- Guides to Reference Materials/Websites
- Reference Books: Retrospective Bibliographies
- Reference Books: Primarily Biographical
- Reference Books: Production Reviews
- Reference Books: Dictionaries, Encyclopedias & Handbooks
- Serial Bibliographies & Databases for Scholarly Books & Articles
- Collections of Online Full Texts
- Selected Relevant Subject Headings in Roger/Melvyl
- Issues in Scholarly Communication
- Contact
Guides to Reference Materials/Websites
Bailey, Claudia Jean. A Guide to Reference and Bibliography for Theatre Research. 2 nd ed. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Libraries, 1983. (Balay/Smith BH30)
SSH Reference PN 1620 .A1 B15 1983
Catron, Louis E. Theatre Sources Dot Com: A Complete Guide to Online Theatre and Dance Resources. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 2001.
SSH Reference PN 2052 .C38 2001
Guide to Reference Books. 11 th Edition. Ed. Robert Balay; Assoc. ed., Vee Friesner Carrington. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.
* Section BH: Theater and Performing Arts (pp. 714-747) compiled by the late Philip A. Smith, former Bibliographer for Theater, University of California, San Diego Libraries.
SSH Reference DESK Collection Z 1035.1 .G89 1996
References to this source given as (Balay/Smith)
Pruett, Barbara J. Popular Entertainment Research: How to Do It and How to Use It. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1992. (Balay/Smith BH1)
SSH Reference PN 1576 .P78 1992
Simons, Linda Keir. The Performing Arts: A Guide to the Reference Literature. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1994.
SSH Reference PN 1584 .S56 1994
Whalon, Marion K. Performing Arts Research: A Guide to Information Sources. (Performing Arts Information Guide Series; v. 1) Detroit: Gale Research, 1976. (Balay/Smith BH1, notes).
SSH Reference PN 1584 .W47
Wilmeth, Don B. Variety Entertainment and Outdoor Amusements: A Reference Guide. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1982. SSH Reference GV 1853.2 W54
Young, William C. American Theatrical Arts: A Guide to Manuscripts and Special Collections in the United States and Canada. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1971. (Balay/Smith BH7)
SSH Reference PN 1584 .Y68 1971
UCSD Libraries: SAGE
Reference Books: Retrospective Bibliographies on Theater History & Theater Arts
Arnott, James Fullarton and John William Robinson. English Theatrical Literature, 1559-1900: A Bibliography, Incorporating Robert W. Lowe's A Bibliographical Account of English Theatrical Literature Published in 1888. London: Society for Theatre Research, 1970. (Balay/Smith BH38)
SSH Reference PN 2581 .A74 1970
(The 1888 book by Lowe is on the 7 th floor at PN 2581 .L69 1888)
Cavanagh, John. British Theatre: A Bibliography, 1901-1985. Mottisfont, U.K.: Motley Press, 1989. (Balay/Smith BH40) Continues Arnott & Robinson.
SSH Reference PN 2581 .C38 1989
Cumulated Dramatic Index 1909-49: A Cumulation of the F.W. Faxon Company's Dramatic Index. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1965. 2 vols. (Balay/Smith BH55 note) The original annual index was subtitled "Covering Articles and Illustrations Concerning the Stage and Its Players in the Periodicals of America and England and Including the Dramatic Books of the Year." It originally appeared as Part II of Faxon's Annual Magazine Subject Index, a competitor for over 40 years to H.W. Wilson Co's Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.
PN 1655 .C86 1965 (Reference Index Shelves, Range 6B)
Howard, John T. A Bibliography of Theatre Technology: Acoustics and Sound Lighting, Properties, and Scenery. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1982. (Balay/Smith BH50)
SSH Reference PN 2091 .S8 H68 1982
Johnson, Claudia D. and Vernon E. Johnson. Nineteenth-Century Theatrical Memoirs. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1982. (Balay/Smith BH125)
SSH STACKS PN 2597 .J63 1982
Kesler, Jackson. Theatrical Costume: A Guide to Information Sources. (Performing Arts Information Guide Series, v. 6). Detroit: Gale Research, 1979. (Balay/Smith BH51)
SSH Reference PN 2067 .K47
Larson, Carl F. W. American Regional Theatre History to 1900: A Bibliography. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1979. (Balay/Smith BH43)
New York Public Library. The Research Libraries. Catalog of the Theatre and Drama Collections. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1967-1976. 51 vols. First supplement, 1973, 3 vols. (Balay/Smith BH33)
PN 1620 .N56 1967 SSHL 8 th Floor OVERSIZE BOOKS
Updated annually since 1975 by: Bibliographic Guide to Theatre Arts (see Part IV, below)
Silvester, Robert. United States Theatre: A Bibliography from the Beginning to 1990. New York: G.K. Hall & Co.; Romsey, U.K.: Motley Press, 1993.
