This guide will help you find books, videos, articles and websites for use in your travels to France. Use the tabs below to start searching for different types of materials.
If you need additional help, please feel free to contact me or a reference librarian: Ask A Librarian.
Parents - do you have a child interested in studying abroad?
Parents can play a significant role in enabling their children to have a valuable and affordable international experience. See A Parent's Guide to Study Abroad English.
Many of the following books are all available electronically. You will need a current library card to access books online. Please note that some books are available for one simultaneous user only. Titles of books available in print will include the call number.
Travel Guides
Culture and History
- Musée d'Orsay : Art & Architecture
Print copy available in the library: General DC708 .G258 2015
- A Traveller's History of France
General DC39 .C56 2008
Videos
- The French Revolution: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, A New Republic is Born in Blood
General DC148 .F756 2005
- Ethnographic Video Online
Find hundreds of newsreel footage and documentaries on France. Subjects include culture, politics, history and current events.
- Films On Demand
Many films on France, primarily from the perspective of Business, current and historical footage.
E-book Collections
Most books in these collections can also be located and accessed by searching in the Library's book catalog.
- ebrary
Many e-books that can be viewed from your computer or downloaded to your e-book reader. You need to create an account to download -books to your device.
- EBSCO e-book collection
Find over 100 books on France covering various subjects such as Culture and Society, History, Politics and Literature. NOTE: Books can be viewed by single page on a computer, or, can be downloaded to an -book reader. You'll be prompted to create an EBSCO account. The loan period for e-books is four hours. Books can be renewed after the loan period the initial loan period expires.
- Humanities (ACLS) E-book Collection
This resource includes over 1500 full-text, cross-searchable books in the humanities selected by scholars for their continuing importance for research and teaching. Pages from this collection can be printed and emailed.
Databases - Best Bets
Below are databases covering Art, History and general topics. You can access these databases from the alphabetical listing of databases
- AcademicOneFile
Academic OneFile is great for both popular and peer-reviewed full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources, and is an excellent resource for general research.
- Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete provides both scholarly and popular journal coverage for nearly all academic areas of study and is a great resource for general research.
- Art And Architecture Complete
Excellent source for information on French artists, famous works of art by French artists and French art traditions.
- Credo Reference
Credo Reference is a full-text online reference service. The collection includes over three million entries from hundreds of well-regarded titles from some of world's the best reference publishers.
- JSTOR
JSTOR is an archive of digitized journal articles ranging in date from the 1700's to the early 2000's. These collections span a variety of subjects in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Physical Sciences.
- Literature Resource Center
Literature Resource Center provides access to biographies and criticism of authors from every age and literary discipline. The Literature Resource Center covers more than 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and other writers, with in-depth coverage of 2,500 of the most-studied authors.
- Oxford Art Online
This resource includes the full-text of:
Grove Art Online
Oxford Companion to Western Art
Encyclopedia of Aesthetics
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms
Websites - Guidebooks and Area Studies
- Fodor's France
Organized by region and city, Fodor's France provides many useful tips for travelers in France. Essential French phrases for travelers, tips for eating and staying in France, and links to historical sites and top attractions are of note.
- France Guide Tour
Access brief overviews of the major regions of France. This site also includes maps and photos of the various regions.
- France
"The official website of France."
- French at a Touch
In addition to the typical tips for travelers and recommendations for restaurants, French At A Touch offers some interesting links to historical chronologies, introductory information on France, and near the bottom of page, useful links to governmental departments.
- Frommer's
Frommer's offers several notable sections on its website, including a broad overview of France in the Introduction section as well as quick overviews of art and architecture, food, history, and cultural activities found in the In Depth section.
- Let's Go!
Focusing on the interests of college-aged travelers, Let's Go! offers information on French nightlife, food, arts and cultural attractions. Check out the Videos section featuring short films highlighting interesting local sights and attractions organized by region.
- L'Aquitaine
Two useful resources of note are the Visit and Get Active sections located at the top of the page. In the Visit section you can choose between Cultural and Natural heritage sites and then limit to a destination or activity. From here a list of museums, parks, etc is provided. Links to self-guided and tour group options are available.
- Lonely Planet - Bordeaux
Exceptionally useful website, check out the Things To Do section in particular. Many of the attractions are reviewed by the Lonely Planet staff in their irreverent but always good natured and engaging style.
- Region Overview
Largely a commercial website, however, the Practical Info section (on the left side of page) does offer useful information on travelers' documentation, insurance, currency, tourism taxes and local laws.