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Literary Reference Center™

Literary Reference Center™ offers cross-searchable access to the full text of thousands of texts, short stories and poems plus a wide range of other content such as author biographies and interviews, literary criticism, book reviews and literary journals.

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Relevance to the National Curriculum

Literary Reference Center™ is suitable for the teaching, learning and coursework requirements of English Language and Literature at Key Stage 4 and A/AS level, and the International Baccalaureate.

Content

Updated every week with new and revised content, Literary Reference Center™ offers access to:

  • The full text of 8,200 classic texts, 18,000 classic and contemporary short stories, and 68,000 classic and contemporary poems.
  • Over 164,000 author biographies and more than 5,600 interviews.
  • More than 630,000 book reviews, over 31,000 plot summaries and work overviews, and the full text of over 450 magazines and journals, and 1,400 literary reference works.

Other special features:

  • Users can choose to search particular categories of information (such as biographies, interviews, plot summaries and works available in full text), or to search across the database and then refine by categories such as subject, author, type or publication.
  • Browse authors - and most studied authors - by name, country, culture, genre and movement.
  • Browse works - and most studied works - by title, genre and locale.
  • A literary/historical timeline enables students to identify key milestones from antiquity to the present day.
  • A glossary provides detailed definitions of literary terms and topics, and a dictionary and encyclopedia are available for younger students.
  • Help with citations, and a research guide, are available for older students.
  • View further information and full list of contents
  • View Flash Facts
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Reviews

"This is a beautifully conceived and realised product, with extraordinary content and powerful navigability, for literary researchers from high schoolers to postgraduates." Library Journal (see the full review)

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Access options

A range of access options is on offer to enable teachers and learners to use Literary Reference Center™ both within the school (for example, by IP address) and from home (for example, via Shibboleth, and/or username and password).

An unlimited number of staff and students at subscribing schools can access Literary Reference Center concurrently so it can be used in the classroom with confidence.

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Pricing

Pricing is calculated according to the total number of learners at a school, or schools within a region - so the more schools that subscribe to a resource as a group, the lower the price per learner is likely to be.

All suppliers have guaranteed that the prices negotiated by JISC Collections are the lowest available.

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Subscription and invoicing information

  • The agreement for Literary Reference Center™ runs until 31 August 2012.
  • Schools and buying groups can subscribe at any time but are committed until the end of the subscription year in which their subscription starts i.e. 31 August 2010, 31 August 2011, or 31 August 2012.
  • Charges will be prorated - for example, if a subscription starts on 1 January 2010, the cost of the subscription will be for 8 months until 31 August 2010.
  • Please note that subscriptions will not be set up, and access granted, until a signed copy of the Acceptance of Licence Agreement Form (see below) has been received by JISC Collections for Schools.
  • An invoice from the subscription start date until the end of the subscription year will also be issued when the signed copy of the Acceptance of Licence Agreement Form (see below) is received.
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How to subscribe

Scan and email it to schoolshelp@jisc.ac.uk
OR
Post an unbound copy to:
JISC Collections for Schools
Unit 7, North Leigh Business Park
North Leigh
Oxfordshire OX29 6SW

  • Keep one signed copy of the full Acceptance of Licence Form for your records.
  • When the signed Acceptance of Licence Form has been received by JISC Collections for Schools, the publisher will be notified and access will be set up.
  • An invoice from the subscription start date until the end of the subscription year will also be sent when the signed Acceptance of Licence Form has been received by JISC Collections for Schools.
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How to get the best price

Prices offered through JISC Collections for Schools are guaranteed to be the lowest available. Schools subscribing individually to one or more JISC Collections for Schools resources benefit from discounts on publishers' list prices in the majority of cases, but schools subscribing as part of a buying group can achieve discounts of up to 75%.

A buying group can consist of any group of schools in a region with a combined total of at least 2,500 learners that places an order for a resource at the same time.

Local authorities, and organisations such as School Library Services, are taking an active role in coordinating buying groups in many areas in order to achieve the highest possible discount.

In addition, an increasing number of schools in informal local or regional networks are also working together to secure the best possible pricing.

To find out what is happening in your area, or if you would like help setting up a buying group, contact jcs-info@jisc.ac.uk.

  • Click here for pricing information
  • Click here to request a free 30-day trial
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Support for teachers

A range of step-by-step guides, tutorials and lesson plans is available:

  • Download a search help sheet
  • Download the detailed user guide
  • Find out how to browse works
  • Find out how to browse authors
  • Download a helpful guide to literary research, writing, and critical reading with instructions on avoiding plagiarism, evaluating information sources, step-by-step tools for writing a research paper, and more.
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Free trials

Free 30-day trials of Literary Reference Center™ are available to enable schools and local authorities to assess its value in teaching and learning.

  • Request a free trial for your school, or for a group of schools
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Subscriber services

Login URL
http://search.ebscohost.com

Further information

  • View further information and full list of contents
  • View Flash Facts
  • Download a search help sheet
  • Download the detailed user guide
  • Find out how to browse works
  • Find out how to browse authors
  • Download a helpful guide to literary research, writing, and critical reading with instructions on avoiding plagiarism, evaluating information sources, step-by-step tools for writing a research paper, and more.
  • View tutorial on visual search
  • View tutorial on basic searching
  • View tutorial on creating search and journal alerts
  • View tutorial on personalization

Technical, administrative, and user support
Email schoolshelp@jisc.ac.uk
phone: 01993 880044

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