President Obama in a Baseball Cap
Encyclopedias and More
- Oxford Reference Online100 well-known and trusted dictionaries and reference books combined into a single cross-searchable web database.
- Encyclopaedia BritannicaThe electronic version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. An excellent starting point for almost any topic of research, the Britannica offers both concise descriptions, and longer, more comprehensive articles on a wide variety of topics.
- Oxford English DictionaryThe online version of the classic dictionary. An unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past.
Clothing Reference Books
Fairchild's Dictionary of FashionCall Number: Hatfield Reference GT507 .C34 1988ISBN: 0870056352Publication Date: 1988
Encyclopedia of Clothing and FashionCall Number: Hatfield Reference GT507 .E53 2005ISBN: 0684313944Publication Date: 2004
Survey of Historic CostumeCall Number: Hatfield Reference GT580 .T67 2015ISBN: 1628921676Publication Date: 2015
Encyclopedia of TextilesCall Number: Hatfield Reference TS1309 .J47ISBN: 0816021058Publication Date: 1992
Authoritative Reference Sources vs Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a great resource for getting general info about something, but because anyone can contribute or change its content it is considered unreliable. College faculty typically do not consider Wikipedia a credible information source.
Instead, use the library's print or electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference books to backup the basic information of your research paper. These resources have gone through an editorial process to check for accuracy. To the right and below are some resources that may be of use.
Reference Books
Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.
The Illustrated Book of Signs and SymbolsCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference AZ108 .B78 1996ISBN: 0789410001Publication Date: 1996Pages 84-85, Clothing
Encyclopedia of AestheticsCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference BH56 .E53 1998ISBN: 0195113071Publication Date: 1998Volume 2, pages 146-150, Fashion: Dress in the World
Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim WorldCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference BP40 .E525 2004ISBN: 0028656032Publication Date: 2003Volume 2, pages 721-722, Veiling
New Dictionary of the History of IdeasCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference CB9 .N49 2005ISBN: 0684313774Publication Date: 2004Volume 2, Pages 596-605, Dress
Encyclopedia of the RenaissanceCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference CB361 .E52 1999ISBN: 0684805146Publication Date: 1999Volume 2, pages 27-32, ClothingDictionary of the Middle Ages
Call Number: Hatfield Library Reference D114 .D5ISBN: 0684190737Publication Date: 1989Volume 3, pages 621-626, Costume, Western European
Medieval Jewish CivilizationCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference DS124 .M386 2003ISBN: 0415937124Publication Date: 2002Pages 172-176, Clothing
Berkshire Encyclopedia of ChinaCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference DS735.A2 B47 2009ISBN: 0977015947Publication Date: 2008Volume 1, Pages 437-442, Clothing, Traditional
Routledge Companion to Latina/o Popular CultureCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference E184.S75 R75 2016ISBN: 1138638943Publication Date: 2016Pages 323-333, Claiming Style, Consuming Culture: The Politics of Latina Self-Styling and Fashion Lines
Encyclopedia of African American Culture and HistoryCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference E185 .E54 2006ISBN: 0028658167Publication Date: 2005Volume 1, pages 257-259, Black Dandy, The
Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History in AmericaCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference HQ76.3.U5 E53 2004ISBN: 0684312611Publication Date: 2003Volume 1, pages 372-275, Fashion, Style, and Clothing
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in ArtCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference N7560 .H34 1974ISBN: 0813343933Publication Date: 2007Page 270, Religious Dress
The Firefly Visual DictionaryCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference PE1629 .C633 2002ISBN: 1552975851Publication Date: 2002Pages 336-371, Clothing
Dictionary of Literary Themes and MotifsCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference PN43 .D48ISBN: 0313229430Publication Date: 1988Volume 1, pages 264-275, Clothing
SAGE Encyclopedia of Cancer and SocietyCall Number: Hatfield Library Reference RC254.5 .E48 2015ISBN: 1483345734Publication Date: 2015Volume 1, pages 294-296, Clothing
Humanities and Fine Arts Librarian
What Librarians Can Do for You
You can set up an individual research consultation with a subject librarian for research help. Here are a few other things that we can do for you:
- Show you the best places to begin your research.
- Locate the information you need within our library or elsewhere.
- Help you cite information correctly (e.g. APA style).
- Judge the quality & reliability of information.
- Teach you how to use information ethically (e.g. avoiding plagiarism).
- Determine whether something is peer-reviewed.
Hours during the Academic Year
Library Hours
Mon-Thur 8 a.m. -- Midnight
Friday 8 a.m. -- 9 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. -- 6 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. -- Midnight
Reference Hours
Mon-Wed 10 a.m. -- 5 p.m.
6 p.m. -- 9 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. -- 5 p.m.
Friday 1 p.m. -- 4 p.m
Saturday (Closed)
Sunday (Closed)
Archives Hours
Contact: archives@willamette.edu for an appointment.
Note: The library is open to the general public Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Course Description
This course explores the multiple ways the clothes we wear tell stories about our life’s journey and are embedded with meaning and memory. How do our clothes communicate identity, offer protection, and celebrate the past? How do we read or interpret the performance of ourselves and others by the garments we inhabit? How have the rapid changes in fashion and technology since the 16th century altered our physical bodies and rewritten the narrative of our clothing choices? Through the reading of historical and contemporary fiction and non-fiction, personal narrative, and essays, we will explore and make sense of the meaning and memories created by the clothes hanging on our bodies and in our closets. Our goal will be to focus on how scholarly based inquiry can help us to answer our questions, and how this inquiry can inform current discussions about cultural memory. Projects may include oral history, material culture curation, short essays, and the manipulation of garments.