SSH Reference PN 2221 .S55 1993
Steadman, Susan M. Dramatic Re-Visions: An Annotated Bibliography of Feminism and Theatre, 1972-1988. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1991. (Balay/Smith BH34)
SSH Reference PN 1590 .W64 S73 1991
Stoddard, Richard. Stage Scenery, Machinery, and Lighting: A Guide to Information Sources. (Performing Arts Information Guide Series, v. 2). Detroit: Gale Research, 1977. (Balay/Smith BH52)
SSH Reference PN 2091 .S8 S79
Stoddard, Richard. Theatre and Cinema Architecture: A Guide to Information Sources. (Performing Arts Information Guide Series, v. 5). Detroit: Gale Research, 1978. (Balay/Smith BH35)
Art & Architecture Library Stacks NA 6821 .S82
Stratman, Carl J. American Theatrical Periodicals, 1789-1967: A Bibliographical Guide. Durham: Duke University Press, 1970. (Balay/Smith BH36)
Stratman, Carl J. Bibliography of the American Theatre Excluding New York City. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1965. (Balay/Smith BH46)
SSH Reference PN 2221 .S77 1965
Stratman, Carl J., David G. Spencer, and Mary Elizabeth Devine. Restoration and Eighteenth Century Theatre Research: A Bibliographical Guide, 1900-1968. Carbondale: Southern Illinois Univ. Press, 1971. (Balay/Smith BH47)
Taylor , Thomas J. American Theatre History: An Annotated Bibliography. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1992. (Balay/Smith BH48)
SSH Reference PN 2221 .T25 1992
Wilmeth, Don B. American and English Popular Entertainment: A Guide to Information Sources. (Performing Arts Information Guide Series, v. 7). Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. (Balay/Smith BH2)
SSH Stacks GV 1815 .W53
Wilmeth, Don B. The American Stage to World War I: A Guide to Information Sources. (Performing Arts Information Guide Series, v. 4). Detroit: Gale Research, 1978. (Balay/Smith BH49)
The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre . Ed. Don Rubin. Volume 6: Bibliography/ Cumulative Index. London & New York: Routledge, 2000.
SSH Reference PN 2035 .W67 1994 v. 6
Reference Books: Primarily Biographical
Archer, Stephen M. American Actors and Actresses: A Guide to Information Sources. (Performing Arts Information Guide Series, v. 8). Detroit: Gale Research, 1983. (Balay/Smith BH124)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 1998 .A2 A72 1983
Bryan , George B. Stage Lives : A Bibliography and Index to Theatrical Biographies in English. (Bibliographies and Indexes in the Performing Arts, no. 2). Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1985. (Balay/Smith BH128)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2205 .S78 1985
Bryan , George B. Stage Deaths: A Biographical Guide to International Theatrical Obituaries, 1850 to 1990. (Bibliographies and Indexes in the Performing Arts, no. 9). New York: Greenwood Press, 1991. 2 vols. (Balay/Smith BH127)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2205 .S762 1991
Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television. Detroit : Gale Research, 1984- .
Several volumes each year. Use the cumulative index at the back of the most recent volume to location volumes with information on the person you are seeking. (Balay/Smith BH22)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2285 .C58
Continues: Who's Who in the Theatre (Balay/Smith BH122)
Highfill, Philip H., Kalman A. Burnim, and Edward A. Langhans. A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1973-1993. 16 volumes. (Balay/Smith BH112)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2597 .H5
International Dictionary of Theatre. Ed. Mark Hawkins-Dady. Chicago: St. James Press, 1992- .
