Ohrstrom Blog » Religious Studies

New Reference Book: Encyclopedia of Women in Religious Art

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:56 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Encyclopedia of Women in Religious Art by Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Continuum Publishing Co., 1996.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 704.9424

A quick, specialized dictionary focused on images, roles and symbols related to women in religious art. Over 2,000 brief entries focus on the world’s major religions.

Examples include: Bestiary, Golden Legend, Saint Mary Magdalene, and Willow.

An appendix lists variant names of “historical and legendary” women (Contents, iii).

Helpful for: Humanities, Religious Studies, Women’s Studies, Humanities V Art Paper

New Reference Book: The Encyclopedia of Taoism

Lisa Laughy — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:48:11 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

The Encyclopedia of Taoism edited by Fabrizio Pregadio, Routledge, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 299.51 P91T

This 2-volume set describes the history, traditions and principles of Taoism. The encyclopedia is divided into 5 main thematic sections:

Overview – including entries related to: Scriptures and Texts, Deities and Spirits, Sacred Sites
The Taoist Universe – including entries related to: Doctrinal Notions, Transcendence and Immortality, Mountains and Mountain Monographs
History- including entries related to: Pre-Han and Han Background, Shangqing, Contemporary Taoism
Forms of Religious Practice and Experience – including entries related to: Meditation, Alchemy, Ritual
Taoism and Chinese Buddhism- including entries related to: Persons, Texts

Two additional, shorter, sections are included at the end of volume two: Miscellaneous Terms Related to Religious Ideas and Practices and Associations.

Helpful for: Chinese Studies, Religious Studies, Asian Studies, Humanities

World Collections Online: Expanding our Global Perspective

Lisa Laughy — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:51:57 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

The World Digital Library is a partnership between UNESCO and the U.S. Library of Congress. The site aims to provide free access to digitized treasures currently housed in libraries, museums & other institutions around the world.

Search by keyword or browse using different methods including: place, time or topic.

Europeana is collaboration between dozens of European institutions including: museums, libraries, archives and galleries. Currently housing 4 million items, the project aims to have 10 million items online in 2010.

Search for James Bond, Descartes, hippos or Alice in Wonderland. Searches may be further narrowed by item type including: texts, images, videos and sounds.

Helpful for: Humanities III, Humanities IV, Humanities V, Religious Studies, Art, Science, books, Primary Sources

New Reference Book: Handbook to Life in the Medieval World

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:00:16 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Handbook to Life in the Medieval World by Madeleine Pelner Cosman and Linda Gale Jones, Facts On File, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 909.07 F11H

Divided into twelve topics, this reference set presents daily life during medieval times. Topics are presented from the viewpoint of medieval Christians, Jews and Muslims.
A sampling of topics include: Warfare & Weapons (including an entry on Women’s Arms), Mysticism & Magic (including an entry on Alchemy), and Clothing, Costume & Textiles (including an entry on Fashionable Hats and Headgear).

Helpful for: Humanities, History, Religious & Social Studies.

New Reference Set: Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora

Lura Sanborn — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:00:22 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture edited by Carole Boyce Davies, ABC-Clio, 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 305.896 B69

From the introduction:

“The term African Diaspora refers to the dispersal of African peoples all over the world” (xxxiii).

Use this set to learn about the movement, forced and voluntary, of African people throughout several centuries.

Entries include: Afro-Cuban Literature; Feminism: Black Feminist Movement in the United States and Netherlands; East Indies: African Soldiers.

Helpful for: Humanities, History, Religious & Social Studies.

Reference Book Spotlight: Encyclopaedia Judaica

Lisa Laughy — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:06 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Encyclopaedia Judaica edited by Fred Skolnik, Thomson Gale, 2nd ed., 2007.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 296 Sk5

This revered set, first published in 1972, was recently updated and released in its second edition. Considered the standard reference material for Jewish history, culture and life, this new edition features updates to 11,000 entries as well as an additional 2,600 new entries.

A sampling of entries from its 22 volumes: Yom Kippur War, Copper Serpent, Holiness Code, Talmud – Musical Rendition, and Passover – Origin.

The original 1972 edition is still available, housed in the Faculty Lounge Library. Its English-language predecessor, Jewish Encyclopedia, (1906) is now in the public domain online HERE.

Helpful for: Humanities, Religious Studies, Women’s Studies, Jewish Studies

New Reference Book: Atlas of the World’s Religions

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:43:45 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Atlas of the World’s Religions, Second Edition edited by Ninian Smart & Frederick Denny, Oxford University Press, 2007.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 200 Sm2a

This visually arresting atlas provides an overview of the religious traditions of the world. Using maps, charts, and photos, The Atlas of the World’s Religions highlights all major world religions and geographical distributions of religious practices.

Three examples from its many entries: Ancient Palestine, Islam and European Christian Missions.

Three facts from its many offerings: In 2007 over 25,378,000 of the world population were Sikh (pg 15), 90% of those living in Bali practice Hindu (pg 19), in 1998 “20% of Australians claimed to be regular churchgoers” (pg 107).

Helpful for: Humanities, Religious Studies, Data hounds