Italian Language Resources at Belk
This page will help you find resources in Italian about the history and culture of the Italian-speaking world.
Quick Call Numbers
Here are the general locations of books about Italian language and culture. For more specific sources, use the Belk library catalog.
450s - Italian grammar and language
850s - Italian literature
945s - Italian history
914.5 - Geography and travel in Italy
306.0945 - Culture of Italy
709.45 - Italian art
791.430945 - Italian cinema
Italian/English Dictionaries
- Belk Library Italian dictionariesBelk Library has print dictionaries available in the reference collection on the 1st floor. They can not be checked out, but can be used in the library.
- Online dictionary at WordReferenceThe Concise Oxford Paravia Italian/English dictionary is now online on the WordReference site.
Books
Don't be afraid to use books! Often books contain chapters or essays relevant to your topic. Here are two great places to find books, in both Italian and English:
- Belk Library catalog advanced search to find materials by language.Enter your search terms, and then use the menu to limit the language to Italian. If you see something we don't own, use the "Request Item" button to borrow it from another library!
- Google BooksGoogle has digitized millions of books. Some of the older works are available for free. Unfortunately many books are not free, but sometimes a preview of the texts or the table of contents is available. This is the Italian version of Google Books, so search in Italian for best results.
Articles
Use these databases to find articles in scholarly journals, newspapers, and magazines.
Figuring out the best search terms is the most important step in finding the information that you need. Keyword searching allows you to combine terms for a more targeted, powerful search. Use "and", "or", and "not" to link your search terms.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowScholarly articles about literature and cultural topics. Limit to Italian by using the drop-down menu at the bottom of the screen.
- Linguistics Database This link opens in a new windowThis database includes full-text journals and other sources in linguistics, covering all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics.
- JSTORThousands of full-text articles on every topic. Use the check boxes to select the subjects you need - for example History, Language & Literature, Art & Art History, or Film Studies. Remember to include American Studies if looking for information on Italian Americans. You can limit by language using the drop-down menu.
- Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new windowAn index of humanities journals, including topics in literature, art, music, film, and other disciplines. You can go to Advanced Search to limit by language.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new windowScholarly articles about world history and culture from 1450 to the present day. Limit to French by using the drop-down menu at the bottom of the screen.
- Art Full Text This link opens in a new windowFull text plus abstracts and indexing of an international array of peer-selected publications and other non-Western art.
- Web of Science Citation indexIndex and abstracts to articles in the sciences, social sciences, and arts & humanities. After you do a search, you can limit the results by language using the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
- Google Scholar ItalianoA Google search that finds primarily scholarly sources. Links are provided to Elon's catalog and databases, as well as to the full-text if available. NOTE: your search terms must be in Italian!
- Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia liberaJust like the English version, but in Italian! You should use the same caution that you do with the original. Check with your professor to make sure this source is acceptable for your assignment.