Reference works are an excellent place to begin a research project. They can help you get background information on an author or genre of literature and often supply bibliographies of primary and secondary texts associated with the author or genre.

Literature Resource Center is an excellent resource for locating biographies of major authors, critical works on these authors, or works on specific genres of literature. The database includes full text.

The Libraries' online Databases by Title and Subject can help you find reference sources, both subscription and free.

Reference works, including print ones, can be identified via OneSearch. For example, to search for a dictionary of Latin American literature, try the following as subject searches:

• latin american literature Encyclopedias
• spanish literature dictionaries

When less material is available on a given subject, try a broader subject search:

• hispanic american literature
• chilean literature

These volumes offer short, critical summaries.