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If you know of any resources that should be
added to this list, please send an e-mail and let
us know.
Your "Secret" Goldmine
Whenever you are doing any kind of research, get friendly with your local
librarians. That's right, walk up to one and ask for their help -- they don't
bite. You may be amazed at what resources these underrated (and invariably
underpaid) professionals
can lead you to or access via inter-library loan. They are trained to know about
resources we mere mortals have no awareness of. In particular, if your research involves vaudeville, local libraries will be among your
richest potential resources for reviews and archival materials.
Reference Books
See our Reference Bibliography for
some of the best books currently on the shelves. If you don't see these at your
local library, ask about them -- they may be in hiding, or available via
interlibrary loan.
Search engines
Web-based Subject Directories
Theatre-Related Web Directories
- American
Variety Stage: 1870-1920 - The Library of Congress site offers this extensive
online collection of theatre and vaudeville programs, scripts, recordings, and
film clips
- Artslynx International Theatre
Resources - college professor Richard
Finkelstein compiled this diverse collection of links and resources
- Historic American Sheet
Music - scans of over 3000 songs of the 19th and early 20th Century, from
the collections of Duke University
- McCoy's
Guide - a guide to theatre and performance materials on the web
- Musical Cast Album Database
- cover over 2600 recordings of musicals, searchable by song title, artist, etc.
- 19th Century
Sheet Music Digitization Project - links to thousands of period sheet music
scans
- Theatre
Central - Playbill Online offers this extensive list of theatre links
- Theatricopia
- links to performers, shows, magazines, mailing lists, newsletters &
reviews.
- TheatrePedia
- The ELAC Internet Theatre Library includes definitions, biographical data,
critical material on plays, and numerous links
- Virtual Library for Theatre and
Drama - resources in over 50 countries for everyone from professionals to
students
- Worldwide Arts
Resources Theater Index - offers a searchable database of links and an
alphabetized list of theater-related categories
Library Resources on the Web
Many public libraries now provide card holders with free access to a wide range of
specialized internet resources – either from library terminals, or in many
cases from your own home computer. (What wouldn't I have given for something
like this back when I was a student!) There are also a variety of free library
resources available to all web users, including --
Articles and Web Journals
Recordings, Scripts, Sheet Music
See our separate page covering searches for these
items.
Vaudeville
See our Variety links & suggested
reading list for vaudeville-related resources.
Publication and Patent Dates
- U.S. Copyright Office - Free web
database of copyright dates for songs, plays, novels, etc. registered since the
1970s -- they will search earlier dates for a fee.
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
- Free database of corporate names, products, inventions, etc.
Academic Citation of Web sources
Folks write in asking about this all the time. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (4th Edition)
gives the following format for citing web articles --
Author. "Article Title," Date of Publication, Date of Access.
Using this format, the citation for a typical quotation from Musicals101 would
be --
Kenrick, John. Musicals101.com: "Stage Musicals 1900-1910,"
1996-2003.
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