Research Guide to Folklore

The following is a selected list of resources for starting research in Folklore. For further assistance, contact Elizabeth Peterson, Literature Librarian, at emp@uoregon.edu.

Starting Your Research

These sources are good for quick identification and background on people, concepts, and terms. Folklore topics can be found in many different subject areas and therefore

your research should not be confined to those resources listed below.

There are several other folklore encyclopedias and dictionaries located in KNIGHT REFERENCE GR 35. 

• American Folklore : An Encyclopedia Also available in print: KNIGHT REFERENCE GR101 .A54
• Encyclopedia of Folklore and Literature | KNIGHT REFERENCE PN 41. E48
• Folklore, An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music and Art | KNIGHT REFERENCE GR 35 .F63
• Motif-Index of Folk-Literature: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folktales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends  |  KNIGHT GR67 .T52
• Mythology & Folklore: Oxford Reference Premium 

Finding Articles

Because folklore research is so interdisciplinary, you will probably have to explore databases from various different disciplines to answer your research questions. To see databases listed by subject area, go the Databases by Subject.

• MLA International Bibliography 

  Although primarily an index to literary criticism, this database includes citations to articles in folklore journals, which make

  it one of the best indexes for folklore journals. Also indexes many

  film journals.

• America: History and Life 

  Indexes and abstracts approximately 2,100 journals dealing with the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.

• Anthropology Plus 

  Indexes articles and essays in all areas of anthropology and archaeology. Indexes works published in English and other European languages from the 19th century to the present.

• Art Abstracts 

  Covers more than 400 leading art publications from around the world. Includes art history, city planning, crafts, computer graphics, folk art, graphic arts, sculpture, painting, and textiles.

• ATLA Religion Database 

  Contains citations from journals and books in the field of religion.

• Bibliography

  of Native North Americans 

  Contains citations to literature about native peoples of North America published from the sixteenth century to the present.

• Historical Abstracts 

  Indexes and abstracts approximately 2,100 publications, covering countries

  other than the United States and Canada. The timeframe is history from 1450 to the present.

• JSTOR

  A full-text database that contains the scanned images of hundreds of major research journals in a variety of academic disciplines, some of which began publication as early as the 1870s.

• Sociological

  Abstracts

   

  Provides access to the latest research in sociology and related disciplines

  in the social and behavioral sciences. It includes citations for articles in journals, conference

  papers, books, and dissertations.

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.

People & Organizations

• American Folklore Society

  Not-for-profit organization providing folklore research information including membership information, publications, upcoming events, conferences, jobs, internships, graduate and other degree programs, and related site links.

• The American Folklife Center

  A division of the Library of Congress, the American Folklife Center collects information and objects related to music, photographs, arts and crafts, personal histories, games, rituals and traditions, and other things that make up the diversity of American life.

Web Resources

• Select Internet Resources in Folklore.

  A list of resources from Indiana University-Bloomington Library.

• Folkstreams.net: The Best of American Folklore Films.

  Streaming video access to "a significant and growing collection of documentary films about folk culture in the United States.