Use BOOKS to find comprehensive and in-depth coverage of theatre, its history and other related topics, as well as full-length biographies of famous actors, directors and playwrights.
If you need a book which Spiva Library does not own, we can request a copy from another library using a service called InterLibrary Loan.
Before you place a request for a book, be sure to check MOBIUS. Books available through MOBIUS libraries can be requested by MSSU students, faculty and staff from the MOBIUS page.
This service is available to all MSSU students, faculty, alumni, staff and community card holders.
*a nominal service fee may
apply in some cases*
Sometimes you might want to go the shelves in the libraries and just browse through all the theatre books there, to get a sense of what kinds of books a library has in this area.
You can use the following Library of Congress numbers to find the areas of the libraries where those books are shelved.
Most (but not all) theatre books have call numbers which start with PN 1560 - PN 1590
PN 1560-1590 The performing arts. Show business
PN 1600-3307 Drama
Literature - Drama
PQ 1-3999 French Literature
PQ 500-591 About French drama
PQ 1211-1241 French drama collections (i.e. plays)
PQ 4001-5999 Italian literature
PQ 4134 - 4160 About Italian drama
PR 1-9680 English literature
PR 621-739 About English drama
PR 1241-1273 English drama collections
PR 2081-3112 Shakespeare
PS 330-352 About American drama
PS 623-635 American drama collections
PT 605-709 About Germanic drama
PT 1251-1299 German drama collections
PT 1891-2239 Goethe
Manners and Customs
GT 1-7070 Manners and customs (General)
GT 165-476 Houses. Dwellings.
GT 500-2370 Costume. Dress. Fashion.
GT 3400-5090 Customs: Public and social life (town/court life, festivals, holidays, royalty, etc.)
GT 5320-6390 Customs: Special classes (e.g. by birth, rank, occupation)
Dancing
GV 1575 -1981 Dancing
Music
M Music (Musical scores, printed parts, etc.)
ML Music literature (Books about music history, biographies of musicians, instruments, styles, genres of music, etc.)
MT Music Theory and Instruction
MT 955 Musical Theatre, opera
To access the full-text of ebooks from off-campus you must be a current MSSU student, faculty or staff member with a username and PIN. If you don't know or can't remember your Missouri Southern Username or PIN, please contact the IT Help Desk.
MOBIUS is a resource sharing library network that allows access to thousands of books, ebooks, media, and more! MOBIUS allows you to request materials from academic/public libraries all across the U.S.!
This site is maintained by the librarians of George A. Spiva Library.
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