MLA

• Entire Web Site
• Cartoon
• Films
• Legal
• Maps
• Newspaper
• Photographs
• Sound Recordings
• Special Presentations
• Texts

Entire Web Site

The Web site of The Library of Congress connects users to content areas created by the Library’s many divisions. In some cases, content can be posted without a clear indication of author, title, publisher or copyright date. Look for available clues and give as much information as possible, including the URL and date accessed.

MLA Citation Format
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., section 5.9.2)

Structure:

1. Title of the site (underlined or italicized).
2. Editor first name middle initial last name (if given).
3. Any electronic publication information available, including version number, date of electronic publication (original posting) or latest update.
4. Name of sponsoring institution or organization.
5. Date of individual access and electronic address.

Title of Site. First name Middle name Last name. Electronic publication information. Sponsoring institution or organization. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
Library of Congress. U.S. Govt. 31 July 2005 <http://www.loc.gov/>.

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Cartoons and Illustrations

Cartoons and illustrations included in newspapers, magazines or other periodicals often represent the historical perspectives and opinions of the time of publication. This Prints And Photographs Online Catalog illustration, Join or Die from the May 9, 1754 Pennsylvania Gazette, was published by Benjamin Franklin and expresses his views about the need for the colonies to join forces to confront their mutual concerns with England. This is often referred to as the first political cartoon.

MLA-style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed. Depending on the type of document in which the graphic appears, use appropriate MLA guidelines for (a) newspaper, (b) magazine, (c) book, or (d) other. Structure below is for a graphic appearing in a newspaper.)

Structure:

1. Creator’s last name, first name middle name or initial.
2. Title of work (in quotes).
3. Format (Cartoon or Illustration), neither underlined nor in quotation marks.
4. Title of document (in italics).
5. Publishing information:
   • if a magazine or newspaper: date (Day Month Year): page number (if available).
   • if a scholarly journal: volume # (year): page number.
   • if a book: city of publication: shortened name of publisher, date of publication. Page number.
6. Title of online collection (underlined or italicized).
7. Editor or compiler of collection (if available).
8. Date of posting or most recent update (if available).
9. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
10. Name of sponsoring institution.
11. Date of access and electronic address.

Last name, First name Middle name or initial. "Title of Work." Format. Title of Document. Day Month Year issued: page number. Title of Online Collection. Editor of collection. Day Month Year of posting. Database. Sponsoring institution. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
Franklin, Benjamin. "Join or Die." Illustration. The Pennsylvania Gazette 9 May 1754. Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. 02 Dec. 2005. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 31 Jan. 2006 <http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html>.

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Films

Black-and-white actuality film collections from the turn of the century are included in American Memory. This film clip is from an American Mutoscope and Biograph Company film in The Life of a City: Early Films of New York, 1898-1906. The web page provides a three-frame image from the film. For information about viewing this film, see the American Memory Viewer Information page.

MLA-style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., sections 5.9.9c and 5.8.3)

Structure:

1. Film title (underlined or italicized).
2. Director's first name, middle name or initial, last name (or filmographer's name if no director is specified).
3. Name of distributor.
4. Year of release.
5. Title of online collection (underlined or italicized).
6. Date of collection's posting or most recent update (if available).
7. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
8. Name of sponsoring institution.
9. Date of individual access and electronic address.

Optional information--name of writer, photographer, performer(s), producer(s)—should be placed immediately after the director's name.

Title of Work. First name Middle name or initial Last name. Name of Distributor. Year of release. Title of Online Collection. Day Month Year of posting. Database. Sponsoring institution. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
Bargain Day, 14th Street, New York. Photog. Frederick S. Armitage. American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. 1905. The Life of a City: Early Films of New York, 1898-1906. 14 Apr. 1999. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 1 Aug. 2005 <http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
query/r?ammem/papr:@field(NUMBER+@band(lcmp002+m2a25469))>

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Legal Documents and Government Publications

Many government publications originate through executive departments, federal agencies, and the United States Congress. Many of the documents are chronicled records of government proceedings, which become part of the Congressional Record. These documents are often posted without a clear indication of author, title, publisher or copyright date. Look for available clues and give as much information as possible, including the URL and date accessed.

