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Appalachian Studies Research Guide

• Books
• Bibliographies
• Articles
• Web Resources
• West Virginia Resources
• Archives
• Centers

Each life is dirt and time and rhyme and stone.

--Jesse Stuart, Man with A Bull-Tongue Plow (1934), Sonnet #678

This online guide is developed specifically for those doing research on the history and culture of the Appalachian region. It provides a recommended list of print materials, electronic databases, and selected Internet resources.

Because Appalachian studies interact with many disciplines such as history, psychology, philosophy, and sociology, you may need to consult resources in those fields also.

For more extensive research help, contact Christine Lewis, Collection Development Librarian, at 696-4356 or Kathleen Bledsoe, Special Collections Librarian, at 696-3174.
Faculty Subject Expert: Dr. Chris Green , English Department, 696-6269.

Books

Use the online catalog MILES to locate books in the Marshall University libraries. The following Library of Congress Subject Headings are examples of terms that can be used with the Basic Search by Subject Heading to locate books in the Marshall University libraries:

• Appalachian Region
• Appalachian Region, Southern
• Appalachian Mountains, Southern
• Mountain Life
• Mountain Whites (Southern States)

For additional, useful subject headings for your topic, consult the following listings, available in the Reference Collection: Library of Congress Subject Headings (Reference Desk)

Because Appalachian studies crosses many disciplines, there is no one call number area where you can find all of the books on the topic.

The Appalachian Fiction Collection is located in the Reading Room on the second floor of Drinko Library. It contains books published after 1926. Browse this collection to find fiction, poetry, memoirs, and children's literature about Appalachia. Special Collections, located in Morrow Library, has a wealth of oral histories, manuscipts, photographs, fiction and non-fiction books, and other items on West Virginia and Appalachia. Those items are too numerous to be included here; however, they can be found by searching the library catalog.

For books at other libraries, search other Library catalogs over the Web. Books not owned by Marshall University Libraries may be ordered from other libraries using the (Information Delivery Services (IDS).

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Bibliographies

The “Selected Bibliography of Scholarship on Appalachia” is the best way to located definitive sources, but it leaves out most materials. See also materials under “Periodical Sources”(below), which do include book references.

General Bibliographies

• A Bibliography of Materials Relating to the Appalachian South. Way, Phillip S. Berea, KY : Council of the Southern Mountains, Inc., [1963?]
  (MU Special Collections) 016.974 W357b
• Bibliography of Southern Appalachia. Ed. Charlotte T. Ross. Boone, N.C.: Appalachian Consortium, 1976.
  (MU Special Collections)/WV COLLECTION 016.975 B582
• A Selected Bibliography of Scholarship on Appalachia. Tedesco, Marie. Appalachian Studies Association. 15 September 2004. This bibliography is the best available overview of materials for Appalachian Studies. Books only.
  http://www.appalachianstudies.org/resources/bibliographies/index.php
• Selected Bibliography. Higgs, Robert J., Ambrose N. Manning, and Jim Wayne Miller, eds. Appalachia Inside Out. Vol 2. Knoxville: U of Tennessee P, 1995. 743-753.
  (MU Special Collections)/WV COLLECTION 810.8 A6458
• The Southern Appalachians: a Bibliography and Guide to Studies. (Note: this bibliography is included in Bibliography of Southern Appalachia.) Munn, Robert F. Morgantown : West Virginia University Library, 1961.
  (MU Special Collections) 016.9755 M966s

Appalachian Bibliographies: Periodicals

To assist you in researching an Appalachian regional topic, librarians have compiled an important index, The Appalachian Bibliography.

• The Appalachian Bibliography. Morgantown, WV: WVU, 1980.
  (MU Special Collections) (no call #, ask librarian)
  This volume, published in 1980, lists more than 8000 citations to books, journal articles, and documents, is subject-indexed and contains descriptive annotations.
• Appalachian Outlook(MU Special Collections Periodicals)
  A yearly bibliography of scholarship and articles on Appalachia. 1982-2003. Supplements The Appalachian Bibliography, covering the years 1980-2002.
• Appalachian Studies Bibliography: 1994-2002. (http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/bibliography/index.htm) “Annual Bibliography.” The bibliography is updated yearly with The Journal of Appalachian Studies. The first issue of each volume compiles a comprehensive bibliography for Appalachian Studies.

