PATHFINDER PROBLEM
"She is older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave..."
--Walter Pater, describing the Mona Lisa
A patron has requested information on vampires. A reference interview has determined that the patron wants information on vampires in American popular culture, with background information on related historical sources.
Established Library of Congress Headings include: Dracula, Count (Fictitious character), Ghouls and Ogres, Horror Films, Vampire Films, Vampires, and Vampires in Literature.
Related Library of Congress classifications include: BF1556 - Demonology, GR830.V3 - Folklore, GR525 & GR560 - Ghouls and Ogres, and PN1993-PN1999 - Motion Pictures.
Seaching indexes and online databases is fairly straightforward -- materials about vampires tend to be indexed under "vampires." Searching "vampyre" or "vampyres" can extend the search.
Be careful searching for material on the historical Dracula, he can be difficult to find! The Library of Congress established heading is Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, 1430 or 31-1476 or 7. The pre-1981 heading was erroneously established at Vlad II, Dracul, Prince of Wallachia, based on a 1903 work. Modern scholarship shows that he was, in fact, Vald III.
Other forms of the name include:
- Vlad, Daculea
- Wlad III
- Tepes, Vlad
- Drakula
- Vlad, Tepes
- Vlad, the Impaler