Religion Research Guide
Encyclopedias and Reference Works
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Encyclopedias and Reference Works
Subject Encyclopedias
These can be helpful for obtaining an overview of a subject and related topics.
An entry in an encyclopedia will often contain a bibliography which can lead you
to more sources on that topic.
Here are several we have:
Encyclopaedia Judaica (electronic version; accessible only through the
Truman network)
In print: Reference DS 102.8
.E496 1972 ( 16 vols. )
Encyclopedia
of Buddhism Reference BQ 128 .E62 2004
(2 vols.)
Encyclopedia of Christianity Reference BR 95
.E8913 1999 (2 vols.)
Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism,
Taoism, Zen
Reference BL 1005 .L4813
1989
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World Reference BP
40 .E525 2004 (2 vols.)
Encyclopedia of Native American Shamanism Reference
E98 .M4 L98 1998
Encyclopedia of Religion Reference BL 31 .E46 1987
(16 vols. )
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion Reference BL 31 .E4
1979 ( 3 vols.)
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World Reference
DS 35.53 O95 1995 (4 vols. )
Subject Dictionaries
Larousse
Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions Reference BL 31 .D53
1994
Oxford
Dictionary of World Religions
Reference BL 31 .O84 1997
HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion Reference BL 31 .H37
1995
The
Continuum Dictionary of Religion Reference BL 31 .C67 1994
The following are several encyclopedias, dictionaries,
concordances and other reference sources on the Bible. You will find many
more that are shelved near these:
Anchor Bible Dictionary 6 vols. Reference BS 440 .A54 1992
Baker Encyclopedia
of the Bible 2 vols. Reference BS 440 .B26 1988
Eerdmans
Analytical Concordance to the Revised Standard Version of the Bible 2
vols.
Reference BS 425 .W48
1988
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible Reference BS 440 .E44
2000
HarperCollins Bible Dictionary Reference BS 440 .H235
1996
The
NRSV Concordance Unabridged, Including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books
Reference BS 425
.K645 1991
The
New Interpreter's Bible: General Articles & Introduction, Commentary and
Reflections for
Each Book of the Bible 12 vols.
Reference BS 491.2 N484 1994-2002
Handbooks, Manuals and Guides
Eerdmans
Handbook to the History of Christianity Reference BR 146 .E35
1977
Eerdmans
Handbook to the World's Religions Reference BL 80.2 .E35
1994
Handbook of Denominations in the United States Reference
BL 2525 .M425 1995
Longman Guide to Living Religions
Reference BL 80.2 .L66 1994
The following are several sources on mythology:
Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology Reference
BL 303 .T75 1970
A
Dictionary of Symbols Reference GR 931 .C4413 1996
Mythologies 2 vols. General Collection
BL 311 .D513 1991
Mythology: An Illustrated Encyclopedia Reference BL
311 .M95 1980
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Find Books
There are several types of searches you can do in the library
catalog,
WebCat,
to locate books. Library catalogs contain subject headings
used by the Library of Congress and most library users are not
familiar with these official headings. Therefore it is always
best to begin with a keyword search rather that a subject
search when first going to the online catalog. Combine
several terms that describe your topic. Use and
to narrow your results, or to broaden your results:
Catholic church AND
sacraments
Augustine AND trinity
doctrine OR belief
Islam* AND (spirituality OR mysticism)
Confucianism OR
Buddhism
Hinduism AND (moksha OR nirvana)
A few tips on the keyword searches above:
The asterisk * truncates a term and will retrieve all forms of the
word that follow the truncation symbol. For example,
catholic* will retrieve catholic, catholics, catholicism.
Islam* will retrieve Islam, Islamic. The
parentheses allows you to search for concepts similar in meaning and
then combine these with a different term(s). Remember to
always place your similar terms within parentheses when using AND &
OR in one search statement.
Results from your keyword searches will help you identify
appropriate subject headings that you can search under.
These can help you get even more relevant books on your specific
topic.
If you cannot find a particular title in WebCat, or enough books on
your topic, be sure to check the
MOBIUS online
catalog. When you find a book in MOBIUS, just click on the
"request" button and complete the online form. You will
receive an e-mail notice once the book is here, which usually takes
2-3 business days.
