French

Most of the print books on the French language are classified with call numbers beginning with PC. Books on French literature are classed in PQ, works on French-Canadian literature are classed in the  PS9000s. These are all shelved on the 8th floor.

Keyword Searching in the Catalogue

Keyword searching can be very fruitful.

Search examples:

• shakespeare translation* french
• caribbean literature french
• litterature quebecoise
• petit chaperon rouge
• french-canadian literature
• african literature french

Browsing Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Catalogue

Browsing the Library of Congress subject headings index in the catalogue can be effective.
For critical works about specific authors, search by subject by the name in inverted order (last name first) with a subdivision such as Criticism and interpretation:

• Proust, Marcel,1871-1922--Criticism and interpretation
• Camus, Albert
• La Fontaine, Jean de

For critical works about a specific genre or period of literature, use the name of the genre etc. with the subdivision History and criticism:

• French literature--19th century--History and criticism
• Caribbean drama (French)--History and criticism
• Canadian poetry (French)
• Children's literature, French
• Women authors, French

Some topical subject headings 

• Translators--Biography
• Translating and interpreting
• Women translators

More Tips on Searching the TMU Library Catalogue

Most of the bibliographical descriptions and subject headings in the catalogue are created in the English language. Some bilingual items (English and French) MAY also have subject headings in the French language. Since we import catalogue records from many sources, there may be a few records for items including videos in French that have only subject headings and description in French.

For best, most comprehensive results, use the English language terms when searching subject headings.

When performing keyword searches, use whichever language seems most appropriate since titles and contents notes are often in French and uniform titles may be used for items that have been translated. You can perform keyword searches for phrases when placed inside quotation marks, as in "traduction de l'anglais" or "traduction par"

Getting More from E-books

Increasingly, the Toronto Metropolitan University Library is acquiring books in electronic only formats.  These can be found in the main library catalogue and when using the Search Everything box.  Many of the e-books have virtual call numbers so you can link on the call number field and see both print and electronic books.  This will give you a more accurate understanding of our collection than just browsing the printed books in the library stacks.

Many of the e-books that we have access to can also be found in Scholars Portal Books, along with large numbers of books published prior to 1922 that are presumed to be out of copyright, and other works created using a Creative Commons License that allows free access.

The Internet Archive has many more freely accessible books, videos and sound recordings. It is especially good valuable for works printed in English prior to 1923.  The Hathi Trust Digital Library is another large digitization initiative with a lot of books and magazines that are no longer protected by copyright.

Use to find brief background information.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries remain valuable sources of bio-bibliographical information and concise critical commentary on authors and types of literature. Consider keyword searches such as:

• french-canadian literature dictionaries
• french literature dictionaries
• caribbean literature encyclopedias
• quebecois dictionaries

Language Dictionaries

• French language--Dictionaries [using Library of Congress subject heading]
• Canadianisms (French)--Dictionaries
• Office québécois de la langue française -- Lexiques et vocabulaires

Language Dictionaries, Bilingual

From Oxford Reference:

Oxford Business French Dictionary: French-English

Oxford Business French Dictionary: English-French

Pocket Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary: French-English

Pocket Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary: English-French

TERMIUM Plus: The Government of Canada's Terminology and Linguistic Data Bank [you can toggle to the interface en français]
This site "gives you access to millions of terms in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. You can find terms, abbreviations, definitions and usage examples in a wide range of specialized fields. The data bank is an essential tool for understanding an acronym, checking an official title, finding an equivalent in another language, and much more."

Subsection: Glossaries and Vocabularies
Many of the glossaries, vocabularies, terminology bulletins and lexicons were once issued in print and are now online. Many are becoming increasingly dated.

From the Library Catalogue
Use Library of Congress Subject terms such as:

French language -- Dictionaries -- English 
English language-- Dictionaries -- French 

Try some keyword searches such as:

french language business

"terminology bulletin"

The Toronto Public Library has an excellent collection that supports the study of English literature. Many scholarly works are only available at the Toronto Reference Library located on Yonge Street one block north of Bloor Street. These items generally must be used in the library. Some material is part of the vast circulating collection. Online databases and books are becoming more common.

Literature Criticism Online covers contemporary and classical literature, drama and poetry as well as children's literature.
Literature Resource Center is a database that is also available through TMU.
A TPL account is required for log-in.  All members of the TMU Community are eligible for TPL borrowing privileges.