How to Find a Short Story

LION: Literature Online provides online texts of many English and American literary works with a search mechanism to facilitate text analysis.
From the main LION menu, choose Texts to search for words and phrases within a specific work or group of works. 

LION also lists literary works published in journals. To find these, choose Criticism and tick the box to limit to "literary works".

The MERLIN catalog lists collections of short stories. Search by table of contents to see if a specific story is listed, but note that MERLIN doesn't provide the table of contents for all books.

The Short Story Index (Ref. Z5917.S5 C62) fills the gap by listing stories and showing where they have been published.

Background & Biographical Information

  LION: Literature Online Use the Quick Search box to link to a variety of reference sources.
Reference Guide to Short Fiction(Part of theGale Virtual Reference Library.)
The Literary Index will guide you to information in the following books:

Dictionary of Literary Biography Ref. PN451 .D43 
Contemporary Authors Ref. Z1224 .C62

Short Story Writers (Ref. PN3373.S398 1997)
Critical Survey of Short Fiction (Ref.PN3373.M5)

Criticism

 LION provides access to major literary databases below. Click on Criticism & Reference, and then on Criticism.
MLA International Bibliography of Books and Articles on the Modern Languages and Literatures
1963-present online, 1921-1962 in print Ref. Z7006 .M64
ABELL: Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature
1892-present online.

Finding criticism on a specific story can be tricky since most catalogs and indexes are not this detailed.  The following specialized indexes identify criticism on specific stories. To find criticism using other databases or library catalogs, search the author's name as a subject and possibly general themes. You may not be able to tell if an article or book treats a specific story until you have the publication in hand.

The Literary Index indexes the print publication Short Story Criticism (Ref. PN3373.S386), which excerpts criticism of stories published in a variety of sources.

Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication: Interpretations, 1900-1975 (Ref. Z5917.S5 W33 1977)
Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication: New Series (Ref. PN3373 .W34 1993)

To locate older critical materials, use the following databases and reference tools.
19th Century Masterfile (1802-1906)
The American Periodicals Series Online (1740-1900)
The Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals 1824-1900 (Ref. computers)
The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature (1890-) (Ready Ref. AI3 .R48)
International Index to Periodicals (1907-1965) (Ref. AI3.R49)
Literary Index to American Magazines 1850-1900 Ref. PS 214.W38 1996
Literary Index to American Magazines, 1815-1865 Ref. Z6513.W44
Literary Reviews in British Periodicals, 1789-1797 Ref. Z2013.W36 1979
Literary Reviews in British Periodicals, 1798-1820 Ref. Z2013.W36

The Literary Index indexes the many Gale literature criticism sets. These books excerpt literary criticism from all periods on individual authors.
Contemporary Literary Criticism (Ref. PN779.C6)
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism (Ref. PN94.T88)
Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism (Ref. PN761.N5)
Literature Criticism, from 1400-1800 (Ref. PN80.L57)

Alternative and minority publications are not always well represented in the major databases. Use these indexes to hear these voices.
Alternative Press Index
GenderWatch
Index to Black Periodicals (Ref. AI3 .I552 -- Earlier volumes, including title changes, are in the circulating stacks.)
Women Studies Abstracts (Ref. Z7962 .W65)

Guides to Research

James L. Harner. Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies (Ref. Z2011.H34 2002)

Michael J. Marcuse. A Reference Guide for English Studies. (Ref. PR56.M37 1990)

James K. Bracken. Reference Works in British and American Literature (Ref. Z2011.B74 1998)

Citation Guides
MLA style manuals are available at the Reference Desk or abbreviated guides are available online.