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Theatre

Research resources for theatre courses offered at Jordan College of Fine Arts, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN.

Getting Started: Theatre

The Butler Libraries use the Library of Congress (LC) Classification System.  Unlike the Dewey Decimal System, the LC System is an alpha-numeric system, employing both letters and numbers.  Every LC call number begins with a letter or letters which designate the general subject of the material.  In the LC classcification system, theatre materials can be found in a variety of letter/number combinations.  Below are some of the most frequently used designations for theatre resources.

GT 500-GT 2289 Costumes -- History/Description PN 2131-PN 2145 Ancient Theatre History
GT 2290-GT 2341 Hair, cosmetics PN 2152-PN 2160 Medieval theatre history
GT 1747 Masks PN 2171-PN 2179 Renaissance theatre history
NA Architecture PN 2181-PN 2193 Modern theatre history
ND 2885 Scene painting PN 3035 The Jewish Theatre
NK 8802-NK8998 Textile arts PN 6110.5-PN6120 Play collections
PN 1600-PN 3307 Drama PR 621-PR 739 English literature-drama
PN 2068 Make-up PR 641-PR739 History of drama literature
PN 2091 .E4 Electric devices; stage lighting PS 330-PS 352 American literature-drama
PN 2091 .S8 Stage settings; scenery TS 545-TT850 Costumes -- Construction
PN 2061-PN 2071 Art of acting VIDEOS:
PN 2085-PN 2901 The stage and accessories PN 471-PR 5397 Various plays and videos relating to theatre
PN 2091 .S6 Sound effects

WorldCat Discovery

REMEMBER:  Use WorldCat Discovery to find:

  1. Books, (ebooks, print books)
  2. Media (Streaming video, DVDs, CDs, etc.)
  3. Magazine and journals articles

Be sure to use the limiters on the left-hand side of the screen to narrow down your results!

Also, REMEMBER: Work out some of your search strategy before going online! Think about your topic. Write down key terms, concepts, titles, and the names of key people whose thinking or work is relevant to your topic. Be sure to include synonyms of key terms and concepts. Also, consider important geographic locations and time periods (i.e., geographic and chronological limiters).

InterLibrary Loan (ILL)

If you find materials in WorldCat that Butler Libraries do not own, you can obtain these through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This is a service that enables Butler students to have access to library resources NOT OWNED by the Butler Libraries.  You make Interlibrary Loan requests directly from the catalog or a database by clicking the "Request" button.  If there is no request button, log on to your Library Account.

From your account you can:

  • submit requests (use the Requests tab)
  • check the status of your requests (under the Requests tab)
  • retrieve electronically delivered articles
  • request renewals for loaned items (in the Checkouts tab)

For all ILL questions contact Sarah Damery at 317-940-9677 or sdamery@butler.edu.

CONTACT

Email Butler University Libraries
Irwin Library: 317-940-9227
Science Library: 317-940-9937

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