Specialized Bibliographies

• Annotated Bibliography on Appalachian English. Institute of Ulster-Scots Studies. Virginia Tech. 20 May 2002.
  http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/IUSSUS/AppEngBibliography.html
• Appalachian Authors: a Selective Bibliography. Caskey, Jefferson D. West Cornwall, CT : Locust Hill Press, 1990.
  (MU Special Collections) Z1251.A7 C37 1990
• Appalachian Collection, Research Aids. Appalachian State University. While tailored to their collection, this site provides excellent specialized bibliographies on 50+ eclectic subjects. Of direct interest might be “Protest Songs in Appalachian Coal fields” or “Women Activism Towards Labor Equality in the Coal Fields of Central Appalachia, 1964-1989.”
  http://www.library.appstate.edu/appcoll/research_aids/index.html
• Appalachian Regional Commission Archives. Black, Kate. Lexington, Ky: Division of Special Collections and Archives, University of Kentucky Libraries, 1990.
  (MU Special Collections) 015.74 A646, 1990
• Appalachian Women: An Annotated Bibliography. Farr, Sidney Saylor, Lexington, Ky. : University Press of Kentucky, 1981.
  (MU Special Collections) 016.301412 F24a, 1981
• Bibliography of Theses and Dissertation Pertaining to Southern Appalachian Literature: 1912-1991. Collet, Dexter. Berea, KY: Appalachian Imprints, 1994.
  (Owned by Dr. Green)
• The Literature of the Appalachian South.Brosi, George. Richmond, Ky.: Eastern Kentucky University, 1992. This is the strong introduction to 20th century Appalachian fiction.
  (MU Special Collections) 810.9 B874L
• Like a Weaving: References and Resources on Black Appalachians.Cabbell, Edward J. Princeton, W. Va.: John Henry Memorial Foundation, [1984?].
  (MU Special Collections) 016.974 C113L
• Selected Readings on Appalachian Migration and Urban Appalachians. Obermiller, Phillip J. Urban Appalachian Council.
  http://uacvoice.org/bibliography.html
• United States Local Histories in Library of Congress: A Bibliography.West Virginia in Vol. 2. 1976.
  (MU Special Collections) 016.973 U58u

Web Bibliographies

• Appalachian Literature: Online Resources. Taylor, Robert. Bucknell University.
  http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/rtaylor/courses/213links.html
• Appalachian Studies: Web Resources. Brown, Jo B. West Virginia University.
  http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/appalachian/web.htm
• Appalachian Treasures Gateways. Ohio University, Zanesville. Varied and eclectic web sources.
  http://www.zanesville.ohiou.edu/library/appalachia/
• Digital Archives. Center for Virtual Appalachia. Morehead State University.
  http://cva.morehead-st.edu/category.php?cat=139

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Articles

The online databases and indexes listed below will provide references to articles (or in some cases full-text articles) in a wide range of periodicals, from news magazines and newspapers to scholarly and professional journals. If you have questions about choosing or using a database or index, please consult a librarian.

Full-Text Databases

• Academic Search Premier - EBSCOhost
  The worlds largest academic multi-disciplinary database. Full text articles for nearly 4,650 publications, including more than 3,600 peer-reviewed journals. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles. Coverage: 1975 - current
  

Hint: Academic Search Premier is a good first step to begin searching for articles and book reviews, and you should start there. Remember, articles that can't be printed as full-text or image may be available elsewhere in the Library. Check Journals Search for library holdings.

• Academic (LexisNexis) - LexisNexis
  Full-text articles and documents from over 5,900 news, business, legal, medical, and reference publications. News sources include newspapers, wire services, and more. Legal sources include U.S. Federal and state case law, codes, regulations, legal news, law reviews, international, and Shepards Citations for all U.S. Supreme Court cases back to 1789. Coverage: varies
  
• MasterFILE Premier - EBSCOhost
  Designed specifically for public libraries, this multidisciplinary database provides full text for more than 2,050 general reference publications, more than 350 full text reference books, 84,606 biographies, 88,463 primary source documents, and an image collection of 107,135 photos, maps and flags. (Courtesy of the WV Library Commission) Coverage: As far back as 1975.
  
• WorldCat - FirstSearch, WorldCat (open access)
  Huge catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide. Contains millions of bibliographic records representing 400 languages. Coverage: Before 1000 BC to present
  

Indexes & Bibliographic Databases

These databases and indexes will provide citation information (author, article title, periodical name, volume & issue, date) and some full-text for articles, essays, book chapters, dissertations, and other materials, which may be found in the MU Libraries by searching the library catalog or ordered from another library using the Information Delivery Services (IDS) if the items are not owned by MU Libraries.

