Sociology Resources
The Peterson Library has a wide array of resources in this subject area. This guide presents a selection of these resources as well as useful Internet websites. For a good overview of library research and our resources, take our Virtual Reference Tour. For research assistance, visit us at the library Information Desk, call us at 203-932-7189, or e-mail us. For assistance with writing the research paper, visit the Center for Learning Resources in Maxcy Hall.
Library Home Page
Go to the Peterson Library home page at www.newhaven.edu/library and take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with it. If you start at the UNH website at http://www.newhaven.edu/, click on Library in the top middle. All the links for accessing library materials and services are on the left on the library home page. The most important are the ones for Catalog, Databases, Journals, and library Guides, but a quick look at all the links will be time well spent.
Library Catalog
Use the library catalog to find circulating and reference materials, including books, audio-visual resources, government documents, and periodical holdings. Our catalog uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification system and subject headings. LC assigns call numbers (letters and numerals) according to the book's primary subject. Some quick catalog search tips:
- Truncate with ‘?': sociolog? will get sociology, sociological, sociologically, etc.
- Put phrases in " ": "juvenile delinquency" or "poverty rate" or "urban studies"
- Sort results by Publish date descending to get newest items at the top of the list.
- Click on Bibliographic and use the subject-heading links below to find additional
material.
- Click on Linked Resources or look for the URL box next to an item for online access.
For additional search tips, consult the library guide on Using the UNH Library Catalog (OPAC) or take our interactive Online Library Catalog Tutorial.
Selected Catalog Holdings
America's children: key national indicators of well-being.
[U.S. Govt Docs] PR 42.8:C 43/C 43/; also online.
Encyclopedia of sociology. Ref. HM17 .E5 1991
Encyclopedia of urban America: the cities and suburbs. Ref. HT123 .E5 1998
The case for fewer people: the NPG forum papers. HB883.5 .C355 2006
The loss of happiness in market democracies. HB72 .L364 2000
Marriages & families: changes, choices, and constraints. HQ536 .B45 2007
McDonaldization: the reader. HN59.2 .M423 2006
Money, sex and happiness: an empirical study. HB1 .A2 N3 no.10499; also online.
Older Americans 2004 key indicators of well-being.
[U.S. Govt Docs] HE 1.1002:OL 1/16; also online.
Poverty, racism and literacy. [U.S. Govt Docs] ED 1.310/2:475392; also online.
Quality of life and human difference: genetic testing, health care, and disability. RG628 .Q35 2005
The social control of cities?: a comparative perspective. HT321 .B65 2000
Socioeconomic disadvantage and early childbearing. HB1 .A2 N3 no.13436; also online.
Sociology: the study of human relationships. HN29 .H647 2003
SPSS for Windows step by step: a simple guide and reference.
[Info Desk] Ref. HA32 .G458 2006
Understanding the decline in social capital, 1952-1998. HB1 .A2 N3 no.8295; also online.
Well-being, social capital and public policy... HB1 .A2 N3 no.11807; also online.
The wrong side(s) of the tracks: estimating the causal effects of racial segregation on city outcomes. HB1 .A2 N3 no.13343; also online.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If you need something not in our catalog, please use our ILL service to have materials sent here from other libraries. Forms to request books and articles are available at the Information Desk, and also online. Fill out a separate ILL request form for each item. Incorrect or incomplete information will slow down receipt of material, so please be accurate.
Government Documents
A federal documents depository since 1971, the library currently receives about a third of Government Printing Office (GPO) publications. Documents received since 2000 will show up in catalog searches. Many of these are also available online so be sure to click on Linked Resources for each item. Most documents held in the library can be borrowed. Consult the Government Documents library guide for more information. To request catalog items with the U.S. Govt Docs location or to inquire about older documents, come to the Information Desk.
Journals and Articles
Periodical articles from magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals are a valuable source of information in all research areas. Our Journals link lists of most of the periodical titles, current and historical, to which you have access through the library, in all formats.
Use the upper search box to enter a journal title to get links to databases containing the journal electronically and a link for any available library holdings as well. You can also use the drop-down box here to search for keywords like social, society, sociolog* [*=truncation], etc.
