Libraries HomeENG 485 Course Research Guide--University of Oregon Libraries
Starting Research in Television Studies
Contact librarian: Elizabeth Peterson, emp@uoregon.edu, 541.346.3047.
Finding Background, Overviews & Terms
- Critical Dictionary of Film and Television Theory | KNIGHT REF PN1993.45 C75 2001
Explains the major theoretical approaches and definitions used in the study of screen media. Includes key terms and concepts, overview essays, and profiles of major influential people. [sample entry: situation comedy] - Encyclopedia of Television
Includes more than 1,000 original essays on specific programs and people, historic moments and trends, major policy disputes and such topics as violence, tabloid television and the quiz show scandal. It also includes histories of major television networks as well as broadcasting systems around the world. [sample entry: Comedy, Domestic Setting] - International Television (& Video) Almanac (1955-current) | KNIGHT PN1992.15 .I61; current edition is in Reference
Provides information about all aspects of the television industry, including profiles and credits for actors, writers, directors and producers, statistics about TV ownership, Nielsen ratings, and awards.[sample entry: Top-rated shows 1990-91, the Year in Review, statistics]
Finding Reviews, Schedules & Ratings
- Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946-present | KNIGHT REF PN 1992.3 .U5 B76 2007
A treasure-trove of information including prime-time TV schedules, top-rated programs by season, spin-offs, and substantial synopses of shows with cast credits. [sample entry: Cosby Show] - Broadcasting (1946-2009)
A television and radio industry trade journal that reported weekly Nielsen ratings. The ratings column was spotty before 1957, but became a regular feature thereafter. - TV Guide (1959-2003) | KNIGHT PN1992 .T8
Available in print: 1959-1966, 1991-2003; Available in microfilm: 1970-1990. [sample entry: Thursday night lineup c1992] - New York Times (1851-2007)
[sample entry: Cosby Show review]
- Communication & Mass Media Complete
An online database for finding articles about media. It is especially useful for information about the television and advertising industries. [sample entry: Nielsen ratings]
Finding Books
- UO Local Catalog | Search just the UO Libraries' holdings.
- UO WorldCat | Search the UO Libraries, the Summit system (Northwest libraries), and libraries worldwide. Use this system to request items not owned by UO Libraries.
Finding Social/Political/Historical Context
- American Popular Culture Through History series
- Chronology of World History | KNIGHT REF D11 .M39 1999
What else was happening in the world in the year your film was made--in politics, science, culture, daily life? This is one-stop shopping for bite-size contextual information.
- The Columbia Chronicles of American Life, 1910-1992 | KNIGHT REF E169 .1 .G664 1995
Finding Scholarly Criticism
Search tip: Use the FindText icon 
to locate complete articles in online databases or in paper in the library.
- Academic Search Premier An excellent multidisciplinary database, providing a mix of scholarly and popular sources. Useful for criticism, reviews, interviews, and industry information. [sample entry: Journal of Black Studies article]
- Communication & Mass Media Complete Especially useful for information about the TV and advertising industries. [sample entry: Howard Journal of Communications]
- FIAF: International Film Archive Database An index to film and television criticism and reviews from around the world. 1972- present.
- Film & Television Literature Index Includes scholarly criticism, reviews, celebrity profiles, and industry news. 1987-present [sample entry: Journal of Popular Culture]
