Library Resources
Finding Arabic and other Middle Eastern language books (print or electronic) is not different from finding English language books. Search the Library's General Search (for locally owned materials) and WorldCat (to find materials that you can request from other libraries). The key is using the right keywords to search for your topic using the Subject Field in the Advanced Search option available in both catalogs. To control your search results, make sure to select the format of the materials you want, e.g., books, articles, videos, etc.
Use keywords that focus on a specific language, country, or ethnic group. You can do a simple search with your keywords but play with the search options to expand or narrow/refine your search results.
The Library's General Search allows use of Non-Roman characters for searching names, titles, series, notes, and many subjects (but not all).
Feel free to play with keywords and select different filters (or limits as they are also known) to explore what is written on your topic.
- WorldCatIf you want to find other books that we don't hold at the UConn Library, do a search on WorldCat. When you have a book you want to borrow using the "Request Item" button.
The essentials of Ibadi Islam by ISBN: 9780815650843Publication Date: 2012Hoffman introduces Ibadi Islam theology to the non-Arabic speaking world. Ibadis view themselves as being the oldest and most genuine sect of Islam.
A History of Muslim Sicily by ISBN: 9789993273530Publication Date: 2011-09-30A study of the period of Muslim Arab rule on the island from A.D. 827 to the Norman conquest in A.D. 1070. It is the first detailed study in English covering the various aspects of this 243-year period.
European Modernity and the Arab Mediterranean: Toward a New Philology and a Counter-Orientalism by ISBN: 9780812205268Publication Date: 2011-06-06Examines Orientalist philological scholarship of southern Europe produced between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth century.
The Chronicle of Seert: Christian Historical Imagination in Late Antique Iraq by ISBN: 9780199670673Publication Date: 2013-09-18This monograph uses a medieval Arabic chronicle, the Chronicle of Seert, as a window into the Christian history of Iraq. The Chronicle describes events that are unknown from other sources, but it is most useful for what it tells us about the agendas of those who wrote history and their audiences in the period c.400-800. By splitting the Chronicle into its constituent layers, Philip Wood presents a rich cultural history of Iraq.
The Literature of Al-Andalus by ISBN: 0521030234Publication Date: 2006-11-02Exploration of the culture of Iberia, present-day Spain and Portugal, during the period when it was an Islamic, mostly Arabic-speaking territory, from the eighth to the thirteenth century, and in the centuries following the Christian conquest when Arabic continued to be widely used.
- Academic Search Premier
This link opens in a new window
Includes articles from scholarly journals and popular magazines covering a wide variety of disciplines with the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
- Gale Literature Resource CenterBiographical essays on various authors as well as criticism and interpretation of plays, novels, poetry and short stories.
- Google ScholarScholarly articles, books, theses on a variety of topics through Google interface.
- JSTORIn the Advanced Search, you can filter your search to only journals in Middle Eastern Studies or Religion or a combination of the two.
- MLA International Bibliography
Scholarly articles, ebooks, essay collections, working papers, proceedings, dissertations, and bibliographies in literature and linguistics.
- Project MUSEProject Muse organized their journals and books in collections, which you can search within specific collections. I recommend checking the Area and Ethnic Studies ► Middle Eastern Studies and the Literature ► Middle Eastern Literature collections
- General SearchTip to find films: use the keyword "videorecording" to narrow your search only to DVDs. Otherwise, you will get results for CDs and VHS (Not what you want!). Also, use the name of the country that you want to research on as a keyword to see only films from/about that country, e.g. Iran AND videorecording
Interlibrary Services
Interlibrary Services provides materials free of charge to valid UConn users. Services provided include:
- ILLiadRequest materials not owned by UConn.
- Scan on DemandRequest the scan and electronic delivery of chapters and articles from the UConn Library's print resources.
- Request ServiceRequest circulating items from UConn's collections be held for pickup at the campus library of your choice.
Using the Library's General Search
The UConn Library's General Search box enables you to access our books, electronic materials such as ejournals and ebooks, and Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA) materials with one search. Filters and facets narrow your results to suit your needs.
- Advanced General Search GuideA guide to using an advanced search in the UConn Library's main "Articles + Library Catalog" search box.
- Link to UConn Library Advanced SearchUse the Advanced Search to limit your search to just book or just articles. You can also use the Advanced Search to search by author, title, or subject.
