Introduction to Islam

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A good place to start. . .

  Finding reference works

The Historical Atlas of Islam (Ref. Collection 911.1767 R611h) bring maps and history together for a good overview of Islam and its diaspora.

The multi-volume Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (2004)   (Ref. Collection 297.03 E56of) and the classic set of Encyclopaedia of Islam (1960-) (Ref. Collection 297.03 E56o) both offer authoritative introductions to concepts of Islamic theology and culture.

    periodical guides. . .

Magazines for Libraries (Reference Desk 016.05 K19m) is a good way to identify the political orientiation of a periodical. See for example the section on "News and Opinion." Also good at helping to discern between scholarly and popular.

    Finding books

Books can be found locally by searching the Trexler Library Catalog; follow the path Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Finding BooksCatalog.

To expand your book search considerably, try WorldCat; follow the path Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Finding BooksWorldCat. WorldCat is a powerful search tool for books on any subject.

Use WorldCat in conjunction with Interlibrary Loan, path: Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Finding BooksBorrow from Another Library.

Optionally, use E-ZBorrow for rapid delivery from PA and NJ libraries such as U. Penn, Rutgers, and Carnegie Mellon. Delivery time is on average less than a week. Follow the path: Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Finding BooksE-ZBorrow Catalogs

Periodical databases pertaining to this subject area can be located by following the path Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Finding ArticlesDatabases & IndexesListed Alphabetically.

Subscribed to by Muhlenberg College for a substantial fee, these databases can be accessed on campus without restriction, or off campus with your name and student ID number.

NOTE: Not all databases are full text. Many of the best are indexes only, to be used in conjunction with the library's journal collection, with interlibrary loan, or possibly with another database. Such indexes (MLA, PsycInfo, Historical Abstracts, etc.) contain a depth of information and level of organization in their specialty areas unmatched by any other database or search engine.

LexisNexis Academic offers the full text of several hundred newspapers and magazines, U.S. and foreign, English language and non-English.

Alternative Press Index indexes the fringe press. A great way to find off-beat perspectives.

Academic Search Premier is a good starting place for both popular magazines and scholarly journals, and includes the full text of about 3000 titles.

Similarly, Omnifile includes extensive full text as well, both popular and scholarly titles, and a search can be restricted to "peer reviewed" to retrieve only scholarly articles. 

WNC offers foreign-language news releases translated into English.

The Morning Call (via Proquest) gives full archival coverage from our local paper.

ATLA Religion indexes scholarly religion journals and books. 

Try MLA and Communication and Mass Media Complete for film criticism and scholarly commentary on the media.

PAIS focuses on politics and other issues of public concern, indexing some popular magazines and many more scholarly journals.

Try Historical Abstracts for journal articles and reviews on Islam in non-U.S. history. For Islam in U.S. and Canadian history, consult America History and Life.

Academic Search Premier is a good starting place for both popular magazines and scholarly journals, and includes the full text of about 3000 titles.

Similarly, Omnifile includes extensive full text as well, both popular and scholarly titles, and a search can be restricted to "peer reviewed" to retrieve only scholarly articles. 

Articles via interlibrary loan          

Journal articles not found in Trexler Library can be ordered by following this path: Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Finding ArticlesGetting a Copy of an Article.

To check to see if you have access to the full text of a specific journal, whether online or in print, follow this path: Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Finding ArticlesJournal Locator.

One of the difficulties of using information retrieved through even the better search engines like Google (http://www.google.com) is identifying the source and thus the reliability of the data. One way to screen web sites for authority and reliability is to use a web directory rather than the a simple search engine. Web directories vary in restrictiveness, but all have some sort of rating system for site inclusion. One web directory that selects the best web sites on a variety of topics is Librarian's Index to the Internet (http://lii.org/). Alternatively, try Google Scholar (http://google.scholar.com).

One free web site that comes highly recommended is News and Newspapers Online (http://library.uncg.edu/news/), hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It is a gateway to newspaper web sites around the globe.

Arguably the best free web site for authoritative information on Islam, Islamic Studies: Islam, Arabic, and Religion (http://www.uga.edu/islam/) from the University of Georgia presents scholarly entries and web links on an array of topics.

For tips on citing print and electronic sources in a bibliography according to the Chicago (Turabian) style, follow the path Trexler Library Home Page (http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library)Research HelpCitation Guides. For more on how to cite electronic sources in the Chicago style, consult the 15th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (Reference Desk 808.027 C632m).