Collections

Information about:

• Books
• Electronic journals
• Printed journals
• Databases
• Exam papers
• Theses
• Videos and DVDs
• Microforms
• Special Collections
• The classification scheme used at the Arts and Social Sciences Library

Books

The majority of the English Language and Literature collections can be found on the second floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library, at the classmark ranges shown in the table below.

Subject	Classmark range
American literature	PS
English language	PE
English literature	PR

Books about related subjects can be found at the following locations in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Subject	Classmark range	Location
Bibliographies of specific subjects	Z	Second floor
Cinema and film studies	PN1993 - PN1999	Second floor
Classics and Ancient History	PA-PANX	Second floor
History	D-F	First floor
History: British	DA	First floor
History of art	N-NX	Second floor
Literary theory and criticism	PN	Second floor
Music	M-MT	Second floor
Philosophy	B-BD; BH-BJ	Second floor
Psychology	BF	First floor
Theatre	PN2000 - PN3307	Second floor
Theology	BL-BX	Second floor

• Use the library's online catalogue to find a particular item.

• Note that some of our holdings published before 1978 have not yet been added to the online catalogue. If you cannot find a pre - 1978 publication on the online catalogue, please use our Card Catalogue Online, which has replaced our paper-based card catalogue.

• Owing to their size, some books in the English collections are prefixed "Oversize", "Folio" or "Pamphlet". These are kept in separate locations on the relevant floor.

• A small number of books and journal articles are kept in the Short Loan Collection on the ground floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library. Books in this collection have an item status of "SLC", while the location for journal articles in the collection is "Issue desk".

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Electronic journals

Search our electronic journals catalogue for access to the majority of full text online journals for English. Note that some electronic journals for English are accessible via Literature Online. The electronic journals page has a link to these journals (click on the Literature Online link for details).

How do I find an electronic journal article? (MS Word file, 290 KB)

Printed journals

Journal runs can be found at the following locations in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Subject	Classmark range	Location
American literature	Serial PS	Second floor
Bibliography	Serial Z	Second floor
Cinema and film studies	Serial PN	Second floor
Drama	Serial PN	Second floor
English language	Serial PE	Second floor
English literature	Serial PR	Second floor
History	Serial D-F	First floor
History: British	Serial DA	First floor
History of art	Serial N	Second floor
Literary theory	Serial PN	Second floor
Music	Serial M-MT	Second floor
Philosophy	Serial B-BD; BH-BJ	Second floor
Psychology	Serial BF	First floor
Theology	Serial BL-BX	Second floor

Please note that the most up to date issues of journals are located in the Current Serials Collections. These are located on the first or second floors of the Arts and Social Sciences Library, as outlined on the table above.

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Databases

The library subscribes to a wide range of databases, some of which provide full text access to literary works and journals, and others which enable you to search for criticism relating to literature. Further information is provided on the English databases page.

Exam papers

Past papers set by the Department of English can be found on the first floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library, on the shelves next to the pamphlet collection.

Theses

This collection consists of postgraduate dissertations and theses written by former University of Bristol students. They have a classmark prefix of "Thesis". Please ask a member of library staff if you would like to consult a thesis, as it is probably under lock and key.

• The British Library has introduced a new thesis downloading service, ETHoS, where it is possible to get many UK theses delivered to your desktop.

Videos and DVDs

These are located on the second floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library, and have a classmark prefix of "Video" or "DVD". Some are for reference only: viewing facilities are available in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Microforms

The Arts and Social Sciences Library holds microfiche and microfilm collections covering a range of subjects. These are located on the first and second floors, depending on the subject matter they cover. Microform reader-printers are located on the first floor; microform readers are located on the second floor.

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Special Collections

Rare and valuable library collections can be found in our Special Collections Department in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

The classification scheme used at the Arts and Social Sciences Library

Printed materials are arranged in the Arts and Social Sciences Library using the Library of Congress Classification scheme.

See our Library collections and eResources pages for details of our more general resources & collections, including electronic journals, electronic books and databases.

Information about opening hours, borrowing limits, fines at the ASSL

Information about other branches

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