The following resources will help you research background information on Beowulf.

 Print Resources

A Companion to Beowulf, by Ruth Johnston Staver (829.3 STA) A specialist in Old English language and literature, Staver offers some background and suggestions for students who are studying the Old English poem Beowulf in modern translation. She begins with a guide to choosing a translation, then discusses such aspects as the four parts of the poem, literary techniques, a timeline, language and poetry, religion, Anglo-Saxon culture, modern adaptations, and the Beowulfian world of J. R. R. Tolkien. Each chapter ends with a list of books for further study. The glossary identifies characters and explains how to pronounce their names.

Bunson, Matthew. Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. New York: Facts on File, Inc. 1995.

Cuddon, J. A. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. London; Penguin. 1999.

Dahmus, Joseph. Dictionary of Medieval Civilization. New York; Macmillan Publishing Company. 1984.

Jordan, William Chester, ed. The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1996.

Strayer, Joseph, R. Dictionary of the Middle Ages. New York; Charles Scribner's Sons. 1982.

 Databases

	Grolier Encyclopedia (Access from School) Offers a combined search feature of encyclopedias, magazines, websites and more. Grolier Offsite
	iCONN's Connecticut Digital Library Provides access to a wide variety of databases including AP Photo Archive, InfoTrack, Newspapers, eBooks and more. Note: When accessing from home, select a database, then enter the barcode number on the back of your public library card.
	LitFinder for Schools LitFinder for Schools includes full-text poetry, short stories, essays, plays, and speeches, including 126,500 poems, 5,000 short stories, 2,800 essays, 1,800 speeches, and 1,000 plays. Also includes biographies, work summaries, photographs, and a glossary.
	Student Resource Center Gold - Offers more than 1,100 full-text periodicals and newspapers, primary sources, creative works, and multimedia, including hours of video and audio clips and pod casts

 Websites

If you do not find what you're looking for in the above resources, try the search tips listed below.

  Internet Search Tips

1. Type the URL (web site address) of a search directory/engine in the address box: ex: www.yahoo.com, or www.google.com, etc.
    
2. (Be sure to type the address exactly the way you see it, including any uppercase letters and punctuation).
    
3. Type in keyword(s). (If your keyword has two parts such as: "Old English", be sure to put quotes around it so that the search engine only finds the Internet sites on old English as opposed to all of the sites containing the word Old plus all of the sites containing the word English.
    

4. If you would like to search for something specific about Old English, try a combined keyword search by adding a comma followed by a space and your other search term. For instance; if I wanted to find out about the origins of Old English,  I would enter the following:

   "Old English", origins,

   Hit Enter on your keyboard, or click on Search, then scan the description of the "hits" (entries) and click on the links that sound best.
    

5. Be sure to evaluate each Internet site for the following:
   • Authority: Can you tell if the author is credible (believable)?
   • Objectivity: Is the information objective (honest and free of bias)?
   • Currency: Is the information recent and up-to-date?
   • Design: Is the site designed in a clear and user friendly way?
   • Navigation: Is the site easy to navigate through, and are all links current and usable?

    

6. Remember: if you choose to use any information (text or graphics) found on an Internet source, 
   you must include it in your bibliography.

Remember:  YOU MUST CITE EVERY RESOURCE YOU USED to gather information on your 
Works Cited (Bibliography) page.  Use the Works Cited Guide to access MLA format.

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