This page will provide you with some highly targeted resources for the exploration of your topics. If you have questions about the University Library resources or would like to sit down and speak about your project, please do not hesitate to contact me. My hours and contact information is found in the navigation bar on the left of this page.
Basic Resources
Books and Reference Materials
Searching for a good book? Try the online catalog. A few examples of the reference books that might be useful are listed below with descriptions taken directly from the catalog:
Countries and Their Cultures/Melvin Ember and Carol R. Ember, editors – available online – Presents the cultural similarities within a country that set it apart from others by examining over 200 countries to document the myriad ways in which culture defines and separates the nations of the world as much as geographical borders do. Surveys each country’s shared values, behaviors and cultural variations from foods and rituals to pastimes and arts, using a standard entry format for easy comparison. Provides illustrations, photographs and maps. 4 volumes.
Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World/Melvin Ember, Carol R. Ember, and Ian Skoggard, editors – 2 volumes – SSHEL Reference – 304.8 En192
The Encyclopedia of Migration and Minorities in Europe: From the 17th Century to the Present/Klaus J. Bade, et al., editors – SSHEL Reference – Q. 304.84003 En99:E – Although migration and integration have become important concepts today as a result of globalization, migration movements, integration, and multiculturalism have always been part of the history of Europe. Few people realize how many ethnic groups participated in migration within Europe or into Europe and this ignorance has grave consequences for the social and political status of immigrants. Newly available to an English-speaking audience, this encyclopaedia presents a systematic overview of the existing scholarship regarding migration within and into Europe. The first section contains survey studies of the various regions and countries in Europe covering the last centuries. The second section presents information on about 220 individual groups of migrants from the Sephardic Jews emigration from Spain and Portugal in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the present-day migration of old-age pensioners to the holiday villages in the sun. The first resource of its kind, The Encyclopaedia of Migration is a comprehensive and authoritative research tool.
You will probably want to search for more information in the catalog to find books to check out as well as links to other electronic resources.
Related Databases
Anthropology Plus – Combined access to the entire backfiles of Anthropological Index (produced by Royal Anthropological Institute and The British Museum, Anthropological Index Online or Q.572.05 RO1) and Anthropological Literature (produced by Harvard’s Tozzer Library, 016.57205 AN). Identifies print materials in anthropology, archaeology and related interdisciplinary research areas published in almost 900 journals and monographic series. Coverage of the North American and British literature is nearly exhaustive, and good for core European and Latin American sources.
Anthro Source – This portal to American Anthropological Association publications currently provides a full text archive of 11 major AAA journals from volume 1 to the present, and will continue to add additional AAA publications and other collections. The interface supports full text searching across the archive, email alerts and saved searches. (Sometimes really slow.)
Annual Review of Anthropology– Each year Annual Reviews critically reviews the most significant primary research literature in the field. Extensive bibliographies support the essays found here.
Ethnographic Video Online – This collection of online streaming video provides 825 videos (about 506 hours) of historical and contemporary ethnographic film featuring cultural groups from Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America and South America. Includes published documentaries, edited field recordings, interviews, and performances. Themes include family and race, material culture, language and culture, body language, marriage, and many more. Users can browse by title, author/ethnographer, geographic location, cultural group, subjects, date, people, and clips; advanced searching is also featured. Searchable text transcripts are included with each video, and users have the ability to edit clips and save playlists.
International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS): IBSS provides comprehensive international coverage in 100 languages and countries identifying journal articles, books, reviews and selected chapters from 1951- present.
PAIS (Public Affairs Information Services) – PAIS identifies articles, books, websites, statistics, yearbooks, directories, conference proceedings, pamphlets, reports, government documents, and microfiches on political, social, public policy issues from 1915 – present.
Sociological Abstracts: CSA Sociological Abstracts identifies abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers in sociology and in the social and behavioral sciences from 1963 – present.
Citation Databases
Scopus – An abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature with smart tools that track, analyze and visualize research. Somewhat of a bent toward the sciences but some valuable information can be found here.
Web of Science – Social Sciences Citation Index: Social Sciences Citation Index includes journal articles and cited references in anthropology, political science, history, public health, industrial relations, social issues, information science, library science, social work, law, sociology, linguistics, substance abuse, philosophy, urban studies, psychology, women’s studies, and psychiatry.
Reliable Websites
Europa – Official site of the European Union
Eurobarometer – Public opinion polling from the EU
Eurostats – Look for reports or generate your own tables through this EU website
OECD iLibrary – Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s online library includes reports, statistics, and analysis.
World Bank – Find World Development Indicators and much more at the site for this Specialized Agency of the United Nations.
News Resources
Indexes
Access World News – Includes full text for news articles from around the world as well as links to news broadcast transcripts and news-wire articles.
Lexis Nexis Academic Universe – standard, if not favorite, site that indexes newspapers, broadcast transcripts, new-wire articles and blogs with most in full-text
Individual Titles
Illinois Newspaper Database – This links to the list of newspapers in the Illinois collection. Some include electronic access, but be warned, some are on the dreaded microfilm. The nice people in the History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library will be happy to show you how to use it.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers – Collections of newspapers that generally go back to the first day of publication. This news is primarily U.S. and Western Europe focused, but does contain a few links to other foreign news as well.
Libraries of interest at Illinois
History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library
International and Area Studies Library – in particular the Africana Collections and Services and the European Union Portal