General information is a good place to start your research because it can help you to narrow a too broad topic or broaden a too narrow one. Reading an encyclopedia article can give you insight into an area within the broader topic that will be suitable for your research and give you enough knowledge about that topic to begin researching it intelligently. Articles in these pieces are usually written by experts in the field and will include bibliographic references which will lead you to other books and journal articles on the same topic. Keep in mind, however, that this is not where most of the research for your paper should come from!
Once you have a well defined topic and a good basic sense of what your topic is "about" a bibliography will lead you to more books, and in some cases journal articles, on your topic. Most of the items below are shelved in Reference; some may be found in the circulating collection.
Review essays are good sources for both an overview of some of the important questions within the field and a survey of recent scholarship. Examples of such essays are:
BQ1-9800 Buddhism:
BQ1-10 Periodicals. Yearbooks (General)
BQ12-93 Societies, councils, associations, clubs, etc.
BQ96-99 Financial institutions. Trusts
BQ100-102 Congresses. Conferences (General)
BQ104-105 Directories (General)
BQ107-109 Museums. Exhibitions
BQ115-126 General collections. Collected works
BQ128 Encyclopedias (General)
BQ130 Dictionaries (General)
BQ133 Terminology
BQ135 Questions and answers. Maxims (General)
BQ141-209 Religious education (General)
BQ210-219 Research
BQ221-249 Antiquities. Archaeology
BQ240-244 Literary discoveries
BQ246-249 Inscriptions, etc.
BQ251-799 History
BQ800-829 Persecutions
BQ840-999 Biography
BQ840-858 Collective
BQ860-999 Individual
BQ860-939 Gautama Buddha
BQ940-999 Other
BQ1001-1045 Buddhist literature
BQ1100-3340 Tripiaka (Canonical literature)
BQ4000-4060 General works
BQ4061-4570 Doctrinal and systematic Buddhism
BQ4180-4565 Special doctrines
BQ4570 Special topics and relations to special subjects
BQ4600-4610 Relation to other religious and philosophical systems
BQ4620-4905 Buddhist pantheon
BQ4911-5720 Practice of Buddhism. Forms of worship
BQ4965-5030 Ceremonies and rites. Ceremonial rules
BQ5035-5065 Hymns. Chants. Recitations
BQ5070-5075 Altar, liturgical objects, ornaments, memorials, etc.
BQ5080-5085 Vestments, altar cloths, etc.
BQ5090-5095 Liturgical functions
BQ5100-5125 Symbols and symbolism
BQ5130-5137 Temple. Temple organization
BQ5140-5355 Buddhist ministry. Priesthood. Organization
BQ5251-5305 Education and training
BQ5310-5350 Preaching
BQ5360-5680 Religious life
BQ5485-5530 Precepts for laymen
BQ5535-5594 Devotional literature. Meditations. Prayers
BQ5595-5633 Devotion. Meditation. Prayer
BQ5635-5675 Spiritual life. Mysticism. Englightenment. Perfection
BQ5700-5720 Festivals. Days and seasons
BQ5725-5845 Folklore
BQ5821-5845 Miracle literature
BQ5851-5899 Benevolent work. Social work. Welfare work, etc.
BQ5901-5975 Missionary work
BQ6001-6160 Monasticism and monastic life Sagha (Order)
BQ6200-6240 Asceticism. Hermits. Wayfaring life
BQ6300-6388 Monasteries. Temples. Shrines. Sites
BQ6400-6495 Pilgrims and pilgrimages
BQ7001-9800 Modifications, schools, etc.
BQ7100-7285 Theravāda (Hinayana) Buddhism
BQ7300-7529 Mahayana Buddhism
BQ7530-7950 Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism)
BQ7960-7989 Bonpo (Sect)
BQ8000-9800 Special modifications, sects, etc.
BQ8500-8769 Pure Land Buddhism
BQ8900-9099 Tantric Buddhism
BQ9250-9519 Zen Buddhism
Denison Libraries, 100 W College, Granville, Ohio 43023 Phone: 740-587-6235, email: reference@denison.edu In order to view PDF documents, you will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer