Building a (Big) Biblical Bibliography
If you have been asked by a professor (of Bible) to build a bibliography of 40 sources or more, ... this guide is for you. You will find below an annotated list of the most helpful resources you can utilize while at FHU for locating book, essay, or article material for your bibliography. In other words, this guide will help you find out what material exists on your topic. Getting your hands on material is a different 'story.' It may require you to use the Inter-library loan services of the FHU library. Ask a librarian for details.
Locating BOOKS on your topic:
Finding out what English-language books exist on your topic will require you to utilize online catalogs of various kinds. The resources listed below are not necessarily ranked in order of importance. Ideally, they'll all be used hand-in-hand.
Union Theological Seminary's ONLINE LIBRARY CATALOG.
The UTS library collection is the largest theological collection in America, which means there's a good chance they'll have most (if not all) of the significant works on the theological or biblical topic of your choice. From their library page, choose the Catalog (CLIO) option for searching.
Pitts Theology Library of Emory University: EUCLID LIBRARY CATALOG.
The EUCLID catalog will give you quick and easy access to the second largest theological collection in the country. With Pitts, you may be able to fill in any small gaps in the UTS collection. From their library page, choose the EUCLID option for searching the catalog.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's ONLINE LIBRARY CATALOG.
The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary library (Ft. Worth, Texas) is one of the largest evangelical collections in the country. Therefore, the SBTS library may serve as an evangelical (i.e., more conservative) supplement to the holdings of the two library's listed above. In other words, a significant evangelical work may be held by SBTS, but not by Union or Pitts.
The Library of Congress ONLINE CATALOGS.
You name the subject, and the Library of Congress will likely have a listing for (almost) every book published in the United States. Not being a specialized collection (e.g., theological collection)...the Library of Congress should not be one's only choice for catalog searching. For example, the LOC may not have English-language material published outside of the U.S., and it may not have copies of lesser-known material from U.S. publishers.
The Harding University Graduate School of Religion ONLINE CATALOG.
HUGSR boasts the largest theological collection among schools affiliated with Churches of Christ. Their holdings may provide supplemental material (produced by Churches of Christ authors) that is unavailable at any of the above libraries. The Graduate School's resources are searchable via Harding University's online catalog--which means you'll be searching two library collections: Harding University's (in Searcy, AR) and the Graduate School of Religion's (in Memphis).
Google Book Search books.google.com
Search the full contents of thousands of new & relatively new book titles with this free Google resource. Use a couple (or more) carefully chosen terms to do your searching. The benefit of using Google is uncovering pages or chapters on your topic that the average library catalog cannot. Helpful hint: Those who have a free e-mail account with Google's GMail service can log into the Book Search program and receive a more generous peek at the full-text of these online books.
Locating ARTICLES or ESSAYS on your topic:
Finding out what English-language articles or essays exist on your topic will require you to utilize at least two of the library's fee-based electronic resources--along with some standard print resources. The resources listed below are not necessarily ranked in order of importance. Ideally, they'll all be used hand-in-hand.
ATLA (American Theological Library Association) Religion Database
Available through the Bible / Religion section of the library's Journals & Websites directory. Mostly citations...a small percentage of full-text material. ATLA will provide you with indexing of journal articles, essay material, and book reviews.
Religious and Theological Abstracts
Available through the Bible / Religion section of the library's Journals & Websites directory. R&TA boasts a higher percentage of scholarly material than ATLA, and provides access to over 50 periodicals not currently covered by ATLA.
JSTOR
Available through the Bible / Religion section of the library's Journals & Websites directory. JSTOR provides you with full-text access to both new and much older scholarly material in Religion. The Advanced Search option is the most helpful for locating material on a narrow topic.
Restoration Serials Index
Available through the Bible / Religion section of the library's Journals & Websites directory. RSI (hosted by Abilene Christian University) provides indexing for a fairly narrow portion of religious periodical literature: those produced by groups or persons affiliated with Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, or the Disciples of Christ. While the content covered by RSI tends to be for a general readership (i.e., popular), it is the only resource in this list that will give the user access into the bulk of material from Restoration circles.
Locating DISSERTATIONS, THESES, or CONFERENCE PAPERS on your topic:
You will naturally "stumble" across various dissertations or theses as you browse the catalogs of the nation's biggest libraries. However, what you find below is an option for searching specifically for these hard to find resources. It will also provide you with options for obtaining them--often at reasonable prices. Keep in mind that your efforts will often be greatly rewarded through the lengthy bibliographies found in the typical dissertation or thesis.
TREN (Theological Resource Exchange Network)
With TREN you will be able to search over 10,000 theological thesis/dissertation titles representing research from as many as 70 different academic institutions. Formats for ordering include paper, microfiche, and CD-ROM options. Typically, at least one of the options will be priced below $10. Conference papers for meetings such as the Evangelical Theological Society are also easily obtained.
Locating material with Published Bibliographies:
Published Bibliographies deserve a section of their own. They are not like any other tool listed above. Occasionally a scholar in the field of biblical studies will take on the task of listing (in book form) virtually all of the significant journal literature, book material, or essays on a particular topic or portion of scripture (e.g., the Samaritans, Pauline letters, the New Testament, or the city of Ephesus). While these resources become quickly dated, they are ideal for uncovering materials not currently included in the online databases, such as ATLA.
Please Note: Not included in the list below are the many monographs, commentaries, or reference tools you'll be using that contain their own bibliographies which may be as helpful (if not more so) than the works listed in this section.
The list below includes some examples found on the shelves of the FHU library (including call numbers)...and those available in libraries nearby.
FHU items:
Index to Periodical Literature on Christ and the Gospels (Call number: REF Z 7772 .M1 M4) )
Index to Periodical Literature on the Apostle Paul (Call number: REF 8665.45 .M4 1960)
The Holy Spirit: A Bibliography (Call number: REF Z 7799.3 .M55 1988)
Bibliographies for Biblical Research: Colossians (Call number: REF Z 7772 .L1 B4 1999)
An Exegetical Bibliography of the New Testament: Matthew and Mark (Call number: REF Z 7772 .L1 W34 1983)
An Exegetical Bibliography of the New Testament: Luke and Acts (Call number: REF Z 7772 .L1 W34 1983 v. 2)
An Exegetical Bibliography of the New Testament: John and 1,2,3 John (Call number: REF Z 7772 .L1 W34 1983 v. 3)
A Classified Bibliography of Literature on the Acts of the Apostles (Call number: REF Z 7772 .N1 M3 1966)