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How do I...?

Find Plays

Option 1: Use Chinook, the CU Library catalog:

• Author search: type in the playwright's name (last name, first)
• Keyword search: type in words from the title of the play or screenplay
• Title search: type in the exact title of the play or screenplay, omitting initial articles ("a", "the", "le" etc.)

Option 2: Use Indexes and Databases

Use print indexes and online databases to find collections, anthologies or periodicals in which the play you need has been published. Search by title, author or subject of the play in the following selected indexes:

Online Databases :

• Humanities Abstracts/Full Text (1984 - present)

Print Indexes :

Title	Call No.	Location	Years Covered
Humanities Index	AI3 .H84	Ref. Dept. Index	1974 - present
Index to Plays in Periodicals	Z5781 .K43 1990	Ref. Dept. Stacks	1977 - 1987
Ottemiller's Index to Plays...	Z5781 .08 1988	Ref. Dept. Stacks	1900 - 1985
Play Index	Z5781 .P53	Ref. Dept. Stacks	1949 - 1992
Drama Scholar's Index to Plays...	Z5781 .S17	Ref. Dept. Stacks	Up to 1974
Primary Cinema Resources	Z5784 .M9 W5	Ref. Dept. Stacks	Up to 1975

 

Once you locate the collection, anthology or periodical that contains the play:

• To find the collection or anthology in which a play appears, do a Title search in Chinook for the exact title of the collection or anthology.
• To find the periodical in which a play appears, use the Periodical Title search option in Chinook.