Page | Home Page [Red Spacer] David Cismowski, a graduate student in the SJSU School of Library and Information Science, compiled this library guide in April 2000. It was a course project in Libr. 228: Advanced Information Resources and Services, taught by Professor Jo Bell Whitlatch.