Welcome! This subject guide is a portal to key print and online library subscription resources, and open web content that support research in Medieval-18th century literature (including Shakespeare), covering all genres (prose, poetry, drama). Additionally, this guide includes resources that provide the historical, cultural, and social milieus which informed and were reflected in the literature of America and Great Britain during these periods. It is a satellite of the main subject guide to English & American Literature, which supports general literary research across all eras and genres as well as the 20th-21st centuries specifically.
There are a variety of ways to get help remotely from the Howe Library reference librarians. Please ask us! Use the "Ask a Librarian" service.
Ask A Librarian connects you with librarians in a variety of different ways
Email: howeref@uvm.edu
Schedule a Research Consultation
Text: (802) 503-1703
Before you begin searching for books and articles, use the sources (encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.) listed in the two "Starting Points" pages. They will:
Call Numbers that are prefaced with REF (e.g., REF PR 9080 .A52 E53 2005) indicate that the book is in the Reference Collection, located on the main/1st floor of Howe Library. Books in the reference collection are non-circulating, but you may scan pages for free in the library.
All these books are on the 3rd floor in Howe Library. They may be checked out of the library (i.e. circulating).
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Found a citation to a book or journal article that you need, but isn't owned by the library? Obtain the item through Interlibrary Loan.
Interlibrary Loan's (ILL) service for UVM affiliates will obtain materials (books, articles, book chapters) not owned by the UVM Libraries, from other libraries and document delivery sources. This service is free for UVM students, faculty, and staff. An article is delivered electronically and usually arrives within a few days. Book requests are generally filled within a week.
If you are making a request for the first time, you will need to register for the service before making a request. View this brief video for instructions on how to register.
Document Delivery (materials owned by UVM Libraries)
UVM students may request scans of articles and book chapters from materials available in Howe Library regular print and microform collections. ILL staff will scan articles or book chapters and deliver them as a PDF to a user's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) portal. There is no fee. Copyright law applies. View this brief video on how to make a request.
Requests for ILL and Document Delivery may be placed online. Log in to your ILL portal using your UVM netid and e-mail password.
If you are making a request for the first time, you will need to register for the service before making a request. View this brief video for instructions on how to register.
Find more details and a link to the ILL and document delivery request forms. There is also a link ("ILL/DD" green button) on the Library homepage.
Working Off Campus?
Use your UVM NetID and password to log in to the UVM network through EZproxy before you begin your research, to access the UVM Libraries' licensed electronic resources, such as article databases, electronic journals, e-books, and more.
Once you're logged in look for "ezproxy.uvm.edu" in the URL of the web page (e.g., http://library.uvm.edu.ezproxy.uvm.edu/) to ensure that you are connected to the UVM network.
NOTE: after a database name indicates a licensed library database, restricted to UVM affiliates.