Penn State University Libraries - AFR 110: Introduction to Contemporary Africa

Use The CAT [Penn State Libraries' online catalog] to find, not only reference materials, but also general books, dissertations, videos and other recorded formats on your topic.

The CAT also provides links to online resources when available. You can also access Penn State Libraries' holdings in WorldCat, HathiTrust, and Google Books from The CAT .

Hint: Use Advanced Search in The CAT. Enter keyword(s) to search and limit your search to format, publication year, etc.

 

Use LionSearch to find books, non-book materials, local Libraries' collections, and articles from Penn State University Libraries-subscribed databases.

Hint:: Enter keyword(s) in the search box, and narrow your results to scholarly publications (peer-reviewed), format, year, subject, etc. by using the facets in the left-hand menus.

 

Google Scholar provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including theses, books, abstracts, and articles. Will provide links to full text for Libraries-subscribed articles and books.

 

• The CIA World Factbook

• The World Bank

• U.S Department of State

• Country Studies (Library of Congress)

• Africa South of the Sahara Countries page [Stanford University Libraries' Research Guide]

• Country Maps

• search an individual country's website for current information about political, social, and cultural issues.

 

Encyclopedias are important sources for background information, definitions, further readings, etc.:

• Use Advanced Search in The CAT:

  • search by keyword, e.g., women in Africa
  • scroll down and select format Reference Book to locate encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works

• Gale Virtual Reference Library (online)

• International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences (online)

• The Europa world year book (print)

• The World almanac and book of facts (print)

• Political handbook of the world (print)

• Nations of the world: a political, economic & business handbook (print)

• Other Online Encyclopedias

 

Databases by Title (A-Z) — the complete list of Penn State Libraries' databases

Selected databases:

• Project Muse

• JSTOR

• Historical Abstracts

• International Index to Black Periodicals (IIBP) Full Text

• UNdata (United Nations statistics)

 

Research guides help you find high-quality information. They are created by librarians who are subject specialists in a wide array of disciplines. Search for a guide by keyword or browse the complete alphabetical list of research guides to find the appropriate guides for your topic.

Two guides which may be helpful:

• African Studies

• International Statistics and data

 

Use either format of this tutorial for comprehensive information about using The CAT to find information about your topic available in the Penn State Libraries:

• Quick Guide to Searching the CAT (HTML version)

• Quick Guide to Searching in the CAT (easy-print PDF version)