Use the lower search box to drop down through topical groupings like: Social Studies> Sociology & Social History> Social Change. Click here to identify periodicals in this latter subject area and to browse current issues, either online or in the library.
Use the indexes in the next section to find periodical articles. For more help, consult our library guide on Finding Articles.
Databases
Searching for articles on a subject is best done using an electronic index that looks through the contents of many journals at one time. These databases now often provide the full text of articles or give you other ‘Find full text' options. For tips on searching effectively for articles, take our interactive Database Searching Tutorial.
Access all our Databases via the link on the library home page and enter your UNH network log-in when requested. Most are available 24/7 from any Internet terminal. Databases below with ** are only available in library. Ask at the Information Desk for log-on.
Databases dealing with sociological issues are listed below. Use the Annotated Listing to get additional information about them. Use the Subject Listing to look for others in topical groupings. Those under General/Multidisciplinary will be most broadly useful.
Academic Onefile. Multidisciplinary journal index, good for all research topics.
**AltPressIndex and Archive. Alternative press periodical index covering social change.
Credo Reference. Search the entire database or use the Social Sciences link to get to Collins Dictionary of Sociology, Gale's World of Sociology, and other reference e-texts.
CQ Researcher and CQ Global Researcher. Analysis of current social and political issues.
**DAI. Abstracts of dissertations from North America and Europe.
Education Journals & Wilson Education Abstracts. Education articles via linked indexes.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Has online encyclopedias of population; multicultural America; fashion, costume, and culture; medicine; popular culture; and many others.
ProQuest Newspapers and Historical Newspapers. Indexing for major U.S. newspapers.
PsycINFO. Indexes journals, books, dissertations and more. Interlinked with PsycARTICLES and Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection for full-text articles.
Social Services Abstracts. Indexes articles on gerontology, poverty, and other social issues.
Sociological Abstracts. Indexes journal articles, book reviews, dissertations, and more.
Selected Internet Resources
Many of the websites below are from academic institutions and government agencies. Usually, ones like these with .edu and .gov domains are the most reliable. Google sociology for additional sites and examine them carefully for their content, currency, and credentials. Look for the About us link. Here's a website to help you to critically evaluate Internet resources.
Megasites
The American Studies Web. From Georgetown University, a mega-site with links covering the sociological dimensions of race and ethnicity; popular culture; environmental studies; gender and family issues; materialism and media culture; folklore and anthropology; and more.
Google Directory - Sociology. Extensive set of web links.
Sociosite. From the University of Amsterdam.
The SocioWeb. An "independent guide" to resources on the web, the Directory takes you to useful links for sociological theories, surveys and statistics, online journals and blogs, resources for learning sociology, academic departments at universities around the world, etc.
Voice of the Shuttle. From the University of California at Santa Barbara. Links include anthropology; gender and sexuality; minority studies; and, science, technology and culture.
WWW Virtual Library - Sociology.
Agency and Organization Sites
American Sociological Association. This organization site has more freely available information than usually is the case for such websites, including career data, research and statistics, topical briefs on issues, and full PDF files of its current journals under the Publications link.
Census Bureau. This federal agency publishes many reports based on the decennial census of population and intervening updates. Use the Statistical Abstract link to find population and geographic data on families, households, age, income, race and ethnicity, health, religion, etc.
The Gallup Organization. Founded as the American Institute of Public Opinion in 1935, Gallup is a leading pollster. The Politics & Government link takes you to ‘Regions' and ‘Poll Topics' with much freely available data, sometimes over extended historical periods.
The Internet Sociologist. Useful tutorial from the University of Exeter, U.K.
National Data Program for the Social Sciences. University of Chicago. The General Social Survey (GSS) is "the only full-probability, personal-interview survey designed to monitor changes in both social characteristics and attitudes," collecting data back to 1972 and correlating questions to decades earlier. Data sets are available in SPSS or STRATA formats.
United Nations. The preeminent organization for world governance and cooperation with many important sub-agencies and publications. Homepage has links for Peace & Security, Economic & Social Development, Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs, and International Law, as well as for the Main Bodies and Member States. The Publications link takes you to many free online offerings and statistical databases.
Any questions? Stop at the Information Desk, call us at 203-932-7189, or e-mail us.
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