UMass Amherst Library Catalog
Search for known books by title or author (last name, first name). Search for books on a topic by keyword or subject (details below). The catalog lists books in the circulating collection, electronic books, reference books, videos, journals in both print and online form, government documents, microforms, and all other material owned by the Libraries.

Subject Heading Searches
Like most U.S. academic libraries, the UMass Amherst Libraries use the Library of Congress (LC) classification system of subject headings and call numbers. Library of Congress Subject Headings, Ref Z 695.L695+, on the Main Floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, is a complete list. Headings relating to literature are not always consistent, but here are some starting points for subject searches.

For books about literatures, use the nationality or region in combination with the genre. For more specificity, use subheadings for type of author, time period, etc. Some examples:

Chinese Poetry
Motion Pictures India
American Literature African American Authors 
French Fiction 17th century History and Criticism 

For books about authors and their works, use the author's name, which can be followed by the name of the work or some other aspect of the critical approach. Examples:

Lorde, Audre 
Rushdie, Salman Midnight's Children
Dickinson Emily 1830 1886 Criticism and Interpretation

You can also search for books about literary theory or periods. Examples:

Postcolonialism
Modernism Literature
Marxist Criticism
Romanticism