MLA-Style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., sections 5.6.21 and 5.9.3c)

Structure

1. Name of government.
2. Name of agency.
3. Document title (underlined or italicized).
4. If applicable, number and session of Congress; type and number of publication.
5. Title of publication.
6. Name of editor or compiler of publication (first, middle initial, last).
7. City of publication: publisher, date of publication.
8. Pertinent page numbers (if available).
9. Title of online collection (underlined or italicized).
10. Date of posting or most recent update (if available).
11. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
12. Name of sponsoring institution—e.g., Lib. of Congress.
13. Date of access and electronic address.

Government name. Agency. Title. Number and session of Congress; type and number of publication. Title of publication. Editor or compiler First name Middle initial Last name. City of publication: Publisher, date of publication. Page numbers. Title of Online Collection. Date of posting. Database. Sponsoring institution. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example
United States. Cong. House. Proceedings. 2nd Congress. 2nd sess. Annals of Congress. Comp. Joseph Gales, Sr. Washington: Gales and Seaton, 1849. 747-48. A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation, 1774-1873. 01 May 2003. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 1 Aug. 2005 <http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
ampage?collId=llac&fileName=llac003.db&recNum=370>.

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Maps and Charts

American Memory maps are far more than just maps of cities and towns. They document historical places, events, and populations, as well as growth and changes over time. This map is from American Memory. Map Collections: 1500-2004.

MLA-Style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., sections 5.8.8 and 5.9.9f)

Structure:

1. Title of map (underlined or italicized).
2. Descriptive label (e.g., Map, Graph, Photograph).
3. City of publication: Publisher, date of publication (if available).
4. Title of online collection (underlined or italicized).
5. Date of posting or most recent update of collection.
6. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
7. Name of sponsoring institution.
8. Date of access and electronic address.

Title of map. Descriptive label. City of publication: Publisher, date. Title of Online Collection. Date of posting. Database. Sponsoring institution. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
Map of the West Coast of Africa from Sierra Leone to Cape Palmas, including the Colony of Liberia. Map. Philadelphia: Finley, 1830. Map Collections 1500-2004. 3 May 2005. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 1 Aug. 2005 <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g8882c.lm000002 >.

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Newspapers

Historic newspapers provide a glimpse of historic time periods. The articles, as well as the advertising, are an appealing way to get a look at the regions of the country or the world and the issues of the day. The Illustrated London News’s story on the discovery of gold in California is an example from the American Memory collection, Westward by Sea: A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890 Collection.

MLA-style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., section 5.9.4)

Structure:

1. Author's last name, first name, middle name or initial (if given; if no author is given, begin with the title of the article).
2. Title of Article. (in quotes).
3. Name of newspaper (in italics) date of issue (with no punctuation between the name of newspaper and date of issue).
4. Title of online collection (underlined or italicized).
5. Editor or compiler of collection (if available).
6. Date of posting or most recent update (if available).
7. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
8. Name of sponsoring institution.
9. Date of access and electronic address.

Last name, First name Middle name or initial. "Title of article." Name of Newspaper Day Month Year of issue. Title of Online Collection. Ed. of collection. Day Month Year of posting. Database. Sponsoring institution. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
"The Gold Seekers of California." The Illustrated London News 10 Feb. 1849. Westward by Sea: A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890. 30 Jan. 2002. American Memory. Lib. of Congress 31 Jan. 2006 <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/mymhihtml/mymhihome.html>.

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Photographs

Photographs and drawings appear in many of the Library of Congress digitized historical collections. This photograph is from Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865, and shows casualties of war on the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

MLA-style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., sections 5.8.6 and 5.9.9d)

Structure:

1. Photographer's last name, first name, middle initial).
2. Title of photograph (underlined or italicized).
3. Original date of photograph (if available).
4. Title of collection (underlined or italicized).
5. Date of posting or most recent update of collection (if available).
6. Current location of original document (if available).
7. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
8. Sponsoring organization.
9. Date of access and electronic address.

Last name, First name Middle initial. Title of photograph. Original date of photograph. Title of Online Collection. Date of posting. Current location of original document. Database. Sponsoring organization. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
O'Sullivan, Timothy H. Incidents of the War. c1865. Selected Civil War Photographs from the Library of Congress, 1861-1865. 12 Jan. 2000. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 2 Aug. 2005 <http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
query/r?ammem/cwar:@field(NUMBER+@band(cwp+4a40875))>.

