These videos have no audio, but do have captions in English at the bottom of the screen.
The videos are designed to make you more comfortable searching AustLit and interpreting the results: they do not include every possible searching scenario, but once you have viewed them, you will be more comfortable generating your own searches.
The video is designed to help you read an AustLit agent record.
In AustLit terms, an 'agent' is any person or organisation involved in the production of a work. So an agent may be an author, but they may also be an illustrator, an editor, a publishing company, or a theatre company.
Tips for reading an AustLit agent record
AustLit seeks to create and maintain an up-to-date biography or organisational history for the agents on the database, and are always happy to welcome additional information or updates from authors and users of the database.
Once you're comfortable with reading an agent record, check Advanced Search for some of the options for searching agents, including limiting searches to an agent's role (e.g., director or illustrator).
AustLit uses a specific type of bibliographical model, with which you might not be familiar. This video helps you learn how to read and interpret an AustLit work record.
Tips for reading an AustLit work record:
AustLit uses a bibliographical model called FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographical Records. This model differs from the type of bibliography you see in works cited lists and library catalogues. FRBR records the entire publication history of a work in a single bibliographical record, including all translations and republications.
All AustLit work records follow the same model but some will be more complex than others, depending on how often a work is republished or reviewed.
The video below shows you how to interpret an AustLit search results page, including:
Tips on searching AustLit:
This video shows a general search results page. For more targeted searches, see the videos on searching specifically
AustLit is a large database. To get the best results, think about which filters are absolutely necessary for your search and which can be left out.
These searches can also help with other kinds of searches. For example, searching for full text is very similar to searching for works with teaching resources, and searching on 'form' is very similar to searching for 'genre'. Once you're familiar with one kind of search, it will help you complete other kinds of searches.
The video below shows how to search for authors by cultural heritage.
We have used the example of searching for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, but the search can be repeated with any heritage in our database. Simply select the relevant heritage from the drop-down menu.
Tips for searching by heritage
Heritage in AustLit is a matter of self-reporting: AustLit assigns heritage to people based on their public identification. Heritage is based on identification not geography: for example, an author born in Greece will not be identified as of Greek heritage unless they actively and publicly identify as Greek (or Greek-Australian).
If you want to search for people with more than one heritage (e.g., Greek and Italian), don't toggle the fields to blue: this will search for people with both (or all) the listed heritages.
The video below shows how to search for works by language.
We have used the example of searching for works in Chinese and Chinese Mandarin, but the search can be repeated with any language in our database. Simply select the relevant language from the drop-down menu.
Tips on searching for works by language:
Searching for works by language will bring up two types of works in the same search:
To search exclusively for translations, see the video on searching translations.
AustLit aims for a comprehensive record of international translations of Australian authors, but does not currently track translations of international authors by Australian translators.
The video below shows how to search for peer-reviewed criticism.
We have used the example of searching for peer-reviewed journal articles, but the video also indicates how to search for peer-reviewed journals.
Tips on searching for peer-reviewed criticism:
'Peer-reviewed' only applies in AustLit to journals, although it may be attached to anthologies when they are:
Journals are marked as peer reviewed when they are accorded that status by their field.
Searching specifically for works from peer-reviewed journals allows you to target your searches to works considered authoritative by the academy.
The video below shows how to search for full-text works.
We have used the example of searching for children's fantasy, but the search can be repeated with any of the forms and genres on AustLit. Simply select the relevant options from the drop-down menu.
Tips on searching for full text:
AustLit is not exclusively a full-text database: not all of the records listed on AustLit contain full text.
Full text on AustLit is usually one of three alternatives:
If we include full text for a work, it will be apparent in two ways:
AustLit provides access to many thousands of full-text works: we recommend using filters to limit your search results when looking for full text.
The video below shows how to search for works by form.
We have used the example of searching for novels, but the search can be repeated with any form in our database. Simply select the relevant form from the drop-down menu.
Tips on searching AustLit by form:
What AustLit calls 'form' might be called 'type' or even 'genre' elsewhere: 'short story' is a form on AustLit, where 'fantasy' is a genre, and 'anthology' is a type.
When searching for form, make sure that what you're looking for is what AustLit calls a form. All the available forms are listed in the drop-down menu. If you can't find what you're looking for there, look in the menus for genre or type.
The video below shows how to search for translations. This is a slightly different process for searching by language and returns different results (see 'Tips on searching for translations').
We have used the example of searching for works with Japanese translations, but the search can be repeated with any language in our database. Simply select the relevant language from the drop-down menu.
Tips on searching for translations:
AustLit aims for a comprehensive record of international translations of Australian authors, but does not currently track translations of international authors by Australian translators.
Searching for translations will only show works that begin in one language and are then published in a second one. For works published originally in a language other than English, see the video on searching for works by language.
Translations can continue to be published for some years after a work's original publication, so searches will return different results over time.
The video below shows how to search BlackWords, AustLit's dataset of works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, illustrators, and storytellers.
BlackWords records works by Australian authors of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.
BlackWords is an affiliation attached only to agents (authors, illustrators, organisations, etc.); it is not attached to works.
When you search BlackWords, you will only return works by authors of either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage.
To search for works about Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, instead use the subject search: some common subjects for works are listed below.
| Aboriginal-White conflict | Aboriginal relationship with the land |
| Aboriginal writers | Aboriginal culture |
| Torres Strait Islander culture | Torres Strait Islander literature and writers |
These searches include BlackWords and non-BlackWords authors: you can identify the BlackWords authors in a search results page by the BlackWords logo (shown above) next to their name.
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