Literature

All databases are accessible from non-Library computers except where noted.
Many resources accessible from home will require the use of a valid JPL Library Card.
For a printable list of our databases, click here.
Remote Access problems?
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Gale Books and Authors   Books and Authors (Gale)
Readers can use Books & Authors to enhance the experience of the book they are currently reading, digging deeper into its themes and origins, or learning how the author's life and times contributed to the work.
DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals
Freely accessible online journals, subject-specific archives and collections of material provide a valuable supplement of knowledge to existing published scientific information. Covering many subject areas and languages, DOAJ aims to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content.
Email Book Preview
Join our OnLine Book Clubs and start reading books in your email. Each day we’ll send you a 5-minute portion of a book. By the end of the week, you’ll have read 2-3 chapters. If you’d like to finish a book, stop by the library and pick up a copy. Every week we feature new books. Sign up today and start reading tomorrow.
EssayFinder
A unique database of full-text essays and discursive writing based on books published in the 20th century which have been analyzed in standard library indexes. The essays focus on the humanities and social sciences, and include biographies and literary criticism. Subjects include literature, history, economics, sociology, art and architecture, philosophy, psychology, science and drama.
Florida Navigator
Florida Navigator is dedicated to offering you access to the widest possible range of resources. You are now able to search our collection and the collections of many other libraries worldwide using WorldCat, the world's largest network of library-based content and services.
Literature Criticism Online (Gale)
This 10 award-winning Gale series comprises Literature Criticism Online covering centuries of critiques on authors and their works spanning all time periods, types of literature and regions. The collection includes the following titles: Children's Literature Review, Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Drama Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Shakespearean Criticism, Short Story Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.
Literature Resource Center
Access biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of more than 120,000 authors from every age and literary discipline. Scribner Writer's Series includes 15-20 page signed essays on more than 1,600 authors and literary genres drawn from 13 acclaimed Scribner print series. Twayne World, US, and English Authors each contains the full text of 200 frequently used Twayne Literary Masters books on individual World, US, or English authors, for a total of 600 full-text titles.
LitFinder
  • Poems This database is the largest, most comprehensive and most current available. It is international in scope, and covers poetry from antiquity to the present. It is a one-stop resource for locating over five million lines of poetry.
  • Stories: This collection has been carefully selected by Roth's Editorial Board to provide a representative, rich anthology of short stories. The stories have been chosen based on standard, library indexes and K12 curriculum lists from across the country. The database is constantly being updated and growing.
  • Essays: A unique database of full-text essays and discursive writing based on books published in the 20th century which have been analyzed in standard library indexes. The essays focus on the humanities and social sciences, and include biographies and literary criticism. Subjects include literature, history, economics, sociology, art and architecture, philosophy, psychology, science and drama.
  • Plays: Over 1,000 complete plays covering the range of dramatic expression: including one-act plays, puppet plays, Harlinquinades, tragedies, gothic, children's, religious, romantic, historical, children's and comedic plays. The collection includes many nationalities, all in English or English translations. Plays are analyzed for subjects, and also list all characters.
  • Speeches: From antiquity to modern times, these speeches represent the finest examples of recorded oratory. Speechmakers have commented on the milestones of history as well as the minutiae of everyday life. We are collecting the best and the best-known speeches of the past 2,500 years and categorizing them into easily searchable genres.
NetLibrary eBook Checkout   (Remote Access Available)*
The world's premier provider of electronic books (eBooks), netLibrary helps academic, public, corporate and special libraries create a richer, more productive learning environment for their patrons. Combines the time-honored traditions of the library system with electronic publishing and offers an easy-to-use information and retrieval system for accessing reference, scholarly, and professional books. Nearly 3,500 texts are available.

*NOTE: When using NetLibrary, click here for assistance.
NoveList: Your Guide to Fiction
Allows readers to search for best sellers or familiar authors, titles, plots, or subjects. Users can also look for books by descriptive terms appearing in subject headings, reviews, and browse theme-oriented booklists at every reading level. Web links to author sites or teacher resource materials available for some works.

*NOTE: For assistance with NoveList, please click here.
PlayFinder
Over 1,000 complete plays covering the range of dramatic expression: including one-act plays, puppet plays, Harlinquinades, tragedies, gothic, children's, religious, romantic, historical, children's and comedic plays. The collection includes many nationalities, all in English or English translations. Plays are analyzed for subjects, and also list all characters.
PoemFinder
This database is the largest, most comprehensive and most current available. It is international in scope, and covers poetry from antiquity to the present. It is a one-stop resource for locating over five million lines of poetry.
Short Story Finder
This collection has been carefully selected by Roth's Editorial Board to provide a representative, rich anthology of short stories. The stories have been chosen based on standard, library indexes and K12 curriculum lists from across the country. The database is constantly being updated and growing.
Short Story Index
The electronic version of the standard reference work Short Story Index. It is an index to short stories written in or translated into English that have appeared in collections and selected periodicals. The periodicals are those indexed in Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature and Humanities Index.
SpeechFinder
From antiquity to modern times, these speeches represent the finest examples of recorded oratory. Speechmakers have commented on the milestones of history as well as the minutiae of everyday life. We are collecting the best and the best-known speeches of the past 2,500 years and categorizing them into easily searchable genres.
WorldCat   (In-Library Use Only)
A resource whereby users can access the catalog information concerning millions of items in the online catalogs of thousands of libraries. Uses FirstSearch as an easy-to-use search method. Links indicate how many and which libraries possess copies of the items, the subject areas discussed, as well as excerpts or text for some materials.