Oxford LibGuides: German Language and Literature: Databases

Introduction

Databases contain large amounts of data including (but not limited to) statistics, bibliographic information, images and abstracts.

Bibliographic databases are a useful tool for finding scholarly literature in your subject area. This includes (but is not limited to) journal articles, conference proceedings and books. They are very useful to consult when carrying out your own research because:

they provide powerful search functionality
have citation tools
have thesauri
their content is selected by experts in your subject

Bibliographic databases are helpful when you want to start exploring beyond your reading list or are researching a new topic.

On this page you will find recommended databases and guidance on how to search for and access databases.

Definitions

Terms you may encounter in your research

Database:
A collection of structured and organised data that is stored, searched and accessed electronically.

Bibliographic database:
A searchable platform that contains descriptive records of articles, books, conference proceedings, audio-visual material, maps, newspapers, and more.

Abstracting service:
Used to refer to a bibliographic database, the service provides abstracts of publications.

Indexing service:
Used to refer to a bibliographic database, the service provides descriptors to help organise and navigate publications.

Full-text:
This means you can read the item in full from beginning to end, not just the abstract or summary.

Databases

Oxford subscribes to lots of databases you can use for free. You will likely find you need to use several databases for a thorough search of your subject area. The tabs at the top of this section take you to key databases for German Language and Literature and a link to browse all databases in German Language and Literature.

You can also search for specific databases via SOLO. Note, some key texts may be available via a database but not individually listed on SOLO.

Help with databases

For those seeking advice on accessing databases, we recommend the following guides:

Online and Remote Access
Information on accessing Bodleian Libraries content remotely.
University of Oxford E-resources Blog
The e-resources team use this blog to help keep you informed of news and changes in the world of ejournals and databases.

Below are key bibliographic databases applicable to those studying German Language and Literature at Oxford.

Access

Depending on the database provider, you may need to use your Oxford Single Sign On to access materials.

Arts & Humanities Citation Index (ISI)
Alternative name: Web of Science. Arts & Humanities Citation Index is a multidisciplinary index covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. It fully covers 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, and it indexes individually selected, relevant items from over 6,800 major science and social science journals.
Bibliographie der Deutschen Sprach und Literaturwissenschaft 1985-
Alternative name: BDSL

BDSL is the most important bibliographic resource for students of German. Everything acquired by the University of Frankfurt (which has special responsibility for this subject) relating to German Studies is included. However, primary literature is only included where the editorial content is of particular interest.
International Medieval Bibliography
Alternative name: IMB

The International Medieval Bibliograpy (IMB) database comprises records deriving from articles published in periodicals (journals) and in miscellany volumes (conference proceedings, collected essays, Festschriften and exhibition catalogues) published world-wide. It can be searched as part of Brepolis Medieval and Early Modern Bibliographies.
All subjects relating to the Middle Ages are included, within the date range 300-1500 AD. Geographical areas covered are Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Please note that we only have a three user licence for this title so please exit when you have finished!
MLA International Bibliography (EBSCO)
Produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the MLA International Bibliography is the definitive index for the study of language, literature, linguistics, rhetoric and composition, folklore, and film, covering scholarly publications from the early 20th century to the present. International in scope, it includes citations to journal articles, books, articles in books, series, translations, scholarly editions, websites, and dissertations. It has more than 3 million records and is constantly updated by scholars in the field. The database also includes the MLA Directory of Periodicals and the MLA Thesaurus, a proprietary, searchable collection of thousands of subject terms, and personal names used in indexing the bibliography.

Below are key databases applicable to those studying German Language and Literature at Oxford that provide resources beyond simply bibliographic data.

Access

Depending on the database provider, you may need to use your Oxford Single Sign On to access materials.

Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek
Alternative name: German Digital Library
The DDB provides access to the digitised cultural and scientific heritage of Germany. Drawing on the holdings and collections of German archives, libraries, museums, institutions for the preservation of historical monuments and research institutions, digitised books, music, works of art, films, photographs, documents, manuscripts and much more can be search and read. Millions of objects from all cultural sectors and all genres are searchable.
Deutsche Literatur des 18. Jahrhunderts Online
Alternative name: 18th Century German Literature Online: First Editions and Complete Editions from Early to Late Enlightenment

A high quality research database for students, post-graduate researchers, professors and scholars of German studies, Linguistics, and History, which provides new impulse for research work on language, literature, edition history and social history.
Deutsche Lyrik, Die
Alternative name: German Lyrik Poetry
Die Deutsche Lyrik in Reclams Universal-Bibliothek covers almost 500 years of German lyric poetry and includes the work of over 500 authors from the 15th to the 20th century. Published with the co-operation and support of Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart, it contains the complete text of each poem, including material such as dedications and authorial notes which are an essential part of the original volumes. Publisher's prefaces and epilogues, introductions, editorial notes, biographies, glossaries and indices are not usually included.
KLG – Kritisches Lexikon zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur
Alternative name: KLG

The Kritisches Lexikon zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur (KLG) is a major resource which provides frequently updated biographical and bibliographical information on more than 700 post-1945 German authors.
Literarische Expressionismus Online
Alternative names: German literary expressionism online ; Der literarische Expressionismus Online

Literarische Expressionismus Online provides online access to 151 journals, yearbooks, collections and anthologies of the early 20th century (1910-1930) with almost 79,000 full text pages. Important not only for German literature but also a wide range of subjects including art, film, history, music, politics and theology.

To browse a list of databases for German Language and Literature, follow the links below. The first takes you through to Databases A-Z, while the others take you to externally hosted subject portals.

German Language and Literature databases on Databases A-Z

Germanistik in Netz information portal
A searchable listing of databases and online resources relating to the study of German, maintained by the Fachinformationsdienst (FID) Germanistik at the Johann Christian Senckenberg University Library in Frankfurt.
Mediaevum Old Germanic portal
This portal for the study of Old Germanic languages, Middle High German, Early New High German contains links to many resources including manuscripts, literature in full text, dictionaries and text corpora.

Recommend a database

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