Trexler Library - Library Instruction Handout

American Ethnic Diversity

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)

Reference Desk Hours:
contact to confirm
T 2pm-4pm
W 10am-12pm
T 4pm-6pm
F 4pm-6pm

Office Hours:
contact to arrange

Selected Reference Materials

Bankston III, Carl L., Ed. 2000. Racial and Ethnic Relations in America. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Reference 305.800973 R121a v.1-3

*** Brownstone, David M. and Irene M. Franck. 2001. Facts about American Immigration. New York: H.W. Wilson.
Reference 304.873 B885f

Cordasco, Francesco, Ed. 1990. Dictionary of American Immigration History. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.
Reference 325.7303 D554o

*** Galens, Judy, Anna Sheets and Robyn V. Young, Eds. 1995. Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Detroit, MI: Gale Research.
Reference 305.800973 V413g v.1-2.

Lehman, Jeffrey, Ed. 1999. Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. Primary Documents. Detroit, MI: Gale Group.
Reference 305.800973 L523g v.1-2

*** Levinson, David and Melvin Ember, Eds. 1997. American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.
Reference 305.800973 L657a v.1-2

Thernstrom, Stephan, Ed. 1980. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press.
Reference 973.04 H339

Examples of Reference Works on Specific Populations:

Gall, Susan. 1995. The Asian-American Almanac : A Reference Work on Asians in the United States. Publisher Detroit, MI: Gale Research.
Reference 973.0495 G162a

Kanellos, Nicolás, Claudio Esteva-Fabregat, Eds. 1993 - 1994. Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States. Houston, TX: Arte Público Press.
Reference 973.0468 L845h v.1-4

Salzman, Jack, David Lionel Smith and Cornel West, Eds. 1996. Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. New York : Macmillan Library Reference.
Reference 973.0496 E56o v.1-5

Fischel, Jack and Sanford Pinsker, Eds. 1992. Jewish-American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia. New York : Garland.
Reference 973.04924 F529

*** = Highly Recommended

Statistics / Demography / Government Documents

Trexler Library receives approximately 25% of the materials published by the United States government. These are cataloged and can be identified using the Library's Catalog the same ways that books are identified.
Note: Many government documents are published online. You can often find links to online versions in the library's catalog, when available.

Statistics & Demography:

American Factfinder (U.S. Census Bureau)
http://factfinder.census.gov/

Bureau of Statistics, Treasury Department. 2006. Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington: G.P.O.
Statistics Reference 317.3 U58s 2002
Note: Various other editions, dating back to 1886, are also available in the Government Documents section at C 3.134:886 - C 3.134:2004/2005.

Carter, Susan B., et al, Eds. 2006- . Historical Statistics of the United States. Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press.
This is available online. Search the library catalog by title.
Note: Expanded and revised edition of Historical statistics of the United States, colonial times to 1970. See below.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 1975. Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. Washington: G.P.O.
Statistics Reference 317.3 U58ah, 1975
Note: An online PDF version of this edition is available. Search the library catalog by title.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 1960. Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1957; A Statistical Abstract Supplement. Washington, 1960.
Govt Docs C 3.134/2:H62/957
Govt Docs C 3.134/2:H62/957/Supp.

Kurian, George Thomas. 1994. Datapedia of the United States, 1790-2000: America Year by Year. Lanham, MD: Bernan Press.
Statistics Reference 317.3 K96d
Note: An updated version (published 2004) of this volume is on order.

LexisNexis Statistical Universe
Note: This is a searchable database of statistical tables, accessible via the Library Homepage Finding Articles Periodical Databases and Indexes Alphabetical List.

Statistical Resources on the Web (University of Michigan Library, Documents Center)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html

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.

Sociological Abstracts (SocAbs)
"Provides access to the latest research in sociology and related disciplines in the social behavioral sciences. Draws information from an international selection of journals, serials, conference papers, books, and dissertations."

America: History And Life
"A complete bibliographic reference to the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Covers 2000 journals published worldwide. In addition to covering all key English language historical journals, AH&L coverage includes selected historical journals from major countries, state and local history journals. It also includes citation to abstracts of dissertations and citations of book and media reviews."

Historical Abstracts
"Provides access to articles appearing in history journals, with emphasis on world history from 1450 to present (excluding the U.S. and Canada which are covered in America: History and Life). It includes citations to books, journal articles, and dissertations."

Interdisciplinary Databases:

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

JSTOR
Searchable collections of full-text journals. JSTOR contains the full text of 24 Sociology journals and many others from a wide variety of possibly relevant disciplines.

LexisNexis Academic
Major source for finding U.S. and international newspapers. Also includes an "Ethnic News" search.

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."

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.

Ethnic Diversity Websites

General Resources on Ethnic Groups (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh)
http://www.carnegielibrary.org/subject/ethnic/general.html

International Migration and Multicultural Policies (UNESCO--The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
http://www.unesco.org/migration/

Library of Congress, American Memory Digital Library.
http://memory.loc.gov/
A digital library containing many primary documents from U.S. History, including a section devoted to immigration.

Citing Your Sources

For help using ASA Style, consult the following resources:

American Sociological Association. 1997. ASA style guide, 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Sociological Association.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.0663 A512a (at Reference Desk)

ASA Style Guide (California State University, Los Angeles)
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/bi/rsalina/asa.styleguide.html

Quick Style Guide (American Sociological Association)
http://www.asanet.org/page.ww?name=Quick+Style+Guide§ion=Sociology+Depts

© Muhlenberg College
Last modified: 4 September 2006
URL: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/guides/libinst/socanth/americanethnicdiversity.html