Trexler Library - Library Instruction Handout

Media & Society

Need help with your research? Contact:

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

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 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    Finding Books    Our Catalog

For tips on searching the catalog, use the Help link above the search boxes. (Or click here.)

Need help with your keywords and search strategy? Try the Keyword Searching (Combining Concepts) worksheet. [ PDF | Word ]

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    Finding Books    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    Finding Books    E-ZBorrow

TIP: Check the E-ZBorrow catalog for any books you find in WorldCat. If not available there, then request via ILL.

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

GETTING THERE:      Library Homepage    Finding Books    Other 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    Finding Books    Borrowing from Other Libraries

Finding Articles

SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES

See a list of all Social Sciences databases at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/articles/databases/social_sciences.html.

Get to this list, and more: Library Homepage Finding Articles Periodical Databases and Indexes Social Sciences.

Need help with your keywords and search strategy? Try the Keyword Searching (Combining Concepts) worksheet. [ PDF | Word ]

Subject-Specific Databases

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.

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."

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.

Interdisciplinary Databases

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. .

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."
Note: A list of titles indexed in API is available at http://www.altpress.org/direct.html.

GETTING THE ARTICLES

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

If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.

Some databases have a Search Trexler Library for this title 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.

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 Finding Articles Getting a Copy of an Article). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.

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

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

Try NoodleBib Express for a quick tutorial on APA Style: http://www.noodletools.com/login.php.

© Muhlenberg College
Last modified: 31 January 2007
This document: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/guides/libinst/communication/mediasociety.html