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Find Articles
Databases in this section are
restricted to use on the Truman network unless otherwise indicated.
ATLA Religion Database 1949+
In print,
Religion Index, 1977-1998: General Collection
BL 48 R35
ATLA (American Theological Library Association) is a
comprehensive database supporting religious and theological
scholarship. The index contains citations from 1,550+
international titles and multi-author works in religion and
related fields. Includes citations from three ATLA print
indexes:
Religion Index One (RIO), Religion Index Two
(RIT) and I
ndex to Book Reviews in Religion (IBRR).
Arts and Humanities Search (Arts & Humanities Citation
Index) 1980+
Provides citations to the world's leading arts and humanities
journals. Over 1,300 sources covered. Indexes
articles, bibliographies, editorials and reviews.
Humanities Abstracts 1984+
In print under various titles 1907-1996 : Reference AI 3
S6
Contains citations from more than 325 periodicals in archaeology
and classical studies, area studies, communication, folklore,
history, language, literature, performing and visual arts,
philosophy, religion and theology.
Philosopher's Index 1940+
The Philosopher's Index provides indexing and abstracts from
books and journals of philosophy and related fields. It covers
the areas of ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, logic, and
metaphysics as well as material on the philosophy of
disciplines, such as law, religion, science, history, and
education.
Project MUSE--There are 8 full-text journals of
religion available online in this collection. Dates vary
for each journal, however the coverage is usually from previous
5 years to current issue.
Listed below are philosophy journals
available in Pickler Memorial Library. Click on title to
view location and coverage.
* denotes peer-reviewed journal
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Media Library
Our Media Library located on the second floor houses a large collection of
videos, DVDs, sound recordings and CD-ROMS. The list below is just a
sample of what the library has. Titles in each section are listed in
order by call number.
Videos and DVDs
Religion, A World
History Media Video (10 videos) BL 48 .R44 1998
The Long
Search Media Video and Media DVD BL 80.2
L6401 (v. 1-13)
Orthodox and Roman
Catholic Christianity Media Video BL 80.2 .O78 1998
The Wisdom of Faith:
A Bill Moyers Special With Huston Smith ( 5 videos) Media Video BL
80.2 .W57 1996
Transformations of
Myth Through Time: The Wisdom of the East Media Video (3 videos)
BL 304 .T7252 1989
Divining the Divine
Media Video BL 624 .D58 1996
Spiritual India:
A Guide to Jainism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism Media Video
BL 2001.2 .C46 2000 v. 1
Jainism:
Ascetics and Warriors BL 2001.2 .C46 2000 v. 2
Islam: The Five
Pillars of Faith Media Video BL 2001.2 .C46 2000 v. 3
Buddhism: The Great
Wheel of Being Media Video BL 2001.2.C46 2000 v. 4
Hinduism:
Faith, Festivals and Rituals Media Video BL 2001.2 .C46
2000 v. 5
Religion:
Spiritual Heritage Media Video BL 2201 .R44 1998
Muslims
Media DVD BP 161.3 .M88 2003
Islam and
Christianity Media Video BP 163 .I76 pt. 2
Buddhism: The
Middle Way of Compassion Media Video & Guide BQ 270 .B83
1993
The Tibetan Book of
the Dead Media Video ( 2 videos) BQ 4490 .T523 1994
From Jesus to
Christ: The First Christians Media Video ( 4 videos) BR 129 .F76
1998
Two Thousand Years
Media Video ( 10 videos) BR 145 .T86 1999
A Peculiar People
Media Video (2 videos & guide) BR 165 .P43 1990
The Polygamists
Media Video BT 707.5.P64 1997
Ladakh: In Harmony
With the Spirit Media Video DS 485 .L2 L32 1990
Sound Recordings (Spoken)
Religions of the World
Media Cassette (10 tapes) BL 80.2 .S6 1995
Buddhism and
Christianity Media Cassette BR 128 .B8 B8 1971
CD-ROMs
North American Indians
Media Multimedia E 77 .N6756 1994
Our Common Ground:
World Religions in America Media Multimedia BL 2525 .E252
1997
This list is not exhaustive. To locate videos and DVDs on a
specific topic, go to our
Searching for Videos page.
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Web Links A-Z
ARDA: American Religion Data
Archive--A collection of quantitative data sets for the study of
American religion.
