We have been collecting and cataloging Something About the Author (SATA) for years, in fact we have 305 volumes as of May, 2017. If you are doing an author or illustrator study this is the resource you should be consulting.
Where are they?
You’ve probably seen them and thought they were encyclopedias. They are housed along the south wall windows in the reference area.
How do they work?
Good question. Each volume has three sections:
- New entries on new authors, and updates on authors found in earlier volumes.
- An index of illustrators
- An index of authors
What does this mean?
Looking at an author index entry can be quite daunting at first. Here’s an example:
Kimmel, Eric A. 1946- ……………………. 304
Earlier sketches in SATA 13, 80, 125, 176, 208, 268
The main entry for Eric Kimmel is in volume 304, but there are also earlier entries in volumes 13, 80, 125, 176, 208, 268. Sometimes you may see the acronym CLR. It stands for Children’s Literature Review (a companion set to SATA, and yes we have that too).
What’s inside a typical entry?
It really depends on the author but the following sections are common:
- Personal information
- Awards, Honors
- Biographical and Critical Sources
How would I cite an SATA entry?
Here is the pattern for an entry in a reference work with no byline (i.e., there is no author or date for the entry).
Title of the work. (year). In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of the reference work (xx ed., Vol. xx. pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher
Kimmel, Eric A. 1946-. (2017). In L. Kumar (Ed.), Something about the author (Vol. 304, pp. 94-103). Farmington, MI: Gale.
The following in-text citation would be sufficient (Kimmel, Eric A., 2017).
Although, it might be quicker to find something online, we can guarantee that your instructor will be extremely happy you did something “old school” and consulted SATA.