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Starting Point

Encyclopedia of Community by Karen S. Christensen (Editor); David Levinson (Editor)
ISBN: 9780761925989
Publication Date: 2003-06-23
Sage Reference is very pleased to announce the Encyclopedia of Community, a major reference work that summarizes everything we know about how we humans come together. Community itself is a concept, an experience, and a central part of being human. The encyclopedia covers communities of the past and present, from 19th century utopians, to the communes of the 1960's, to today's Rotary Club, Amish, and cyber communities. Developed by award winning editors Karen Christensen and David Levinson with a board of leading scholars, the Encyclopedia of Community is essential for history, sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, and public administration students and the interested public, who will turn to the encyclopedia for inspiration and illumination, stories and strategies.

Searching for Books

Although you are not required to use books for this paper, some might prove to be helpful in your research. Try clicking on "UNCW Library Catalog" below the main search box and typing in relevant terms, then using the subject terms provided for an individual book to find related books. For example:

The Sociology of Community Connections by John G. Bruhn
ISBN: 9789400716339
Publication Date: 2011-07-18
Many of our current social problems have been attributed to the breakdown or loss of community as a place and to the fragmentation of connections due to an extreme value of individualism in the Western world, particularly in the United States. Not all scholars and researchers agree that individualism and technology are the primary culprits in the loss of community as it existed in the middle decade of the 20th century. Nonetheless, people exist in groups, and connections are vital to their existence and in the daily performance of activities. The second edition of the Sociology of Community Connections will identify and help students understand community connectedness in the present and future.

If you click on this title, you will see that the subject terms in this book's catalog entry are "Communities," "Social networks," and "Neighborliness." If you click on any of those, you will be able to view a list of all books in Randall Library that have been given that subject.

Journal Articles

Below are some potential databases to use as starting points. Depending on your community, you might want to use databases in other subject areas as well (for example, if you are researching a sorority or fraternity, you might want to look at education databases; if you are looking into a religious community, try a religion database).

Sociological Abstracts
Citations to sociology journals and dissertations covering sociological topics in fields such as anthropology, criminology, economics, education, medicine, community development, communication studies, philosophy, demography, gerontology, political science, religion, and social psychology. Find more detailed information.
Sociology Database
This database covers the international literature of sociology and social work, including culture and social structure, history and theory of sociology, religion, social psychology, substance abuse and addiction, and more. This collection provides full-text coverage of many core titles included in Sociological Abstracts and Social Services Abstracts. As well as hundreds of full text scholarly journals, the database also includes over 500 recent full-text doctoral dissertations on sociology. Part of ProQuest Central. Find more detailed information.
JSTOR
Archive of selected scholarly journals in anthropology, art, art history, communication studies, criminology, ecology, economics, education, English, film studies, foreign languages and literatures, geography, geology, history, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, public and international affairs, religion, social work, sociology, statistics, theatre, and other humanities and social sciences. Find more information.

News Articles

There are a few ways to find news articles. One is to search for individual newspapers or magazines in the UNCW Library Catalog (e.g. New York Times). The other is to use a database that searches across multiple news sources. I've included examples of both below.

International Newsstream
International Newsstream provides the most recent news content outside of the US and Canada, with archives which stretch back decades featuring newspapers, newswires, and news sites in active full-text format. ProQuest International Newsstream provides information from more than 660 of the world's top newspapers, including The Times (London), The Bangkok Post, El Norte, Financial Times, The Guardian, Jerusalem Post, South China Morning Post, The Daily Telegraph, Asian Wall Street Journal, and the BBC Monitoring series of publications. Part of ProQuest Central.
US Newsstream
Provides access to recent premium U.S. news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites in active full-text format. Includes titles such as Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and co-exclusive access (with Factiva) to The Wall Street Journal. US Newsstream also offers one of the largest collections of local and regional newspapers, and is cross-searchable on the ProQuest platform. Part of ProQuest Central. Find more detailed information.

Statistics

American Community Survey (ACS) - U.S. Census Bureau
Source for detailed population and housing information.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
The best known and most popular single source of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. This database is designed to serve as a convenient, easy-to-use statistical reference source and as a guide to statistical publications and sources.
Sage Data
Provides access to the extensive Data-Planet repository of standardized and structured statistical data. Through a single platform, users can search and browse 35 billion data points in over 4.9 billion datasets sourced from over 70 authoritative government and private sources, covering 16 subject areas. The platform's powerful functionality allows users to manipulate datasets, compare multiple indicators, chart trends over time and spatially represent data without requiring additional software programs. Multiple export options are provided. Find more information.
ICPSR (Inter University Consortium for Political and Social Research)
ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction, including a data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminology, criminal justice, social work, sociology, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.
You do not need to be on-campus to create an account but you must log in to your account from a UNCW IP address or UNCW-owned computer at least once to be associated with the UNCW membership.
Roper iPOLL
The largest collection of poll data anywhere—1935 to present, all US polling firms, broad topical coverage of opinions and behavior on social issues, politics, pop culture, international affairs, and more. International and US datasets available for immediate download. Find more information.
You must create an account to access datasets, create crosstabs in RoperExplorer, or download more than 50 questions from iPOLL.
LINC
LINC (Log Into North Carolina) is a service of the North Carolina State Data Center. It is "the most valuable Web resource for NC statistical data." Features: Over 1000 data items from state and federal agencies; Historical data and projections, 1960s to 2030; State, county, municipality, township, tract, block group, and block coverage; Definitions and help screens; Customized report capabilities; Preformatted topic reports, including census profiles; Continual updates incorporating newly released data. LINC provides statistics in these broad areas: Population and Housing; Vital Statistics and Health; Social and Human Services; Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections; Environment, Recreation, and Resources; Energy and Utilities; Government; Employment and Income; Business and Industry; Agriculture; Transportation.
State Data Center
North Carolina economic and population statistics, county profiles. Find more detailed information.

The Community

Social Sciences & History Librarian

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Starting Point

Searching for Books

Journal Articles

News Articles

Statistics