American Religious Experience -- Teaching resource produced by scholars
from several universities with links to biographies, book reviews and
information on women's religious experience. The "American Religion Links"
leads to several electronic journals, including
The North Star: a Journal of
African American Religious History.
Bible Gateway
--"intended to be a tool for reading and researching the scripture
online," this site contains multiple bible translations. audio Bibles and
various search options. Currently has 81 Bibles (including 12 audio and 13
e-books).
"Highly recommended" by
CHOICE January, 2004.
Center for
Christian-Jewish Learning--"The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at
Boston College promotes dialogue and understanding among those of the Christian
and Jewish faiths. . .includes resources for scholars and students. . .highly
recommended."
CHOICE, July/August, 2005
Comparative Religion--A directory of resources for the study of
religion.
Counterbalance Interactive Library--"A fascinating
multi-media project dedicated to exploring the relationship between religion and
science. The Counterbalance Foundation, which sponsors this site, workds
closely with the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. . .The library
offers an immense range of topics, including the creation of the world,
evolution, the relationship of humans to the environment, genetic research, the
conflict between fundamentalism and science, and ethical issues. . .highly
recommended."
(CHOICE, March '05)
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
-- Heavily used site worldwide, on the Web since 1994, overseen by Harry
Plantinga of Calvin College. A very useful site to find online texts of the
Christian tradition.
Digital Quaker Collection--"The
Earlham School of Religion, a graduate theological school for the Society of
Friends (Quakers), has provided access to a wealth of journals, letters, and
monographs. . .The selected documents detail Quaker theology, spirituality,
history, and practice since the inception of the religion in the mid-17th
century. . .The collection consists of over 500 volumes considered to be in the
public domain. . .Prominent Quaker figures such as George Fox and William Penn
are well represented, but the collection also included numerous authors of
lesser prominence. . . Highly recommended."
(CHOICE, March '05)
ECanon: Online Search Engine for Canonical Texts--An XML database, part
of TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism, ECanon "provides access to the
following scholarly versions of the Bible: King James Version (Project Gutenberg
version), the Revised Standard Version and the New Revised Standard Version
(National Council of Churches), and the Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament
(unaccented). . .Users may search by text or passage query." "Highly
recommended" for academic libraries, according to
CHOICE,
Jan. 2003.
Finding God in Cyberspace--Assembled by John Gresham, Librarian,
Fontbonne College, St. Louis. Gateway links to print sources (search university
libraries with significant collections in religion), digital resources
(e-journals, e-texts such as
Project Gutenberg) and people resources
(online discussion groups).
Internet Sacred Text Archive--
"a nonprofit archive of electronic texts devoted to religion, mythology,
folklore, the occult and esoteric topics. The purpose of the site is to promote
religious tolerance and scholarship. .primary and secondary texts are included"
(CHOICE, May, 2003).
Into His Own:
Perspective on the World of Jesus--"This Web site, which bills itself as
a sourcebook for the historical study of the New Testament, consists mainly of
clearly organized and searchable primary texts. . .The primary documents
contained here are organized according to 'Political Climate', 'Social Climate',
'Intellectual Climate', and 'Cultural Climate'. . .Under 'Political Climate' one
finds "Revolt against Rome." Those who are not familiar with this time period
or versed in biblical scholarship may need to supplement use of this site with
background reading and research. . .This award-winning resource offers an
interesting, well-documented look at the world in which Jesus lived." (
CHOICE,
November '06)
Introduction to Islam -- Site hosted by the Middle East Institute.
Electronic version of M.Cherif Bassiouni's book of the same title.
Islamic Studies--Islam, Arabic and Religion--website of Dr. Alan Godlas,
professor, Department of Religion at the University of Georgia.
Jesus: Real to Reel--Queen's Theological College, Ontario."The home page
features six major categories of bibliography: 'Jesus in Film' (books and
journal articles), 'Online Links' (with direct links to online articles on the
topic of Juesus in filme), 'The Bible & Film,' 'Religion/Theology & Film,'
'Other works of Interest,' and 'Film Analysis.' . . .No particular religious or
political slant pertains to the resources. . .which range from studies grounded
in film and cultural theory to those written from a firmly Christian viewpoint..
