History of Rock and Roll Since 1970:
Online Library Resources

1. Finding Electronic Books (eBooks)

ABC-CLIO eBooks Many good reference sources covering the history of rock music since 1970, including:

• The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History (6 volume set.); see especially:
  • Vol. 4: From Arenas to the Underground, 1974-1980,
  • Vol. 5: The Video Generation, 1981-1990,
  • Vol. 6: The Grunge and Post-Grunge Years, 1991-2005
• Icons of Hip Hop [Two Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture

Gale Virtual Reference Library Another large collection of e-Reference Books. Good sources for general overviews of topics from a variety of perspectives.

• Search Example: Music censorship.

eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) Search this large collection of eBooks for artists, genres, and ideas.

• Search Examples:
  • MTV
  • Michael Jackson
• Tip: To get more results, expand your search to search within the full-text of eBooks. Do this by selecting "Show more" under "Refine your results" on the left pane of the sesarch results screen, and then checking the box to "Also search within the full-text."

2. Finding Periodical Articles

SIRS database is a great source for magazine and newpaper topics, especially those related to the intersection of music and social topics; e.g.:

• Music censorship
• Women rock musicians
• These are very general subject searches to give you ideas -- try your own more specific searches such as: hip hop mass appeal, rock music and political activists, etc.

Academic Search Premier

• Includes articles from industry magazines such as Billboard (1994-present) and Rolling Stone (1990-present), along with journals such as Popular Music & Society.
• Search example: auto-tune

LexisNexis Academic

• This database can be a good source of specialized news not found in our other databases, such as broadcast transcripts, industry blogs, industry newsletters, etc.
• Searching in Lexis-Nexis can be multi-step process, so here is an example of how to set up a Power Search to limit your search to "music industry news"
  • under "Add index terms" select industry, click on the + to expand Entertainment & Arts, and select Music Industry and "OK-Add to search"
  • under sources select, for example, Industry News
  • under "Search Terms" type your keywords, such as "future of radio"
• Industry Blog Example Article Result

3. Using Web Resources

Avoid random people's opinion pages -- look instead for authoritative sources of information from reputable organizations or news outlets. For example:

• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum website; see especially sections on the inductees, the story of rock and roll (including a blog that fleshes out this on-going story) and the exhibits.
• NPR's (Natioal Public Radio's) List of recommended Music Blogs

How do you tell if a site is authoritative and reputable?

• Comprehensive Guide to Evaluating Web resources on LRC Website
• Learn Website Evaluation on YouTube
• Instead of Googling first, try a selective web directory that includes sources suitable for academic research, such as Internet Public Library 

4. MLA Citation - Avoid plagiarism and be sure to properly cite the resources you use.

Where can you get help with MLA?

• Sample MLA Works Cited citations - Guide with examples from the Ohlone Library
• Learn about MLA on Youtube

Any Questions?
Ask a Librarian!