• America: History & Life - EBSCOhost
  Over 231,000 journal articles, more than 107,000 book and media reviews, and over 41,500 dissertations on the history and culture of the United States and Canada. Coverage: Periodicals dating from 1954
  
• Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management - CSA
  Abstracts and citations in the environmental sciences from thousands of scientific journals, conference proceedings, reports, monographs, books and government publications. Coverage: 1967 to present
  
• ERIC - EBSCOhost, CSA , U.S. Dept. of Education
  ERIC, the Educational Resource Information Center database, contains indexing and abstracts from hundreds of education and education-related journals and from thousands of educational research and technical reports. Selected full text articles are available for thousands of ERIC digest records.
  
  The ERIC Documents microfiche collection is now stored at the Media Desk, 2nd floor of the Drinko Library. The MUGC library no longer houses ERIC microfiche. Coverage: 1966 to present
  
• Social Services Abstracts - CSA
  Abstracts and indexes to over 1,406 serials publications on social work, human services, and related areas. Includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations, and citations to book reviews. Coverage: 1980 to current
  
• Sociological Abstracts - CSA
  Provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers, and citations to international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Coverage: 1963 to current
  

Does the Library Have Your Article?

Once you have a citation for your article:

1. Try Journals Search

   Look up the title of the journal or magazine that your article appeared in. If the periodical shows up on the list, follow the link to the article database that contains it or find the copy in the library.

2. If you need a book the library doesn't own, you can request a copy through E-Z Borrow. In addition, you can request articles and books through Information Delivery Services. Most articles are delivered over the web at no charge; paper copies are .10 a page.

Periodicals & Indexes

• Y 3.AP 4/2:9-2/Appalachia: Journal of the Appalachian Regional Commission (Marshall University, MU Special Collections and Government Collections)
• Appalachian Heritage: A Literary Quarterly of the Appalachian South (Marshall University, SPEC COLL/WV COLLECTION)
  “Indexes to Appalachian Heritage Magazine” prepared by Berea College available at http://www.berea.edu/appalachianheritage/indexes/default.html
• PR1 .E4 Appalachian Journal (Marshall University, SPEC COLL/WV COLLECTION)
  • INDEX I. Volume 7 No. 4. (Summer 1980) CONTENTS: Complete name and subject Index to Volumes 1 through 7 of the Appalachian Journal (1972-80)
  • INDEX II. Volume 18 No. 4. (Summer 1991) CONTENTS: Complete subject index to volumes 8-18, 1980-1991.
  • INDEX III. Volume 23 No. 4. (Summer 1996) CONTENTS: Complete subject index to volumes 19-23, 1991-1996.
  • INDEX IV. Volume 28 No. 4 (Summer 2001) CONTENTS: Complete subject index to volumes 24-28, 1996-2001.
• Goldenseal (Marshall, SPEC COLL)
  Goldenseal is dedicated to documenting West Virginian culture and history. While not a scholarly journal, it publishes many essential articles. Selected articles are available from their website at http://www.wvculture.org/goldenseal/. An index is available at http://www.wvculture.org/goldenseal/gsindex.html.
• Journal of Appalachian Studies “Contents by Issue”available
• Mountain Life and Work (MEDIA Desk, Microfilm v.1-64, Apr. 1925-1988)
  Also accessible from E-Text Collection, Kentuckiana Digital Library. Among other essential Appalachian texts, this database has the full run of Mountain Life and Work, searchable by article and available via PDF.
• Now and Then Magazine: The Appalachian Magazine (Marshall University, Special Collections)
  Also accessible from http://cass.etsu.edu/n&t/index.htm.
• West Virginia History (A key journal with many articles available on-line)
  Accessible from http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/journal_toc.html.

• West Virginia Periodical Index 1980-1993 Critical source for WV publications such as Goldenseal, West Virginia history, Wonderful West Virginia.
  (MU Special Collections, Reading Room)

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Web Resources

Websites: Activists (Cultural and Political)

• Appalachia: Spirit Triumphant
  http://www.appalachianpower.com/
  

  Run by B. L. Dotson-Lewis; sponsored by 21st Century Nicholas County Board of Education. “A site devoted to understanding Appalachian culture and values and passing on the heritage to the students of today. The site has numerous first-person interviews with the Scots-Irish settlers and other immigrants who have struggled through coal mine tragedies, union wars, floods, and industrialization and de-industrialization to help form the modern Appalachia. It has prescriptions for reform, celebrations of things that are worth preserving in the modern world, and paints a unique portrait of mountain people in their own words.”

• Appalshop
  http://www.appalshop.org/
  

  “Appalshop is a multi-disciplinary arts and education center producing original films, video, theater, music and spoken-word recordings, radio, photography, multimedia, and books in the heart of Appalachia. Appalshop's education and training programs support communities' efforts to solve their own problems in a just and equitable way. Each year, Appalshop productions and services reach several million people nationally and internationally."