Volume 2: Playwrights. Volume 3: Actors, Directors, and Designer , ed. David Pickering. (Balay/Smith BH71)
SSH Reference PN 2035 .I49 1992.
Lacy, Robin Thurlow. A Biographical Dictionary of Scenographers, 500 B.C. to 1900 A.D. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990. (Balay/Smith BH114)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2096 .A1 L33 1990
Leiter, Samuel L. The Great Stage Directors: 100 Distinguished Careers of the Theater. New York: Facts on File, 1994.
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2205 .L44 1994
Mapp, Edward. Directory of Blacks in the Performing Arts. 2 nd ed. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1990. (Balay/Smith BH23)
Notable Names in the American Theatre . New and Revised edition. Clifton, N.J.: James T. White & Co., 1976. (Balay/Smith BH117). A revision of Walter Rigdon's Biographical Encyclopaedia and Who's Who of the American Theatre (1966).
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2285 .N6 1976
Notable Women in the American Theatre: A Biographical Dictionary . Ed. Alice M. Robinson, Vera Mowry Roberts, and Milly S. Barranger. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989. (Balay/Smith BH118)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2285 .N65 1989
Performing Arts Biography Master Index: A Consolidated Index to Over 270,000 Biographical Sketches of Persons Living and Dead, As They Appear in Over 100 of the Principal Biographical Dictionaries Devoted to the Performing Arts . 2 nd ed. Edited by Barbara McNeil and Miranda C. Herbert. Detroit: Gale Research Company, [1982] c1981. (Balay/Smith BH28)
SSH Reference DESK Collection PN1583 .M37 1982
Perry, Jeb H. Variety Obits: An Index to Obituaries in Variety, 1905-1978. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1980. (Balay/Smith BH29)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 1583 .P4
Peterson, Bernard L. Profiles of African American Stage Performers and Theatre People, 1816-1960. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 2001.
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2286 .P46 2001
Theatrical Designers: An International Biographical Dictionary . Ed. Thomas J. Mikotowicz. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992. (Balay/Smith BH118)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2096 .A1 Am54 1992
Theatrical Directors: A Biographical Dictionary . Edited by John W. Frick & Stephen M. Vallillo. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994. (Balay/Smith BH121)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY Collection PN 2205 .T54 1994
Wearing, J.P. American and British Theatrical Biography: A Directory. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1979. (Balay/Smith BH129) Indexes works of collective biography, theater yearbooks, encyclopedias, etc.
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2285 .W42
Who Was Who in the Theatre, 1912-1976: A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Directors, Playwrights, and Producers of the English-Speaking Theatre . Compiled from Who's Who in the Theatre, volumes 1-15 (1912-1972). Detroit: Gale Research Co., c1978.
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY Collection PN 2597 .W52
The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre. Ed. Don Rubin. London & New York: Routledge, 1994-2000. 6 vols. v. 1 Europe, v. 2 The Americas, v. 3 Africa, v. 4 The Arab World, v. 5 Asia/Pacific, v. 6 Bibliography/Cumulative Index.
SSH Reference PN 2035 .W67 1994
Young, William C. Famous Actors and Actresses on the American Stage. New York: Bowker, 1975. 2 vols. (Balay/Smith BH123)
SSH Reference BIOGRAPHY PN 2285 .Y6 1975b
Reference Books: Production Reviews
New York Times Theater Reviews. Reproductions of all reviews and other theater-related articles from The New York Times. UCSD has the volumes covering 1870-1919, 1930-1934, 1973-1974, 1977-1978, 1981-1982, and 1985-1996. (Balay/Smith BH59)
SSH Reference PN 2266 .N48
Articles and reviews from other years can be determined by using the print New York Times Index, located in the Current Periodicals & Microforms area. The full text of articles are available from: LexisNexis Academic (1980-present), New York Times (Current) (1999-present), or New York Times (Historical) (1851-2001), all of which are accessible from the "Databases A-Z" link on the Libraries' home page.
New York Theatre Critics' Reviews . 1940-1996.
