Montgomery College Libraries > Pat Semple, Librarian > EN209 The Bible As Literature, Professor Folwell

Books | Encyclopedias | Articles in Databases | Web Pages | MLA Works Cited

MC Library Catalog: Change the search engine setting to "Keyword Boolean" and create a search expression that consists of keywords (tend to be nouns), the Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and punctuation (parenthesis used with OR, quotations marks for phrases):

"minor prophets"

bible AND encyclopedia

habakkuk

"song of solomon" AND (interpretation OR criticism)

Call Number Browse in MC Library Catalog: Change the search engine setting to "Call Number Browse" and, referring to the chart in the next section (green font in section 1C, below) enter the beginning range of the call number section that you want to scan. For example, to browse the section containing books on "Men, Women, Children of the Bible" enter "bs569" and click "Search."

Browse the Shelves: For books on the Bible, go to these sections of the call numbers:

BS 410-680	Works About the Bible
BS 535-537	Bible as Literature
BS 546-558	Bible Stories
BS 569-580	Men, Women, Children of the Bible
BS 701-1830	Old Testament
BS 1901-2970	New Testament

Request Book From Another Campus: Go into MC Library Catalog and use the REQUEST ITEM button at the top of the page.

Renew Books Online: Go into MC Library Catalog and use the PATRON button at the top of the page.

Help: Speak to the reference librarian on duty or call the reference desk:

Germantown: 240-567-7853

Rockville: 240-567-7130

Takoma Park Silver Spring: 240-567-1536

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Online:

Encyclopedia Britannica

In addition to the Encyclopedia Britannica, includes links to Web pages and selected articles.

Encyclopedia Of Religion

A 15-volume set. Use link labeled "eTable of Contents" to drill down.

xreferplus: Religion

This link will take to you to a collection of 11 different online encyclopedias and dictionaries that cover a range of religions and religious topics.

Browse the Shelves: To browse the reference section for encyclopedias, use these sets of call numbers:

BL	Religion, General
BM	Judaism
BR	Christianity
BS	The Bible

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Start Here: Here are a few good places to start your search for articles on Bible characters:

Project MUSE

Excellent coverage of all the humanities.

Academic Search Premier

Covers all subject areas.

Expanded Academic ASAP

Covers all subject areas. To sort by relevance, not date, go to blue menu bar and select to "Relevance Search" before entering search expression.

SIRS Knowledge Source

Full-text articles exploring a range of issues.

Search Expressions: Here are some sample searches using keywords and Boolean operators:

"minor prophets"

bible AND "old testament" AND jonah

habakkuk

"new testament" AND (women OR feminism)

Sorting Results and Printing: Results can be sorted by date or relevance. To print, use the button within the database.

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Limit Domains in Google: To limit your Google search to reputable Web sites, enter the domain you are interested in searching in front of your search terms: site:edu

site:edu joseph genesis

site:edu jonah "old testament"

site:edu david and goliath

Google Scholar: Set "Scholar Preferences" to "Montgomery College" and enter your search terms: scholar.google.com

Recommended Sites

Understanding the Bible

Textbook for this class. (Stephen L. Harris)

The Ancient Hebrews

An overview of the history, culture, and religion of the ancient Hebrews. (Richard Hooker)

The Hebrew Scriptures

Lots of information about the Old Testament. (privately maintained)

Hebrew Scriptures

Started by the Religion Department at a major university, this site is now privately maintained. (Prof. Mahlon H. Smith)

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Israel

Affords access to primary source texts. (Fordham University)

World Literature Online

Take the quiz on Hebrew Scripture.

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Here is a six-page MS Word document on formatting MLA citations: MLA: Works Cited Page

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