• Coal Field Communities of Southern West Virginia
  http://www.citizenscoalcouncil.org/
  

  This site is a book in process by the national reporter Penny Loeb. http://www.wvcoalfield.com/ The Citizens Coal Council “is a federation of 48 grassroots citizens groups and individuals who work for social and environmental justice. The Citizens Coal Council and its members strive to: Protect people, homes, water, communities, and the environment from coal mining damage; Restore law and order by enforcing the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act; Help each other win our issues.”

• Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
  http://www.ohvec.org/
  

  “The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, formed in 1987, is a nonprofit organization. Our mission is to organize and maintain a diverse grassroots organization dedicated to the improvement and preservation of the environment through education, grassroots organizing and coalition building, leadership development and media outreach. Our work encompasses much of West Virginia and portions of southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky.”

• West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
  http://www.wvhighlands.org/
  

  “Formed in 1967 to preserve the natural beauty of the West Virginia Highlands, the Conservancy is the state's oldest environmental advocacy organization. The WVHC has been instrumental in creation of the Monongahela National Forest Wilderness areas and in preventing the destruction of Canaan Valley. The Conservancy is currently campaigning for additional National Forest Wilderness in West Virginia and participating in the current and crucial Mon Forest replanning.” See site for the magazine Highlands Voice.

Websites: Appalachian Authors

• App Lit. Ferrum College. Tina Hanlan and Judy Teaford. “Resources for Readers and Teachers of Appalachian Literature for Children and Young Adults.”
  http://www.ferrum.edu/applit/
• English 3462: Appalachian Literature. Jerry Moon. This site is a wonderful overview of a wide range of Appalachian authors. Though designed as a course, it still provides a valuable orientation.
  http://athena.english.vt.edu/~appalach/main/contents.htm
• Kentucky Lit. “This site is devoted to the study of both native Kentucky writers and those who have chosen Kentucky as their home. It is a collaborative effort, started by one dedicated class and their teacher, and now maintained by the English Department at Eastern Kentucky University.”
  http://www.arh.eku.edu/Eng/SERVICES/KYLIT/Default.htm
• Literary Map of West Virginia
  http://www.fscwv.edu/wvfolklife/literary_map/index.shtml
• Mountain Lit: West Virginia Authors.
  http://www.mountainlit.com/

Websites: Federal Government

• The Appalachian Regional Commission
  http://www.arc.gov
  Although dedicated to economic growth rather than historical study, this site holds valuable information on Appalachian counties as well as in-depth research papers on select topics such as education or health care.
  • Regional Data: http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=56
  • Research Reports: http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=57
  • Maps: http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=58
• Mine Safety and Health Administration: U. S. Department of Labor
  http://www.msha.gov/

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West Virginia Resources

• Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia “Incorporates 679 excerpts from original sound recordings and 1,256 photographs from the American Folklife Center's Coal River Folklife Project (1992-99) documenting traditional uses of the mountains in Southern West Virginia's Big Coal River Valley.”
  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cmnshtml/cmnshome.html
• West Virginia Coal Mines A grassroots site dedicated to the history of coalmining in WV. Run by Gracie Stover, set up May 1999.
  http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvcoal/
• West Virginia Memory Project This site from the West Virginia Archives offers an eclectic collection of material dealing specifically with West Virginia. It also includes an assorted collection of newspaper articles around the state.
  http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvmemory/index.html
• West Virginia: A Historical Resource Guide Comprises a selected list of publications. The Guide is not comprehensive, but represents an attempt to provide the teacher, who desires to expand a lesson plan in particular subjects, with significant books and articles. The Guide attempts to list recent publications. However, in many cases the best materials on certain subjects were published many years ago. To find the older publications may require Interlibrary Loan.
  http://www.marshall.edu/speccoll/research%20guide/rg-toc.html
• West Virginia State Archives
  http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvsamenu.html
  
  • Notable Events (Bibliograpies)http://www.wvculture.org/history/notewv/notewv1.html
  • Notable Individuals (Bibliographies)http://www.wvculture.org/history/notewv/notewv.html
  • West Virginia History Studieshttp://www.wvculture.org/history/projects.html
  • Manuscript Collectionshttp://www.wvculture.org/history/manuscripts.html
  • Special Collectionshttp://www.wvculture.org/history/specialcollections.html
  • West Virginia Historical Bibliography http://www.wvculture.org/history/biblio.html
  • West Virginia Newspapers on Microfilm http://www.wvculture.org/history/newspapers/newsmic.html
• West Virginia Newspapers Indexes Charleston Gazette 1974-1988 (Drinko Gen Reference and Special Collections AI21.C4 C5)
  