Reproductions of reviews of New York productions in about a dozen New York-based media, including the Times, the Post, the News, Wall Street Journal, Women's Wear Daily, and the major television networks. (Balay/Smith BH58)
SSH Reference PN 1601 .N4
Salem, James M. A Guide to Critical Reviews. 3 rd ed. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1984- . Part I: American Drama, 1909-1982. Part II: The Musical, 1909-1989. Part III: Foreign Drama, 1909-1977. Part IV: The Screenplay. (Balay/Smith BH61) Citations to reviews from popular magazines, primarily of New York productions.
SSH Reference PN 2266 .S34
Theatre Record. Middlesex , England : I Herbert, 1981- . (Balay/Smith BH60)
Reprints newspaper and magazine reviews of British (mostly London) reviews.
SSH Reference PN 2596 .L6 L66
For more recent reviews, use Expanded Academic ASAP or Periodicals Index Online (see Part VI)
Reference Books: Dictionaries, Encyclopedias & Handbooks
Bowman, Walter Parker and Robert Hamilton Ball. Theatre Language: A Dictionary of Terms in English of the Drama and Stage from Medieval to Modern Times. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1961. (Balay/Smith BH77)
The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre . Ed. Don B. Wilmeth and Tice L. Miller. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. (Balay/Smith BH65)
SSH Reference PN 2220 .C35 1993
The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre. Ed. James R. Brandon. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. (Balay/Smith BH66)
SSH Reference PN 2860 .C35 1993
The Cambridge Guide to Theatre . New edition. Ed. Martin Banham. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. (Balay/Smith BH67)
The Facts on File Dictionary of the Theatre . Ed. William Packard, David Pickering, Charlotte Savidge. New York: Facts on File, 1988. (Balay/Smith BH69)
SSH Reference PN 2035 .F27 1988
Hodgson, Terry. The Batsford Dictionary of Drama. London: Batsford, 1988. ( U.S. edition entitled The Drama Dictionary). (Balay/Smith BH78)
SSH Reference PN 1625 H63 1988
International Dictionary of Theatre. Ed. Mark Hawkins-Dady. Chicago: St. James Press, 1992- .
Volume 1: Plays; Volume 2: Playwrights; Volume 3: Actors, Directors, and Designers , ed. David Pickering. (Balay/Smith BH71)
SSH Reference PN 2035 .I49 1992.
An International Dictionary of Theatre Language . Gen ed., Joel Trapido. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1985. (Balay/Smith BH79)
SSH Reference PN 2035 .I5 1985
Lounsbury, Warren C. and Norman Boulanger. Theatre Backstage from A to Z. 4 th ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999. (Balay/Smith BH80)
SSH Reference PN 2091 .M3 L68 1999
McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work . 2 nd ed. Ed. Stanley Hochman. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984. 5 volumes. (Balay/Smith BH72)
SSH Reference PN 1625 .M3 1984
Meserve, Walter J. A Chronological Outline of World Theatre. New York: Feedback Theatrebooks and Prospero Press, 1992. (Balay/Smith BH94)
PN 2101 .M47 1992
The New Penguin Dictionary of the Theatre . Revised and enlarged edition. Ed. Jonathan Law, David Pickering, Richard Helfer. London: Penguin Books, 2001. (1993 ed. Is Balay/Smith BH75)
The Oxford Companion to American Theatre . 3 rd ed. Ed. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. (Balay/Smith BH64)
SSH Reference PN 2220 .B6 2004
The Oxford Companion to the Theatre . 4 th ed. Ed. Phyllis Hartnoll. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. (Balay/Smith BH74)
SSH Reference PN 2035 .H3 1983
Available online: The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 2 nd ed. Ed. Phyllis Hartnoll and Peter Found. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Peterson, Bernard L. The African American Theatre Directory, 1816-1960: A Comprehensive Guide to Early Black Theatre Organizations, Companies, Theatres, and Performing Groups. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1997.
SSH Reference PN 2230 .A35 P48 1997
Vaughn, Jack A. Drama A to Z: A Handbook. New York: Ungar, 1978. (Smith/Balay BH82)
SSH Reference PN 1625 .V3
Wilmeth, Don B. The Language of American Popular Entertainment: A Glossary of Argot, Slang, and Terminology. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1981. (Balay/Smith BH12)
SSH Reference PN 1579 .W5
Woll, Allen L. Dictionary of the Black Theatre: Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Selected Harlem Theatre. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1983. (Balay/Smith BH109)
SSH Reference (and Stacks) PN 2270 .A35 W64 1983
Serial Bibliographies & Databases for Scholarly Books & Articles
* Electronic databases. Access through the "Databases A-Z" Link from the Libraries' home page (http://sshl.ucsd.edu)
* International Index to the Performing Arts Full-Text (IIPA-FT), 1864-present.
