Researching in Vernacular or Non-English Resources

This guide is intended to give researchers rules of thumb and resources when searching for materials in the vernacular or in languages other than English.

Locating library materials in other languages can be complicated. While many library catalogs allow searching in different languages, researchers often encounter problems when trying to find items via online searching, particularly if using a non-western language such as Russian, Chinese, etc.  Spelling variants, diacritics, even the varieties of romanization for a single language may present obstacles and questions, including if what you have found is comprehensive or complete. 

Each section of this guide will disucss specific strategies for locating materials as well as provide tips and rules of thumb.  Keep in mind the best strategy is to try a variety of search types, including:

• Keyword searching in the language of interest;
• Keyword searching in English and limiting your search to a particular language;
• Searching by the author's name; if appropriate; or
• Searching by the title in English and the language of interest.

Requesting Vernacular Materials from Libraries

Not every book or article is available from libraries, particularly materials outside the United States.  There are a variety of reasons for this, from catalog record issues to libraries who for various reasons, will not loan materials outside their country. Worldcat, though an excellent resource and perhaps the most inclusive library catalog available, is still a source with limitations when it comes to these kinds of materials.  As for Google's book search,  vernacular materials are not available unless they have been scanned by Google.

It is also important to remember that titles (books and articles) available in the United States or from online resources may only represent a fraction of the publishing output from other countries; this is particularly true for non-western countries.  Many catalogs and databases provide access to only a portion of materials published and may not accurately present a comprehensive picture of the kind of research and resources available from the language and/or country of interest.