Rootlessness in America

Need help with your research? Contact:

Kelly Cannon Humanities & Business Reference Librarian phone: x3602 email: kcannon@muhlenberg.edu IM (AIM, Yahoo, MSN): refcannon Reference desk IM: talktotrexler

Encycopedia of Population (Reference Collection 304.603 E56o)
See entries on "internal migration" and "international migration." Includes reference list with such titles as Why People Move: Exploring the 2000 Current Population Survey.

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org)
A good source for brainstorming for ideas, and narrowing a topic. A communally-edited site. Non-scholarly. Compare this resource to Scholarpedia (http://www.scholarpedia.org/).

How do I locate statistical data?

American FactFinder (http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en)
Easy-to-use access point to U.S. Census data. Try clicking on Search > Keyword > Select a Subject > Migration.

Historical Statistics of the United States Millennial Edition Online
(http://0-hsus.cambridge.org.library.muhlenberg.edu/)
Time series data. Try a search on "mobility" or on "internal migration."

Pew Internet and American Life Project
(http://www.pewinternet.org/)
This nonprofit research center is famous for studying the effects of technology on American life, including how it affects personal relationships, travel, commuting, etc.

Statistical Abstract of the United States (http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS2878)
Summary of most statistical data produced by the U.S. government. This publication is also available in hard copy in Trexler Library, level A, Statistical Reference 317.3 U58s. See especially the references to the U.S. Census Current Popular Survey on Geographic Mobility: 2004 to 2005.

University of Michigan Statistical Resources on the Web (http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html)
A gateway to domestic and international statistical data. Try section on "Travel."

Scholarly books pertaining to this subject area can be accessed from home or campus by visiting the Trexler Library Home PageFinding Books. See especially:

Trexler Library Catalog  
Catalog of all books and documents in Trexler Library at Muhlenberg College.

WorldCat
 Catalog of books and documents in libraries throughout the world. Watch especially for the AREA LIBRARIES designation. You can interlibrary loan from WorldCat, but E-ZBorrow has faster delivery.

E-ZBorrow
A catalog of books and documents in the libraries of the PALCI consortium to which Muhlenberg College belongs. Submit interlibrary loan requests here for rapid delivery.

How do I locate peer-reviewed (scholarly) journal articles?

Journal articles pertaining to this subject area can be accessed from home or campus by visiting the Trexler Library Home PageFinding ArticlesPeriodical Databases & Indexes. See especially:

general indexes with full text. . .

Academic Search Premier  
A good starting place for journals, and includes the full text of about 3000 journals. Limit to "peer reviewed" to find only scholarly articles. Back issues of journals begin as early as 1990. Recent issues may not be included yet, due to publisher agreement. Journals held in Trexler Library are marked accordingly.

Directory of Open Access Journals (open access) (http://www.doaj.org)
An index to full-text peer-reviewed journals published in free online journals hosted by educational institutions. A small but growing collection. Broad searches work better here.

Google Scholar (open access) (http://scholar.google.com)
An index to books and to articles with bibliographies--many of them scholarly, but not all. Many are working papers (not yet reviewed). Some links to full text--especially non-English. Use in conjunction with our Journal Locator, or request articles on interlibrary loan.

Omnifile (WilsonWeb)
Includes extensive full text, from both popular and scholarly periodicals.

subject-specialty indexes. . .

American History and Life

Business Source Elite

Sociological Abstracts

getting to the full text. . .

Once you have found the citation of a journal article --or if you want to browse in a journal--follow this path to see if the journal is available online or in print in Trexler Library: Trexler Library Home PageFinding ArticlesJournal Locator.

articles via interlibrary loan. . .

Journal articles not found in Trexler Library can be requested from within the database, or if not, by following this path: Trexler Library Home PageFinding ArticlesGetting a Copy of an Article.

How do I evaluate information resources for their scholarly value?

View a checklist of criteria for evaluating web and print resources by following the path Trexler Library Home Page Research HelpResearch BasicsEvaluating Web and Print Resources.

How do I cite my sources in a bibliography?

For tips on citing print and electronic sources in the MLA style, follow the path Trexler Library Home Page Research HelpCitation Guides.

© Muhlenberg College
Last modified: 8 April 2007