  • Charleston Newspapers Index
    Charleston Newspapers (The Charleston Gazette and The Daily Mail) provide searching of their own index. Use the citations you find to track down the articles here at Marshall. Search MILES to determine if we have it in paper or microfilm. Note: The Charleston papers are also found in LEXIS-NEXIS Academic.
  • Huntington Herald-Dispatch
    Search the online Archives for citation information and get the article on microfilm at the MEDIA Desk (Drinko, 2nd Floor).
  • West Virginia Newspapers, Online Listings See http://www.refdesk.com/wv.html and http://www.wvpress.org/newsonline.html.
  • West Virginia Union Catalogue A State wide online catalogue of all WV libraries http://129.71.148.242/vtls40/frame/

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Archives

In addition to the State Archives listed under “West Virginia Resources,” the list below represents accessible resources, either online or at Marshall University.

Marshall University Special Collections

• Manuscripts Manuscripts contain collections of primary records of individuals, organizations, businesses and other groups from the Tri-State region. There are over 700 manuscript collections. These collections consist of letters, diaries, research collections of local individuals, photographs, business records, scrapbooks, film, video tape, computer disks, microforms, etc. The individual collections vary in size from a few letters to hundreds of boxes of documents. Registers and guides for many collections are available to assist researchers in locating information.
  http://www.marshall.edu/speccoll/mss.asp
• Oral History of Appalachia Marshall Special Collections has over 600 oral histories available for use. To consult a full directory, you'll need to go to Special Collections. To consult the holdings that are listed on MILES (the Libraries' catalog) use “Marshall University Oral History of Appalachia” as the author's name. Alternatively, you may type in “Oral History” and “Appalachia” as key words. For a complete list type in “OH” on MILES under “basic search” and “call number.”
• Cass WV: Pocahontas County The L. D. Folwer collection of letters and other papers were found in the Durbin Mercantile Store in Durbin, dating from 1900 to 1920. The collection also includes transcripts of interviews of persons involved in the Cass Railroad and the timber industry in Pocahontas County, WV. There is also a video of Dr. Robert Alexander's presentation on Cass, WV, given at the Sixth Annual Drinko Symposium.
  http://www.marshall.edu/speccoll/cass/index.htm
• Buffalo Creek: A Virtual Museum On February 26, 1972, a rain-soaked impoundment dam of the Buffalo Creek Coal Company collapsed, sending 138 million gallons of black waste water cascading down the narrow hollow. By the time the water subsided at the Guyandotte River, 125 persons were dead, another 1,000 were injured, over 500 homes were completely demolished, and nearly 1,000 others were damaged. Property damage exceeded $50 million. http://www.marshall.edu/speccoll/VirtualMuseum/BuffaloCreek/HTML/index.html
• Camp Washington Carver: A Virtual Museum The camp was established in 1942 as a summer camp for African-American youth. Initially called the " West Virginia Negro 4-H Camp," its name was soon changed to "Camp Washington-Carver" in honor of two prominent black Americans: Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver.
  http://www.marshall.edu/speccoll/VirtualMuseum/CampWashingtonCarver/index.html

Kentuckiana Digital Library

• Oral History Collection
  http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/text-idx?;page=simple&c=oralhist
• Kentucky Archival Finding Aids Use this source to search most major archives in Kentucky.
  http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?;page=simpleext

Special Collections and Archives in Appalachia

• Appalachian Archives, Links to other Libraries and Archives
  http://toto.lib.unca.edu/more_information/related_links.html
  See “Mountain Life and Work” under “Periodicals” as well for access to a wide variety of full 19th and early 20th century primary documents on Appalachia.

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Centers

• Appalachian Studies Association
  http://www.appalachianstudies.org/
• Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Gender in Appalachia (CSEGA) (Marshall University)
  http://www.marshall.edu/csega/index.asp
• Center for Appalachian Studies and Services (East Tennessee State University)
  http://cass.etsu.edu/
• Center for Appalachian Studies (Appalachian State University)
  http://www.appstudies.appstate.edu/
• Appalachian Regional Studies (Radford University)
  http://www.radford.edu/~arsc/
• University of Kentucky Appalachian Center (University of Kentucky)
  http://www.uky.edu/RGS/AppalCenter/Home/Frameset/HomeFrameset.htm

Prepared by Chris Green

Assistant Professor

English Department

Updated 8/2006

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