Literature

The Boston University Libraries make available hundreds of thousands of books by and about literary figures and about literature in general. The information on this page shows how to use BU Libraries Search to find books by title as well as books by or about particular authors.

To look up a book by title, enter the title in quotation marks in the BU Libraries Search search box and click on the search button or hit Enter.

A few things to note:

• The search results may include reviews or articles about the book. Click on "Books / eBooks" under "Filter My Results > Material Types" on the right to limit to books.
• If the book is available in the libraries, the location will be shown below the title. If it says it is online, click on the availability statement to get to the Find Online link.

To find books by a particular author

1. click on "Advanced Search" to switch from Basic Search
2. enter the author's name in quotation marks, last name first
3. change "Any field" to "Author/Creator"
4. click the search button or hit Enter.

A few things to note:

• The search results may include articles or other items by the author. Click on "Books / eBooks" under "Filter My Results > Material Types" on the right to limit to books.
• Entering the author's name first name first will sometimes bring different results

To find books about a particular author

1. click on "Advanced Search" to switch from Basic Search
2. enter the author's name in quotation marks, last name first
3. change "Any field" to "Subject"
4. click the search button or hit Enter.

A few things to note:

• The search results may include articles or other items about the author. Click on "Books / eBooks" under "Filter My Results > Material Types " on the right to limit to books.

There are several ways you can obtain books or articles that we do not own. These include:

• WorldCat Discovery. WorldCat Discovery allows current BU faculty, staff, and students to borrow books directly from other Boston Library Consortium libraries. Turnaround time is approximately three working days. (How to use WorldCat Discovery)

• Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary Loan services allow current BU faculty, staff, and students to request books, articles, book chapters, and other materials that our ILL staff will obtain from other libraries. Books generally take 2-4 weeks to arrive; articles are generally delivered electronically within 1-2 days.

  • ILL online request forms for all patrons except those affiliated with the Schools of Law and Medicine

  • Law Library's interlibrary loan page for Law School affiliates

  • Alumni Medical Library’s ILL form for Medical School affilliates

  • For general inquires to the Interlibrary Loan office, please call (617) 353-3706 or email ILLMML@bu.edu.

• BLC Cards. A Boston Library Consortium Card allows the bearer to borrow—in person—circulating material from a member library, just as you would from a BU library. Boston University faculty, staff, and students on the Charles River Campus may obtain a Consortium Card by filling out an application form. Medical Campus affiliates apply at the Alumni Medical Library.