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Sound Recordings

• MP3 Format
• Real Audio Format
• wav format

Audio resources indicate the application needed to listen to the recording (MP3, RealAudio, WAV, etc.). The recording of Mrs. Ben Scott and Myrtle B. Wilkinson performing Haste to the Wedding is an example of Anglo-American dance music on the fiddle and tenor banjo recorded on October 31, 1939.

MLA-Style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., sections 5.8.2 and 5.9.9b)

Structure: note: Whom to cite first—the composer, conductor, or performer—depends on the desired emphasis.

1. Composer’s last name, first name, middle initial (or conductor, or performer[s]). Second performer is listed first name, middle initial and last name, if given.
2. Title of recording (underlined or italicized unless identified only by form, number, and key [Symphony No. 1 in C]).
3. Title of performer if not stated in #1 above.
4. Date of performance (if available).
5. Name of medium (Audiocassette, Audiotape, LP) unless recorded on compact disc.
6. Title of manufacturer or recording company, year of issue (if unknown, write n.d. [no date]).
7. Title of online collection (underlined or italicized) .
8. Editor or compiler of collection (if available).
9. Date of posting or most recent update of collection (if available).
10. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
11. Name of sponsoring organization.
12. Date of access and electronic address.

Last name, First name Middle initial. Title of recording. Title of performer. Date of performance. Name of medium. Title of manufacturer or recording company, year of issue. Title of Online Collection. Editor or compiler of collection. Date of posting. Database. Sponsoring organization. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
Scott, Mrs. Ben, and Myrtle B. Wilkinson. Haste to the Wedding. 31 Oct. 1939. 78 rpm. Sydney Robertson Cowell, n.d. California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties. 19 Oct. 1998. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 01 Aug. 2005 <http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/
r?ammem/ftvbib,berl,cwband,coolbib,papr,cmns,flwpabib,afcreed,cowellbib,toddbib,
lomaxbib,raelbib,afcwip,omhbib,afcpearl,pin,qlt,ncr,afc911bib,afcesnbib,varstg,nfor,
:@field(NUMBER+@band(afccc+a4227b4))>

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Special Presentations or Features

Special presentations and features include examples that illustrate collection themes. Many collections include specific items, such as timelines, family trees or scholarly essays, which are not primary source documents. Such content has been created to enhance understanding of the collection.

This timeline of the Wright Brothers can be found in The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers at the Library of Congress.

MLA-Style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., section 5.9.9)

Structure:

1. Title of Special Presentation.
2. Descriptive label (e.g., graph, map, illustration, poster, special presentation).
3. Publication information, if known.
4. Title of online collection (underlined or italicized).
5. Date of online posting or most recent update.
6. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
7. Name of sponsoring institution.
8. Date of access and electronic address.

Title of Presentation. Format. City: Publisher, date. Title of Online Collection. Day Month Year of posting. Database. Sponsoring institution. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
The Wilbur and Orville Wright Timeline, 1867-1948. Special presentation. The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers 03 Dec. 2003. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 31 Jan. 2006 < http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wrighthtml/wrighttime.html>.

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Texts

American Memory contains collections of letter, pamphlets, documents, recollections, and other written material. Many of these items are hand written and can be difficult to read. Transcriptions may be available. One such example is this letter from Helen Keller to Mr. John Hitz from The Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers, 1862-1939. Helen describes her trip to Chicago to visit the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

MLA-Style Citation Format:
(MLA Handbook, 6th ed., sections 5.8.12 ["A Manuscript or Typescript"], 5.8.13 ["A Letter or Memo"], and 5.9.9 ["Other Electronic Sources"]).

Structure:

1. Author's last name, first name, middle name or initial.
2. For published material, place title or descriptor in quotation marks; for archived material, use neither italics nor quotation marks.
3. Date of the manuscript (if available).
4. Form of the material (manuscript).
5. Publication information (if available).
6. Title of collection (underlined or italicized).
7. Date of posting or most recent update.
8. Name of project or reference database (underlined or italicized).
9. Sponsoring institution.
10. Date of access and electronic address.

Last name, First name Middle name or initial. Title or Descriptor of Material. Day Month Year created, form of material. City: Publisher, date. Title of Online Collection. Date of posting. Database. Sponsoring institution. Day Month Year of access <electronic address>.

Example:
Keller, Helen. Letter to John Hitz 29 Aug. 1893, manuscript. The Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers, 1862-1939. 29 Sep. 2000. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 31 Jan. 2006 http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/
ampage?collId=magbell&fileName=215/21500147/bellpage.db&recNum=0

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