A great way to start doing literary research on a new topic is by getting an overview or in-depth background information.  One of the (many) great things about reference works (tertiary sources) in English is that they are written by scholars in the field and often include references to relevant secondary (and primary) sources. Print reference sources are located in the Reference section, on the 1st Floor of the Library. 

• General and specialized encyclopedias such as: The Encyclopedia of All Things Shakespeare (print, call #: PR2892 .O56 2002), and The Encyclopedia of English Renaissance Literature.

• Online reference sources such as: Gale eBooks or Oxford Reference.
   
• Bibliographies such as: Oxford Bibliographies Online, which includes a section on American Literature