Folklore : a guide to library resources

Contents:

• Starting points
• Finding books
• Finding journal articles
• Web resources

Starting Points

When you need to define your topic and/or get some background reading try consulting an appropriate folklore dictionary/encyclopedia - those in electronic format are linked here. Click here for Australian folklore dictionaries/encyclopedias.

The guide to Anthropology dictionaries/encyclopedias will help if you need explanations of anthropological terminology or theory.

Finding Books Using The Library Catalogue

Books can be found by searching the library catalogue. Keyword searching is probably the best way of identifying material and your results will be maximised by using keyword searching techniques such as truncation and Boolean searching, and by incorporating subject headings into your search where appropriate. Here are some examples on how to construct searches:

"folk medicine"

folklore and bali

folklore and (oceania or pacific or melanesia)

legends and (anthropol? or ethnograph?)

Finding Journal Articles And Books Using Databases & Bibliographies

Journal articles etc. can be found through databases listed in the Databases for Anthropology guide - Sociological Abstracts, Anthropology Plus, Academic OneFile and Academic Search Premier are probably the best starting points for finding articles written on folklore and related topics.

In addition, there are printed bibliographies of books & journal articles which are probably most useful for identifying earlier material on folklore topics.

Web Resources

The following are starting points for resources on the Web

Australian Folklore Association
[Formed to promote the study of folklore, to facilitate communication and information dissemination amongst researchers, and to develop the public appreciation of the cultural role of folklore]

Folklore and Mythology : Electronic Texts
[An extensive collection of tales from around the world, many edited or translated by Dr. D. L. Ashliman, a professor of Germanic Languages and Literature. Includes many of the Aarne-Thompson type categories. Provides links to other e-text sites such as the Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales and Stories site]

Folklore Society
[Home page of The Folklore Society an organisation devoted to the study of traditional culture. The Society is the publisher of the journal Folklore]

Regional folklore and mythology
[A starting point for locating online resources on folklore, legends, myths and mythology]

Urban Legends
[From the Open Directory Project]

Last update: 17 June 2009 Helen Attar