OU Library Catalog--Includes books, films, journals (but does NOT index articles)

World Cat--union catalog of libraries worldwide

MelCat--union catalog of many Michigan libraries; 1st stop to interloan books

Boolean Keyword searching may get you even more:

psycho and hitchcock

"public enemy" and film

"public enemy" and "motion pictures"

censorship and "motion pictures"

Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text
No definitive dates of coverage--Variety goes back to 1914 (but Variety reviews included are often extracts of  the lengthier reviews--orginal reviews can be found in the print Variety Film Reviews), books are indexed from the mid-1990s, some journals are indexed as far back as the early 1970s.  Many articles are full text within this index, but be sure to click on the links for articles without a full text link.  OU may have access to the full text from another source or may own the source in print.  Note the "cite" feature--but be sure to check that the citation meets all the requirements of MLA citation!

JSTOR and ProjectMuse
Both of these resources are entire collections of scholarly journals and the full text of all their articles.  Neither includes a long list of film journals, but they do include several important ones.  JSTOR includes the backfiles of journals up to one year or more ago [and in some cases includes current issues also].  JSTOR includes backfiles of Cinema Journal (1966-2006 and its earlier title from 1961-1965), Film History (1987-2006), and Film Quarterly (1958-present and its earlier titles from 1945).   ProjectMuse includes Cinema Journal (1999 to present), Film & History (2004 to present),  Film History (2005 to present),  Framework: The Journal of Film and Media (2006 to present), Velvet Light Trap (2003 to present), etc.

Film Literature Index
Print version:  1973-2004  Ref. PN1993.F647
Online Version:  1976-2001  Unfortunately, this online index does not have links so you will need to check the Library Catalog to see if we have the item indexed.  You can limit to "peer reviewed" (i.e., scholarly sources).

MLA Bibliography
usually thought of as an index to langauge and literature, MLA also indexes academic/scholarly books, chapters in books,  journals, and dissertations in the area of film.

New York Times Historical
Wonderful source for film reviews.  To make it easier to find a review be sure to restrict your search to the year in which the movie appeared (or perhaps the next year also). Covers 1851-2007.  For more recent years see the New York Times - Current.

History of Cinema.  Series 1.  Hollywood and the Production Code  Microfilm PN1995.62.H57 2006 (lower level of the library)
includes files for 500 films produced from 1927 to 1968.  "The core of the files is the correspondence between the studios or producers and the staffs of the PCA and the MPAA. Also included are confidential reports from state and national censor boards, copies of the official Production Code certificate letter, analysis sheets, song lyrics, wardrobe photographs, and articles and reviews from newspapers, magazines, and trade publications."  Click here for link to the guide to the collection--includes an introduction, a listing of what is on each reel, and an alphabetical listing of films included (with reel numbers).

Microfilm reader/printers are located on the wall near the microform cabinets.  Behind the circulation desk there is a reader connected to a computer where you can digitize (and then attach files to you e-mail) rather than print.  This is "free."  To print from microfilm you need your student ID with Spirit Cash--and charge is $.10 per print.  Links to instructions: CIN252 Reader scanner instructions without password.doc and for Cin252 Microfilm reader instructions.docx .

Film Review Annual  Ref. PN1995.F465    1981-2002 (covering films from 1980-2001)
excerpts of movie reviews (including Village Voice, Sight and Sound, Los Angeles Times, etc) and references to other reviews.

Magill's Cinema Annual  Ref. PN1993.3.M34   1982-2010 (covering films from 1981-2009)
review like essay/summary and credits, citations to reviews, quotes, trivia.  Also, each volume includes introduction summarizing the year.

Screen World  Ref. PN1993.3.D3   1949-2008, but we are MISSING 1960-1962, 1964-1968, 1970-1972.
lists cast and has many photographs from each year's movies.  U.S. films in one section, foreign films in another section.

Variety Film Reviews  Ref. PN1993. V6     1907-1980
arranged by date with reproductions of film reviews as they appeared in Variety.  Index volume is very useful since you need to know month, day, and year of review.

New York Times Film Reviews  Ref. PN1994.N4    1913-1984, 1993-2000
Not as important since we have the New York Times Historical [online], but the 1913-1968 index and indexes at the end of the later volumes can be very helpful.  Finding the "principal" review of a film in the online New York Times can sometimes be a challenge.

New York Times Encyclopedia of Film  Ref. PN1993.N465 1984    1896-1979
"reprint collection of facsimile articles that appeared in The New York Times."  Articles are arranged chronologically but there is an index.  Topics such as censorship are included!

International Movie Database (IMDb)--excellent source to discover release date for a film.  This information is quite helpful in finding the "principal" review in The New York Times.

Motion Picture Production Code - "The Production Code of the Motion Picture Industry (1930-1967)" A complex, multi-framed web site which tracks the changing language of the Production Code over time, and gives concise, summary examples of its application. It helps to read the directions for this site!

MLA Formatting and Style Guide From OWL--Perdue University

Writing an Annotated Bibliography From The Writer's Handbook, The University of Wisconsin--Madison.

Writing a Literature Review Example of a source grid, from OU's Writing Center, Sherry Wynn Perdue

Writing an Abstract  From CERIS

RefWorks - a reference management tool that allows you to create a personal database of references and automatically generate formatted bibliographies for your projects.

Stop by the Reference Desk--main floor across from the elevators. The library is now open 24 hours (until 2 AM Fri. & Sat.). There are reference librarians at the circulation desk during late night hours. They are happy to help you!

Call us--248-370-4426 reference or 248-370-4425 circulation

Request a Research Consultation--contact me by phone or email and we can schedule a 30 to an hour one-to-one research session. 

Chat with us--We can be reached via Instant Message as kresgeref on Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, AIM, or google talk any time the Reference Desk is staffed.