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 Note: 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 1pm-9pm. See http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/forms/ask.html for more information.

Selected Reference Materials

Balderston, D., Gonzalez, M., and Lopez, A.M. Encyclopedia of contemporary Latin American and Caribbean cultures. London; New York: Routledge, 2000.
Reference 972.9003 E56o v.1-3

Europa World Year Book. London, England: Europa Publications Limited, 2006.
Ready Reference 341.1 E89
Note: Older editions (1966- ) in Main Collection at same call number.

Political Handbook of the World. New York: Published for the Center for Comparative Political Research of the State University of New York at Binghamton and for the Council on Foreign Relations by McGraw-Hill Book Co., 2007.
Ready Reference 329 P769
Note: Older editions (1928- ) in Main Collection at same call number.

Tenenbaum, B.A., ed. Encyclopedia of Latin American history and culture. New York: C. Scribner's Sons; London: Simon & Schuster: Prentice Hall International, 1996.
Reference 980.003 E56o v.1-5

Turner, B., ed. Latin America profiled: essential facts on society, business and politics in Latin America. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000.
Reference 980 T944L

Ziring, L., Plano, J.C., and Olton, R. International relations: a political dictionary, 5th ed. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1995.
Reference 327.03 Z81i

Online

The following online resources might be useful providing overviews, history, and data on individual countries.

CIA World Factbook
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
A standard source for current data on countries of the world.

Library of Congress Country Portals to the World
http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
A gateway to recommended sources on specific countries.
From the site: "Portals to the World contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world. They are arranged by country or area with the links for each sorted into a wide range of broad categories. The links were selected by Area Specialists and other Library staff using Library of Congress selection criteria."

Library of Congress Country Studies: Area Handbook Series
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/
From the site: "The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world." Note that some of the entries have not been updated in recent years. Check for currency.

US Department of State: Background Notes
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn
Great for current information on specific countries, particularly relevant to U.S. foreign relations.
From the site: "These publications include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty. The Background Notes are updated/revised by the Office of Electronic Information and Publications of the Bureau of Public Affairs as they are received from the Department's regional bureaus and are added to the database of the Department of State website you are now using."

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: Databases & Indexes

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 ] 

International Relations, Political Science and Specialized Databases

PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service)
Top source for International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Public Affairs resources. Indexes select articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, statistical directories, 1972 to present.

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
Scholarly source for theory and research in international affairs since 1991. Includes working papers, conference proceedings, books, journals, policy briefs, maps and country data.

Clase Periodica
Contains indexing for scholarly journals published in Latin America. These journals cover all subjects, and many articles are in Spanish.

Contemporary Women's Issues (CWI)
Provides indexing to global information on women in over 150 countries. Indexes books, journals, newsletters, research reports from non-profit groups, government and international agencies, and fact sheets.

Economic Literature (EconLit)
Index to select articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, statistical directories, 1972 to present. Especially useful for research on a country's economic policies, development issues, and trade.

General / Interdisciplinary Databases

Academic Search Premier
Large and diverse database that covers most academic disciplines, including International Relations and Comparative Politics. Contains both scholarly and non-academic resources. Includes many articles in full text.

OmniFile (WilsonWeb)
Multi-disciplinary database providing the complete content–indexing, abstracts, and full text–from six of Wilson's full-text databases. Includes resources from Political Science subject areas.

Lexis Nexis Academic Universe
Indexes and provides full-text of major national and international newspapers, newswires, select journals and magazines, and legal publications. Updated daily. Coverage from as early as 1980 to the present. Special section for country information.

 

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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.
   • 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.


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    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.

Finding Films

All films owned by the library (DVD and VHS) are listed in the library catalog. If you know the title of a film, simply search the catalog (http://library.muhlenberg.edu/) by title. To search for films more generally, consider the following options.

• From the Library Homepage (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/), go Finding Media   Videos    Genre / Language / Academic Subject (or go directly to http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/media/videos_subjects.html).


• Go the advanced search screen of the library catalog (Library Homepage   Finding Books   Our Catalog    Display More Searches  Advanced Search or directly at http://library.muhlenberg.edu/search/X).
  • Enter terms in the search boxes that appropriately reflect what you hope to find (content matter). For example, a search for "Latin America" will retrieve any record that uses that phrase.
  • In the Location drop-down menu, choose Audio-Visual. Note that this limit option will retrieve results from our audiobook collection, as well as DVDs and VHS tapes. To avoid that, bypass the Location menu and instead choose from the Material Type drop-down (DVD or Videotape).
  • Apply other limits as necessary.


• For more information on individual titles, try The Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/).

Government Documents

Muhlenberg College receives about 25% of all materials published by the Federal Government. These items cover a wide range of subject areas--from legal materials and the records of Congress to health and education information and in-depth research conducted by the Smithsonian. All of the government documents that we receive have records in the Trexler Library Catalog.

GPO Monthly Catalog
The most complete single source listing of Government Printing Office publications. It covers the period 1976 to present and includes a wide range of publications types including agency reports and congressional documents, providing the Superintendent of Document Number (SUDOC).

Google U.S. Government Search
Google's search tool for state and federal webpages.

LexisNexis Congressional
Provides access to detailed information about Congress. It includes The Congressional Record, congressional hearings, legislation, legislative histories, etc., from 1969 to the present.

Documents Center (University of Michigan Library)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/
"The Documents Center is a central reference and referral point for government information, whether local, state, federal, foreign or international. Its web pages are a reference and instructional tool for government, political science, statistical data, and news."

Selected Websites

Dr. McRae's Recommended Websites
A list of sites selected by Dr. McRae that are relevant to all of her classes.

Handbook of Latin American Studies
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/hlas/

InterPress Service News Agency
http://www.ipsnews.net/

Latin American Network Information Center
http://lanic.utexas.edu

Latin American Studies Association
http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/

North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
http://www.nacla.org/

Resource Center of the Americas
http://www.americas.org

Washington Office on Latin America
http://www.wola.org

International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Association of Caribbean States
http://www.acs-aec.org

Andean Community (CAN)
http://www.comunidadandina.org/endex.htm

Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
http://www.caricom.org

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (United Nations)
http://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=IN

International Monetary Fund (IMF): Country Information
http://www.imf.org/external/country/index.htm

Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
http://www.oecs.org/

Organization of American States (OAS)
http://www.oas.org/

Respondanet: Americas' Accountability/Anti-Corruption Project
http://www.respondanet.com/english/

World Bank: Latin America and the Caribbean
http://www.worldbank.org/lac

Citing Your Sources

For help using Chicago style, consult the following resources:

The Chicago manual of style, 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003
Reference Desk Reserve 808.027 C632m (at Reference Desk)

Trexler Library handout on using Chicago style: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/chicago_example.pdf
This and other style guide handouts available from the library website.  Library Homepage    Research Help    Citation Guides.

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