Media & Society

Need help with your research? Contact:

Jen Jarson
Social Sciences Reference Librarian
phone: x3552
email: jarson [at] muhlenberg [dot] edu
IM (AIM, Yahoo, MSN): jjarson1 (add @hotmail.com for MSN)

Need help after hours?
IM the Library at TalkToTrexler (for AIM, Yahoo, and MSN)
Note: Add @hotmail.com for MSN.
Online Sunday-Thursday 2pm-10pm.
See Ask a Librarian for more information.

Selected Reference Materials

Dictionaries

Watson, James and Anne Hill. A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies, 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Reference 302.2 W339d, 1997

Weiner, Richard. Webster's New World Dictionary of Media and Communications. Rev. and Updated. New York, NY: Macmillan, 1996.
Reference 302.2303 W423w

Encyclopedias

Johnston, Donald H., ed. Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications. San Diego, CA: Academic, 2003.
Reference 302.2303 E56o v.1-4

Jones, Steve, ed. Encyclopedia of New Media: An Essential Reference to Communication and Technology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003.
Reference 302.23403 J79e

International Encyclopedia of Communications. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Reference 302.2303 I61e v.1-4

Pendergast, Tom, and Sara Pendergast, eds. St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2000.
Reference 973.9 S143j v.1-5

Schement, Jorge Reina, ed. Encyclopedia of Communication and Information. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.
Reference 302.203 E56o v.1-3

Finding Articles

SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES

See a list of all databases at via the Library Homepage  --  Articles A-Z (in the Find box).

START WITH...

Communication and Mass Media Complete
The most comprehensive database in Communication Studies. Indexing and abstracting for over 600 journals. Article full-text is available for many of those titles.

Sage Journals Online
Provides access to all journals published by Sage (full-text online for 1999-present).

FIND MORE WITH...
Depending on the nature of your research question, these databases may be useful. All Trexler Library databases available via the Library Homepage  --  Articles A-Z (in the Find box).

Business and Company ASAP
"A comprehensive source of company data, business periodicals, business and management journals, trade journals, newspapers, and directories." Good for examining media issues from a financial, corporate, or business perspective. This databases includes popular and peer reviewed resources.

PsycINFO
"Indexes and abstracts professional and academic literature in Psychology and related disciplines."

Sociological Abstracts
"Provides access to the latest research in Sociology and related disciplines in the social behavioral sciences."

MORE INTERDISCIPLINARY DATABASES...
NOTE: In addition to some scholarly resources, these databases also have popular resources.

Academic Search Premier
Large and diverse database that covers most academic disciplines, including Media and Communication Studies. Contains both scholarly and non-academic resources. Includes many articles in full text.

OmniFile (WilsonWeb)
A full text "mega" database comprised of various smaller databases from separate academic disciplines. Its general scope includes general sciences, humanities, The Reader's Guide, social sciences, and business.

NEWSPAPER DATABASES...

LexisNexis Academic
Indexes and provides full-text of major national and international newspapers, newswires, select journals and magazines, and legal publications. Updated daily. Coverage varies by publication.

Alternative Press Index
Indexes "alternative, radical, and left periodicals, newspapers, and magazines. A comprehensive guide to alternative sources of information. Coverage is international and interdiciplinary."

GETTING THE ARTICLES

  1. When searching for articles, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.

  2. If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.
    • Most databases have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings.
    • Otherwise, search the catalog by journal title. Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.
  3. If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.
    • Some databases have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form. Click Submit.
    • Otherwise, use the Interlibrary Loan Journal Article Request Form (Library Homepage  --  ILL (in the Services & Forms box)  --  Articles request form). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.

Finding Books

TREXLER LIBRARY

Search the Trexler Library Catalog to find out what books, government publications, journals, videos, etc. the library owns.

GETTING THERE: Use the shortcut search box on the Library Homepage or Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Trexler Library Catalog

For tips on searching the catalog, use the Help link above the search boxes.

OTHER LIBRARIES

WorldCat. To find books held by other libraries, search WorldCat, a database of over 60 million library records from around the country and world. Use the ILL button to request a book from another library. (ILL can take 10-14 days.)

GETTING THERE: Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Other Library Catalogs -- WorldCat

E-ZBorrow. For quick delivery of books from many Pennsylvania and area academic libraries (including University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, University of Pittsburgh, and many more), use E-ZBorrow. (E-ZBorrow takes 2-4 business days.)

GETTING THERE: Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Other Library Catalogs -- E-ZBorrow

TIP: Because E-ZBorrow books can arrive so quickly, check the E-ZBorrow catalog for any books you find in WorldCat. If not available there, then request via the ILL button in Worldcat.

LVAIC. You can borrow books directly from LVAIC (Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges) Libraries.

GETTING THERE: Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Regional Libraries  -- LVAIC Libraries

For more information on Interlibrary Loan options, see http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/more/ill/index.html or ask for help.

GETTING THERE: Library Homepage  --  ILL (in the Services & Forms box)

Citing Your Sources

For help using APA Style, consult the following resources:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 p976m 2001 (at Reference Desk)

Concise Rules of APA Style.  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2005.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 C744r (at Reference Desk)

Trexler Library handout on using APA style: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/apa_example.pdf
This and other style guide handouts available from the library website.  Library Homepage -- Citation Guides (in the Research Help box).

Writer's Handbook (Writing Center, University of Wisconsin--Madison)
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html

© Muhlenberg College
Last modified: 18 September 2008