.Recommended."
M.P. Toska, University of Akron. CHOICE Reviews, November,
2004.
Jewish-Christian Relations--From the International Council
of Christians and Jews, this site presents "readable information by learned
scholars and translators on a variety of topics, e.g. fundamentalism, feminism,
violence, Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Jewish backgrounds of Jesus and Paul."
CHOICE, June, 2003
Judaism and Jewish Resources--This page shows you the gates to these
resources, so that you may go in and explore.
New Testament Gateway -
-Web information on the New Testament. Subject headings include: Greek New
Testament, Non-Canonical Christian Texts, Bible Translations and Editions, and
Textual Criticism. Maintained by Dr. Mark Goodacre of the University of
Birmingham, England.
The Papal Encyclicals
Online--"This excellent free resource provides access to papal
encyclicals and other church documents. . .It is not related to the Vatican;
instead it is the work of a 'Catholic layman who is trying to help keep these
Church documents widely available.' Most of the older documents were previously
found on the now defunct St. Michael's Depot and were originally scanned from
the reference work
The Papal Encyclicals (1990), compiled by C. Carlen
and covering the years 1740-1981."
E.B. Scott, Saint Michaels' College
CHOICE Reviews, January 2008.
The Pluralism Project -- Description and reports of the Pluralism
Project at Harvard University, directed by Diana L. Eck. Research that explored
primarily non-Jewish and non-Christian religious communities, with the purpose
of documenting religion in the U.S. since the 1965 Immigration Act. A
particularly useful link is the online version of
World Religions in Boston.
Psychology of
Religion Pages--Michael Nielsen, Georgia Southern University. Primarily
an introduction to the psychology of religion, this site "favors concrete
example over general theory, e.g. the role of religion in the September 11th
attacks, analysis of specific cases involving new religious movements. . ." The
site does include profiles of "notable theories and theorists, e.g. Freud, Jung,
Adler. . .essays on clergy sexual abuse, spiritual healing and psychotherapy."
CHOICE, September, 2003
The RJ&L Religious Liberty Archive--"A
service of the Religious Institutions Group at Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP,
the
Religious Liberty Archive is an extensive repository of information
and resources about 'state and federal laws pertaining to religious freedom in
the United States.' The Law firm provides legal representation in a variety of
areas and to a variety of clients, including religious institutions. Its
expertise in this area makes the information compiled on religious freedom in
the U.S. reliable and valuable. . .Awarded '5 stars' by Robert Ambrogi's The
Essential Guide to the Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web (2nd ed., 2004)."
CHOICE, Dec. '05
The
Roundtable on Religion & Social Welfare Policy
Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center--"An
invaluable tool for accessing and ordering digitally preserved primary Tibetan
Buddhist documents. . .features 2,700 volumes containing over 40,000
bibliographic entries. The texts, which are available for a nominal fee, are
from all the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (
Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya)
and include many important texts from the
Madhyamika school of Indian
philosophy."
G.J. Reece, American University. CHOICE Reviews, December
2003.
The Unbound Bible--collection
of searchable Bibles consisting of 10 English versions including the NASB, Greek
and Hebrew Versions (the original Bible languages), 4 ancient versions and 42
versions in other languages. Maintained by Biola University.
Virtual Religion Index
-- Assembled by Mahlon H. Smith (Religion, Rutgers University) to guide
researchers to links to home pages, indexes and documents. Most useful as a
guide for undergraduates.
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Citing Sources
There are several style manuals available in the library:
Chicago/Turabian Style
A Manual
for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations
General Collection LB 2369 .T8 1996
Reference LB 2369 .T8 1996
APA Style
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
General Collection BF 76.7 .P83 2001
Reserve BF 76.7 .P83 2001
Reference BF 76.7 .P83 2001
MLA Style
MLA Handbook
for Writers of Research Papers
General Collection LB 2396 .G53 2003
Reserve LB 2369 .G53
Reference LB 2369 .G53 2003
For additional style guides and
information on citing Web sites and other electronic sources, click
here.
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For further
assistance, visit or call the Reference Desk (660) 785-4051 or
contact the Reference Librarian for Religion:
Lisa M. Glaubitz, Reference
Librarian
(660) 785-7412
glaubitz@truman.edu
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