Plays are often published in books with several other plays, sometimes by the same author and sometimes not. Often you can look for the title of the play in the library catalog and get results, but often that doesn't work. Indexes help you find the title of the book that includes the play you're looking for. Then use the OSU and Summit Catalogs to locate a copy of the book.

Google Books  

• Find books in which a work was published. 
• Go to 1Search (link below) and search for the title of the book. If we don't have the book, place a request with Interlibrary Loan.

1Search

• Use the OSU library catalog, 1Search, to find books of plays.
• Example: using Advanced Search select ANY FIELD CONTAINS. In the first box type in AFRICAN AMERICAN DRAMA in the second box type in AFRICAN AMERICAN AUTHORS.  This will result in play titles and collections. You can use the Publication Date selection to find plays in your date range. We cannot limit the results to the word PLAYS. Your list will also contain anthologies, bibliographies and research texts.

Interlibrary Loan

If you cannot locate the book you want in the library or through the Summit system, use interlibrary loan. 

These books are available in the Valley Library. Use the call numbers to locate the books on the shelves.

The Encyclopedia of world theater : with 420 illustrations and an index of play titles. Scribner, c1977.
PN2035 .E52 1977.

The Oxford encyclopedia of theatre & performance / edited by Dennis Kennedy. Oxford University Press, 2003.
PN2035 .O94 2003.

International dictionary of theatre / editor, Mark Hawkins-Dady ; picture editor, Leanda Shrimpton. St. James Press, c1992-c1996.
PN2035 .I49 1992.

The Cambridge guide to theatre / [edited by] Martin Banham. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
PN2035 .C27 1995.

An International dictionary of theatre language / Joel Trapido, general editor. Greenwood Press, 1985.
PN2035 .I5 1985.

The Oxford companion to the theatre / edited by Phyllis Hartnoll. Oxford University Press, 1983.
PN2035 .O91 1983.