Information since 1868

Folklore

Introduction to Library Research

Basic Reference Resources

A bibliography of North American folklore and folksong REF Z5984.U5 H3
Folklore : An encyclopedia of beliefs, customs, tales, music, and art REF GR35 .F63 1997
American folklore: An encyclopedia REF GR101.A54 1996
American regional folklore: A sourcebook and research guide REF GR105.34.M66 2004
African folklore: An encyclopedia REF GR350.A33 2004
Encyclopedia of women's folklore and folklife REF GR470.E63 2009 (2 vols.)
Greenwood encyclopedia of African American folklore REF GR111.A47G74 2006
Greenwood encyclopedia of world folklore and folklife REF GR35.G75 2006 (4 vols.)
Greenwood encyclopedia of folktales & fairy tales. REF GR74.G73 2008
Annual bibliography of English language and literature INDEX PN2.M58 (Each volume includes a chapter on "Traditional culture, folklore and folklife")
Motif index of folk literature; a classification of narrative elements in folktales, ballads, myths, fables, mediaeval romances,
exempla, fabliaux, jest-books, and local legends REF GR67.T52
Encyclopedia of folklore and literature REF PN41.E48 1998
Ethnographic bibliography of North America REF Z1209.2.N67 M87 1975

Online Databases

JSTOR - archive of scholarly full-text journal articles
America: History and Life - bibliographic index of over 490,000 periodical literature about the history of the United States and Canada
Academic Search Premier - includes scholarly full-text articles
MLA International Bibliography - index to scholarly research in literature, language, linguistics, and folklore
Electronic HRAF World Cultures - searchable texts of primary source materials on world cultures.
Maine Folklife Center Archives - bibliographic records of Maine folklore and folklife
WABIB (CD-ROM) (Ask at Reference Desk)

-find out how to locate full texts of articles retrieved from online databases that have this icon (turn on your audio)

Print Sources

General index [to the] annual reports of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, vols. 1-48 (1879-1931) Gov.Doc. SI 2./930/31 (Ask at the Reference Desk)
Fannie Hardy Eckstorm Collection (In Special Collections 3d Floor)

Check also the card catalog in Special Collections for material about Maine Indian folklore.

Use URSUS to locate books and journals in the library. You may also request books and articles from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan. Use appropriate subject headings.

Key terms:

Folk literature
Folk narrative
Folklore
Indians of North America -- folklore
Indian mythology -- North America
Legends -- Abenaki Indians
Myth

Selected online resources

Folklore and mythology electronic texts - University of Pittsburgh collection
American Folklore Society
Bulfinch's Mythology - from bartleby.com

Where to go for assistance

Ask at the Reference Desk: Hours
Ask a Librarian: A librarian will chat with you online

If you wish to email a query or make an appointment with the subject librarian, contact Joe Fernandez.