GLOBAL STUDIES IN EDUCATION:
A Guide to Library Resources

::Ask-A-Librarian | Hours and Locations | Finding Articles | Electronic Resources | Finding Books | Print Resources | More Help::

Welcome! This site has been created to assist you in exploring library resources related to your distance learning experience. Our library is one of the largest in the United States and it can be a bit overwhelming at first. We will try to make things a little easier for you, but don't hesitate to ask questions.

ASK-A-LIBRARIAN FOR HELP WITH YOUR RESEARCH

FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND

There are over 40 departmental libraries on our campus, and sometimes it may be difficult to determine where to find the resources you need.  For your class, the library that you will be using most is the Education and Social Science Library. We are located in Room 100 of the Main Library building. The Business and Economics Library may be of interest for management and human resources topics too.

LIBRARY HOURS

Education and Social Science Library, 100 Main Library, Fall and Spring Semesters:

FINDING ARTICLES

Journal articles are one of the primary means of communicating research ideas. They are an important component of academic research and give you some insight into ongoing debates and scholarly conversations about your topic.

Finding articles is a two-step process:

• First, find the citation to the articles you want.You can use bibliographies or suggested readings lists, or you can search for the topic you are interested in by using one of the article databases listed below. If you get stuck, ask your professor or a librarian for help getting started.
• Next, find the actual text of the articles you want. Many of our journals are online but many of them are still available only in print format. If the journal article you are looking for is not available electronically, you will need to contact the Academic Outreach Library.

WHICH ELECTRONIC RESOURCES WILL BE USEFUL FOR THIS CLASS?

• Digest of Education Statistics - Available both electronically as well as in print (370.973 Un3d1) in our reference collection, the Digest of Education Statistics is the official U.S. authority for statistics on almost every aspect of education.
• Education Full Text - Education Full Text indexes and abstracts articles from English-language journals and yearbooks published in the U.S. and elsewhere. English-language books relating to education published in 1995 or later are also indexed. Abstracting coverage begins with January 1994. Abstracts describe the content and scope of the source documents. Full-text coverage begins in January 1996.
• ERIC - ERIC is a national education database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Presently the largest education database in the world, ERIC contains over 1,000,000 citations covering research documents, journal articles, technical reports, program descriptions and evaluations, and curricular materials in the field of education. In addition to ERIC subject descriptors and extensive abstracts, limited full-text to selected items is available. Covers 1966-present.
• John Dewey: Collected Works (via Past Masters II) - This database is based on the 37-volume printed edition, The Collected Works of John Dewey 1882-1953, published 1967-1990.
• Online Research Resources - The complete list of electronic databases that the UIUC Library purchases. If you don't find what you need using the resources listed above, try browsing this list for resources in your subject area.
• Sociological Abstracts - This database of sociological articles can be a valuable resource for information on the social foundations of education.
• Statistical Sources in the Social Sciences - This is a guide prepared by the Education and Social Science Library listing many useful links to statistical sources in education and other fields.
• National School Reform Initiatives - This will lead you to an annotated list of sites that might be useful in discovering information and contacts related to national school reform in the United States.

FINDING BOOKS AND JOURNALS

Library catalogs are used for two purposes. First, if you know exactly what you are looking for - an exact title or author - you can use the catalog to locate your material. This works for book titles and journal titles. Second, you can use library catalogs to discover material that might be helpful to you by doing subject and keyword searching. Many of the records for journal titles in our catalog can link you to the electronic versions of these publications. If you do not see a link to an electronic version of an article you need in the Online Catalog, go to the Online Research Resources page and search for the title.

• Online Library Catalog - Look here to find books, DVDs, magazines or journals containing articles that you need, and many other resources.  In addition to the 10 million volumes we have on this campus, you can connect to 71 other libraries in Illinois and request that books be sent to you.
  
  When you find something you want in the catalog, write down the following:

  Location - in which library the item is kept (or libraries, if we have multiple copies)
  Call Number - this number is essential for finding the item on the shelf
  Status - is it available for you to check out?

  You can then use this information when requesting the item be sent to you.
• WorldCat and Interlibrary Loan - The places to verify citations for books and request books and articles you cannot find elsewhere. Ordering books and journals via interlibrary loan is free and generally fairly quick.

SOME HELPFUL PRINT RESOURCES

Although this is a distance education course, it might be helpful to know a few reference book titles that might be available at a library near you. We have listed some of these extremely useful resources below:

• Encyclopedia of Educational Research (370.3 En192 1992/Education Reference) - This four-volume encyclopedia set includes articles on specific aspects of education as well as research methodologies.
• The Encyclopedia of Education (Q.370.3 En193 2003/Education Reference) - This eight-volume encyclopedia provides detailed explanations for many of the terms and concepts related to the study of education. In addition to the general information provided by this source, its 8th volume provides detailed entries for court cases, legislation, and international agreements that have influenced the history of education.
• Greenwood Dictionary of Education (370.3 G856/Education Reference) - Published in 2003, and containing over 2600 terms, this source is the first comprehensive dictionary of Education created in over a quarter of a century. It is a valuable source for information on the foundations and fundamental concepts related to the field.
• International Handbook of Curriculum Research (375.00072 In8/ Education Reference) – Twenty-nine countries are covered in this handbook that also includes four introductory essays about curriculum in the global perspective. One introductory chapter provides a history of the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction. With its focus on curriculum, this source differs from other handbooks on national systems of education since it does not necessarily describe education at different levels. Provided is a complementary work, with a thoughtful overview of the status of curriculum theory, reform, and/or studies in each of the included countries. The editor's lengthy introduction provides a framework for the country essays and their cross-cultural context. Author and subject indexes provided.
• International Handbook of Educational Policy (379 In85/Education Reserves) – Published in 2005, this two-volume work moves from a review of current policy practice to critical and external perspectives, providing fifty-five chapters within the following globally focused framework : large-scale educational reform; leadership and governance; teaching quality; literacies; and, workplace learning.  Each chapter includes a bibliography, and an extensive index covers both volumes and aids in locating comments about specific countries.

MORE HELP ON USING THE LIBRARY

Library Research Guide for Education - A guide to education-related sources in the Education and Social Science Library.

Research Process - A step-by-step guide to research that takes you through the entire process, from choosing your topic to citing sources.