Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Citation Styles

This is a selective, not comprehensive, guide to poetry resources available at the University of Southern Maine libraries. For help with any assignment, you can go to or call one of the information desks: [Gorham (780-5344); Portland (780-4272); Lewiston Auburn (753-6541)]; or use the Ask-A-Librarian service.

To locate books, journal titles, videos, government documents and other materials held in the University of Maine System, consult URSUS, the online catalog. Because journal article citations are not individually included in URSUS, you will need to use a discipline-specific index to find this information (see Resources by Subject).

If you do not know the exact subject heading of your topic, try doing a keyword search using other word/s related to that topic, and then click on the subject heading links found at the bottom of any relevant records to find additional, useful resources.

To obtain materials not located at your USM library, but within URSUS, click on the “request” button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number, which is on your USM ID card, and begins with 25022... (To use “request,” you will have to have your barcode validated at any circulation desk.)

Remember to search Maine InfoNet, which comprises the catalogues of Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, Maine Maritime Academy, Maine College of Art, and the University of New England, as well as most public libraries in the state. It, too, has a requestor function that allows you to have material sent to you. If you cannot locate something in either URSUS of Maine InfoNet, request it through Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).

The reference collections at the libraries contain numerous encyclopedias and dictionaries that relate to poetry. Such volumes give you a broad overview of a genre, as well as suggest search terms for further study. Below is just a sample, ranging from the broad to the specific.

Critical Survey of Poetry
Por Ref PN 1021 C7 Eight volumes

Columbia Granger’s Index to Poetry in Anthologies
Lew Ref PN 1022 F73

The Index to Poetry
Por, Gor, Lew Ref PN 1022 H39)

The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English
Por & Lew Ref PR 601 09

Twentieth Century Italian Poets
Por Ref PN 451 D5

Afro-American Poetry and Drama , 1760-1975
Lew Ref Z1229 N39 F73

Contemporary Poets
Por, Gor, Lew Ref PR 603 C6

Twentieth Century Spanish Poets
Por Ref PN451 .D5 v.108

Princeton Handbook of Poetic Terms
Por Ref PN1042 .P75 1986

Old and Middle English Poetry to 1500
Gor Ref Z2014 .P7 B34

Depending on your specific topic, you can use many of USM’s databases to find relevant material. Below are just a few that should be useful. For help finding research articles, see the Finding Articles Tutorial.

LION (Literature OnLine)
Indexes 123 full-text literature journals, and other key criticism and reference resources. Search by author or specific literary work. Covers more than 300,000 works of English and American literature.

Literature Resource Center
Offers full-text from Dictionary of Literary Biography, Contemporary Authors, and Contemporary Literary Criticism. Search by author, title, or country

MLA International Bibliography
Index to scholarly research in literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. Indexes articles from more than 3,500 journals and series. Also includes monographs, working papers, proceedings, and bibliographies. Coverage begins with 1963.

The following are some good websites for specialized information. There are many more, of course; just be sure they are those of reputable institutions or organizations. For help in making that determination, use the Mariner tutorial.

Poets & Writers - online version of the magazine. Includes information about conferences, prizes, grants, and poets. Has some audio clips.

The Poetry Society - – For information on British poetry and poets. Links to two journals.

Poets.org - Biographical information about 500 American poets, as well as a searchable database of 1200 poems.

Electronic Poetry Center - Maintained by the University of Buffalo, includes journals, reviews, and some contemporary poetry.

Internet Poetry Archive - From the University of North Carolina, the site focuses on contemporary poetry. Has criticism and audio clips of poets reading their work.

Representative Poetry - Nearly 1400 poems searchable by author, title, date, and keyword; covers English poetry to the early 1900s. Also has some criticism. From the University of Toronto.

British Women Romantic Poets – Electronic collection of poetry written by British women between 1789-1832.

American Verse Project – American poetry before 1920, with an emphasis on poets of color and females. A joint project of the Humanities Text Initiative and the University of Michigan Press.

Contemporary American Poetry Archive – Out-of-print poetry, collected at Connecticut College.

The Poetry Archives – More than 3000 English language poems, as well as some translations of classical poetry. Covers the 16th to 19th centuries.

Modern American Poetry: A multi-media companion to the Anthology of Modern American Poetry Housed at University of Illinois: poetry, biographies, reviews and syllabi on modern American poets.

South African Poets - Full text of some poems by about 50 South African poets; has some biographical information.

Sonnets Central - English-language sonnets from Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as some from other countries in English translation. Also has information on the sonnet’s development.

The Canadian Poetry Archive – Notable Canadian poetry from the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, in both English and French.

Spanish poetry - Searchable by author and period; coverage from the 13 th century on.

French poetry - Major French contemporary poets: their works and biographies.

Russian poetry - From Northwestern, comprehensive searchable database of Russian poetry and poets.

Caribbean writers - Citation information and full-text of poems by Caribbean writers.

American poets - Sites for biography, bibliography, criticism and poetry of 161 American poets.

For assistance in citing your sources, see the Mariner tutorial. The libraries also have a variety of style manuals that will guide you through the citation process for each of your classes. They are available on tables near the reference desks. For a tutorial on "Endnote," a program that will put your database search results into the correct bibliographic format, click here EndNote Tutorial.

Created by: Anne Edwards
Created on: 12.04.2005
Last Updated: 12.04.2005