Selected Library Resources AAAS 103 / SOC / WMNST : Racism and Sexism
Spring 2008

Sylvia Nyana, Social Sciences Librarian
Office: 2nd Floor Paterno Library
san17@psu.edu
814-865-8864

University Libraries' home page: libraries.psu.edu

1) Identify and develop your topic

• Look at your syllabus for topic ideas
• Try These First is a list of databases that are good to use to start your research.
• Use Bibliographies to locate information in books, journals, magazines, newspapers, etc. on a topic:
  Example: In Basic Search, enter "affirmative action bibliography", "sexism bibliography" as Keywords
• Talk to your instructor or librarian

2) Identify keywords, synonyms and related words

Use identified keywords to search for Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Other Reference Works in Print and Online. Reference titles provide background information and overviews of topics, cited works; they are a good starting point for your topic.

• Gale Virtual Reference Library [available through the Libraries' Databases By Title (A-Z List)]
• Oxford African American Center [available through the Libraries' Databases By Title (A-Z List)]
• American women civil rights activists : bio-bibliographies of 68 leaders, 1825-1992 (print)
• The Greenwood encyclopedia of African American civil rights : from emancipation to the twenty-first century (print)

3) Use identified keywords to search for books and other materials in the CAT.

Go to the Advanced Search, enter keyword and limit your search to format, year, library, etc.

3) Indexes and Databases [available through the Libraries' Databases By Title (A-Z List)]

• Sage Race Relations Abstracts (examples of abstracts)
• Sociological Abstracts
• America : History and Life
• JSTOR
• PsycINFO
• Project Muse
• Gallup Brain (polling)
• iPoll (polling)
• National Journal (polling)
• Ethnic NewsWatch (ethnic newspapers, journals, magazines, etc.)

Newspapers are another good source for research.

4) Statistics

• LexisNexis Statistical [available through the Libraries' Databases By Title (A-Z List)]
• Social Sciences Statistics and Data [Social Sciences Library Web site]

Note: Contact Stephen Woods, Social Sciences Librarian and subject specialist for statistics for additional help.

5) Government Documents

• LexisNexis Congressional [available through the Libraries' Databases By Title (A-Z List)]
• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications [available through the Libraries Databases By Title (A-Z List)]

Note: Contact Stephen Woods, Social Sciences Librarian and subject specialist for Government for additional help.

6) Web Resources

• Ethnic and Race Relations reference resources [Social Sciences Library Web site]
• African American Studies [Social Sciences Library Web site]
• Women Studies [Social Sciences Library Web site]
• Race-based charges FY 1992-present Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC] Web page
• African-Americans in the Twentieth Century [Long Island University, B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library Web site]

7) Citing Your Work

Information Literacy & YOU