Background Information - THE111 - Introduction to Theatre - LibGuides at Paradise Valley Community College

Background Info Databases

Use background information databases to locate background information on any of your topics. Good place to start your research. Click on the database below and enter your search terms and choose the appropriate sources for your research. Need to cite, make sure to use the database's citation tools in order to create your works cited or bibliography!

Other General Info Databases

Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
A broad, interdisciplinary database that covers a wide range of subjects. It includes a mix of scholarly articles, popular publications, and newspaper coverage. It’s an excellent starting point for the kind of research you will need to do in college courses.
Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Provides peer-reviewed, full-text, scholarly content across all academic disciplines.and millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources—including thousands of podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning.
General OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Reference, newspaper, and audio content that complements a robust collection of magazines and journals.
General OneFile also features more than 500 travel guides; a full collection of National Public Radio programs from 1990 to the present, including searchable transcripts; links to over 5,000 video files including shows like the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, NRO TV and Meet the Press; more than 3,000 full-text titles recommended by Bowker’s “Magazines for Libraries”.
Biography (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window
Provides more than 650,000 biographical entries covering international figures from all time periods and areas of study.
History Reference Source (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Full text history reference database featuring more than 2,400 reference books, 135 leading history periodicals, historical documents, biographies, photos, maps and video.
JSTOR {ITHAKA) This link opens in a new window
JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. A digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources covering arts, education, sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Salem Press Online Collection This link opens in a new window
Reference eBooks covering topics in literature, history, science and health, biographies, careers. Several subject-specific encyclopedias included. Citations provided.
U.S. Major Dailies (1980 - current) This link opens in a new window
U.S. Major Dailies provides access to the five most respected U.S. national and regional newspapers: The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal.
The titles offer researchers thorough and timely coverage of local, regional, and global events with journalistic balance and perspective. The content is available by 8 AM U.S. Eastern time each day and provides archives stretching as far back as 1980.

Visual Research Sites

ARTstor Image Collection
ARTstor is the ultimate image collection, containing hundreds of thousands of images covering art, architecture, archaeology, and history. Useful for research not only in the arts, but in social history, sociology, and history.
Bodleian Library
Digital Collections at the Bodleian Library, one of the oldest and largest libraries in the world
Digital Public Library of America
DPLA provides free, online access to digitized material from America’s libraries, archives, and museums. It covers a wide range of topics, including the written word, works of art and culture, America’s heritage, and science.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
Photos, maps, drawings, and recordings of American Life, from the Library of Congress.
New York Public Library Digital Collections
Images of various maps, texts, manuscripts, and important documents, including the Federal Theatre Project and the National Dance Institute Video Archive.
Theater Digital Collections results from Google
Look at the Theater Digital Collections results from Google!