An index to over 230 journals and magazines (almost 300,000 articles) in the fields of dance, drama, film, theater, opera, puppetry, circus, and other forms of performance art. Contains links to the full texts of about 50% of the articles cited.
Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature . Bronx, N.Y.: H.W. Wilson Co., 1901-present.
Citations to reviews of plays are given under the name of the playwright, but there is a list of them all together under the heading "Theatre Reviews-Single Works."
SSH Reference Index Collection, Range 1A.
For access to the years 1890-1982 use:
* Reader's Guide Retrospective.
International Theatre Bibliography (IBT). Brooklyn, N.Y.: Theatre Research Data Center, Brooklyn College, CUNY, 1982-2000. Annual, but now ceased. (Balay/Smith BH57)
SSH Reference PN 1601 .I5
(An online version of this bibliography was introduced in 2005, but the UCSD Libraries do not yet have access to it.)
New York Public Library. The Research Libraries. Bibliographic Guide to Theatre Arts. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1975- . Annual supplement to the New York Public Library Catalog to the Theatre and Drama Collection (see Part II). |
SSH Reference PN 1601 .B5
* MLA International Bibliography . New York: Modern Language Assn., 1921-present.
Covers primarily dramatic criticism, although scholarly articles (NOT reviews) about some aspects of theater history and theory are included. Citations for 1963-present (and some earlier ones) are online; for complete coverage pre-1963, use the printed books.
SSH Reference PB 41 .M68
* Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Philadelphia: Inst. for Scientific Information, 1975-present.
Entire database available online through ISI's Web of Science.
* Expanded Academic ASAP. One of the two most interdisciplinary online journal indexes available at UCSD; includes links to the full text of many articles. 1980-present.
* Periodicals Index Online . Index to 16 million articles from 4,700 North American and European scholarly journals in arts, humanities, social sciences. Approximately 10 percent of articles listed also include page images from Periodicals Archive Online 1665-1995.
* Book Review Index Online. An index to more than 5 million book reviews from scholarly journals, general interest periodicals, and some newspapers. 1965-present.
Selected Collections of Full Texts of Dramatic Literature
For more results, use Sage under a subject for literature, e.g. English Language Literatures, and the category "Electronic Texts (Collections)"
American Drama of the Modernist Period 1899-1945*
American and Canadian Drama of the Postwar Period 1945-1999*
American Variety Stage
Asian American Drama
Black Drama: 1850 to the Present
British Drama of the Modernist Period 1899-1945*
British Drama of the Neoclassical Period*
British Drama of the Postwar Period 1945-1999*
British Drama of the Romantic Period 1780-1837*
British Drama of the Victorian Period 1837-1910*
Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Drama from Australia 1955-Present *
Drama from Scotland 1503-Present *
Drama from South Asia 1922-Present *
Drama of the American Colonial Period*
Drama of the American Romantic and Realistic Periods*
Drama of the Revolutionary and Early American Periods*
Early English Books Online EEBO (1475-1700)
Eighteenth Century Collections Online ECCO
Irish Drama 1611 to Present *
Latino Literature: Poetry, Drama and Fiction
Renaissance English Drama *
* Part of LiON (Literature Online). As of May 2006, there are 7292 volumes of drama by 1521 authors in LiON
Selected Relevant Subject Headings in Roger/Melvyl/WorldCat
A personal name can be used, assuming the library has any full-length books about that person, e.g.: "Craig, Edward Gordon, 1872-1966."
Books that are specifically critical or interpretive in nature may have the subheading "Criticism and interpretation," e.g. "Antoine, Andre, 1858-1943-Criticism and Interpretation," but don't ignore the books under the basic heading.
A "corporate name" can be used, assuming the library has any full-length books about that organization, e.g. "Provincetown Players," "Mabou Mines (Theater group)," "Théâtre Populaire Romand," or "Teatro Campesino (Organization)."
