Beyond the MLA International Bibliography

Abstract

Reference librarians, especially those in academic libraries, must frequently give formal or informal instruction in how to locate secondary materials for research in English and American literature. Most librarians teach their patrons how to use the MLA International Bibliography. Those who can engage their patrons' interest and attention long enough take the opportunity to introduce them to one or more bibliographic guides for the study of English and American literature. Yet this opportunity creates problems for the librarian since there are so many bibliographic guides to choose among. Some are annotated, some not; some cover both national literatures, some only one; some are intended for graduate students and scholars, some for undergraduates. Faced with this predicament, many librarians have come to rely on one broad guide for all purposes and patrons and let other guides gather dust on the shelves.

Citation

Rettig, J. (1979), "Beyond the MLA International Bibliography", Reference Services Review, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb048652