A dramatic or theatrical "movement" can be used, again assuming the library has any full-length books about it, and that the term has wide acceptance and usage, e.g. "Theater of the Absurd," "Workers' theater," "Readers' theater," or "Agitprop theater."
Theater (as of Oct. 8, 2006, 533 books, mostly older and less scholarly, but ignore at your peril!)
Theater-Bibliography
Theater-Congresses [used for proceedings of scholarly conferences]
Theater-Dictionaries
Theater-Exhibitions
Theater-Periodicals
Theater-Pictorial Works
Theater-Reviews
Theater-[Country, Continent, Region, State, etc., but not a city]
(Book about theater in a city is "indirect" e.g.: "Theater- New York State- New York" "Theater- Italy- Palermo"
Theater-[Country, Continent, Region, State, etc.]-History
Theater-[Country, etc.]-History-[Particular time period, e.g. Century, Dynasty, etc.]
Theater-[Country, etc.]-Production & Direction-History
Theater and Society
Theater and Society-[Country, Continent, Region, State, etc.]
Theater and State
Theater-Anthropological Aspects
Theater Audiences
Theater Censorship
Theater-Economic Aspects
Theater-Law and Legislation
Theater-Philosophy
Theater-Political Aspects
Theater-Production and Direction
Theater-Religious Aspects
Theater, Yiddish
Theatrical companies
Theatrical managers
Theatrical producers and directors
Theatrical producers and directors-Biography
Theatrical producers and directors-Interviews
Women theatrical producers and directors
African American theater (Hispanic American theater, etc.)
Experimental theater
Feminist theater, Gay theater, Lesbian theater, etc.
Workers' theater
CAUTION: Whenever a book is primarily analyzing the TEXTS of dramatic works, even if it comments on the performative aspects of the texts, Library of Congress is more likely to use "Literature," maybe "Drama," but not "Theater" in the subject headings. For example, the recent book "Act Like a Man: Challenging Masculinities in American Drama" (Robert Vorlicky, University of Michigan Press, 1995) receives the following subject headings: "Gender identity in literature," "Masculinity in literature," "Sex role in literature," "Men in literature," and "American Drama-20 th Century-History and Criticism."
For newer, more theoretical approaches to theater and, in particular, performance studies, LC is still grappling with terminology. Here are some possibilities:
Aesthetics, Modern-20 th Century
Aesthetics, Modern-21 st Century
Drama-Philosophy
Literature-Philosophy
Performance [Hasn't been used as consistently as it should]
Performance Art
Theater (or Performing Arts)-Anthropological Aspects
Theater (or Performing Arts)-Philosophy
Theater (or Performing Arts)-Semiotics
Theater (or Performing Arts)-Social Aspects
Theater (or Performing Arts)-Study and Teaching
Poetics
Queer Theory [just introduced, 2006]
Speech Acts (Linguistics)
Issues in Scholarly Communication
As young scholars, you will soon be (if you haven't already) participating in various methods of scholarly communication: not just reading works of scholarship in their published formats, but attending conferences, presenting papers, and disseminating your own ideas and the results of your own scholarship in books, journals, and conference proceedings.
Everything has a price; nothing (not even scholarly communication) is free. We often fail to think about the economic ramifications of scholarly communication. Even in the humanities, more and more scholarship is being controlled by for-profit corporations, whose primary interest is ultimately not in the exchange of scholarship and ideas, but in making a financial profit from intellectual property. In the necessity to have our work published, we as scholars and students often forget about what costs will be incurred by others-primarily through the "hidden" intermediary of libraries-when we give away our copyright in our intellectual property to corporations.
The UCSD Libraries have developed a Website devoted to helping scholars of all ages and in all disciplines make more well-informed decisions about publishing their research. Please bookmark this Website and refer to it periodically:
http://libraries.ucsd.edu/services/scholar.htm
In an effort to assist in the flow of new information that is vital to the communication of new scholarly, I attempt to provide a quarterly list of "New Books in Theater & Dance" acquired by the UCSD Libraries. Starting with the Summer 2006 edition, my lists can be found online at the following site:
http://sshl.ucsd.edu/collections/theater.html