library research

Library Catalog
Search ISU's Library Catalog to find out what the Library owns (or provides access to) on your particular topic. Includes books, videos, cd-rom's, videos, cataloged websites, journals, and more.

finding STARTING POINTS

Asian American Encyclopedia (REF E184 .O6 A827 1995)
Six-volume set covers Asian American groups, individuals, histories, organizations, and topics important to an understanding of Asian American realities.

Asian American Studies Library Research Guide
Annotated list of reference books and other resources held by Parks Library and relevant to Asian American information and research topics. Very useful as a guide to materials in the ISU Library collection; includes ISU call numbers.

Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (REF E184 .A1 H35)
Authoritative one volume encyclopedia provides lengthy signed entries that describe the history and presence of over 100 racial & ethnic cultural groups in the United States, including numerous Asian heritage groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipinos, Hawaiians, and Japanese Americans, plus chapters on peoples from South Asia and Pacific Islanders. Also includes thematic essays on topics such as "American Identity & Americanization," "Language maintenance," and "History of Prejudice & Discrimination," among many others. Includes maps, tables, and bibliographies for further reading. Now a bit dated in places (for example, specific information on Southeast Asian groups will not be found here), but still a classic for groups with a long historical presence in the United States.

Nation of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage
(REF E184.A1 N2866 1999)
Authoritative, signed essays profile 27 major racial & ethnic groups in the U.S. and their respective histories. Includes individual chapters on Chinese Americans, Filipinos, Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, and Korean Americans, plus chapters on South Asians (including peoples from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan) and Southeast Asians (specifically including Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians, Hmong, and ethnic Chinese with historical roots in Southeast Asia). Includes statistics, and bibliographies for further reading. A useful companion to the Harvard Encylopedia of American Ethnic Groups.

finding ARTICLES

America: History & Life (ISU only)
Online history database provides bibliographic citations and abstracts on research journal articles relevant to the study of United States and Canadian history dating from prehistoric times to the present, from more than 2100 journals. Also includes citations for dissertations, book, film and video reviews. Coverage is publications from 1964-present. Sample topic: Japanese American internment during WWII

Ethnic NewsWatch (Library only; ask at Reference Desk)
Unique and versatile source provides bibliographic citations and full-text articles from U.S. racial and ethnic minority newspapers, newsmagazines, and some journals. The database focus is on African American, American Indian, Asian American, and U.S. Latino newspapers, though publications from many other minority groups are included. (Click here for a current list.) Also includes a publishers' directory, circulation figures, advertising rates, and histories of individual newspapers. In English and Spanish. Coverage is from 1990 to the present. Updated monthly. Sample topic: specifically Asian American perspectives on the presidential campaign

Expanded Academic ASAP (ISU only)
Multi-disciplinary database contains citations and many full-text articles on current events, social sciences, and humanities. Journal coverage is from 1994 to the present, and backfiles (1980-1993) are available for some journals. Better than average selection of U.S. racial & ethnic minority publications. Sample topic: Filipino immigration to the U.S.

Project MUSE: Journal of Asian American Studies (ISU only)
Volume 1 (1998- ) to the present of the Journal of Asian American Studies, a new scholarly research journal in the field, is available to read and search online, via Project MUSE. Articles and reviews are full-text.

PAIS (ISU only)
Provides access to journal articles, government documents, reports, statistics, and other resources dealing with domestic and international public policy materials on business, government, demographics, law, political science, public administration, education, and other areas, 1972-present.

selected web resources

A. Magazine
Online version of the well-known Asian American pop culture magazine, with opinions, fashion, news, and entertainment. Only selected articles are available online; print version of the magazine is available in Parks Library (Current issues in Periodical Room; back issues in General Collection: E184 O6 A17 for either location)

Asian Pacific American History & Culture
Smithsonian's brief list of links to relevant sites hosted by their own museums and organizations. Currently includes links to exhibits and information on Japanese Americans, native Hawaiian and Philippine customs, Hmong embroidery, and more.

Hardboiled: Asian Pacific American Media Juggernaut
The subtitle says it all. In the words of its editors, this exciting political webzine from UC Berkeley strives "... to bring you the best in political rabblerousing, community muckracking, and pop culture machinations in the Bay Area and the world." Includes search engine and back issues.

Japanese American National Museum
Online exhibits and much information on artists, relevant topics, exhibits, and events from this Los Angeles museum.

UCLA Asian American Studies Center Links
Long unannotated list of Asian American links; especially useful because many different Asian American groups are represented. Includes links to resources and online journals such as Little Saigon Net (from Huntington Beach, California), Hmong Studies Journal (from St Cloud, Minn.), organizations such as the South Asian Journalists Association, and cultural resources such as the Museum of Chinese American History in Los Angeles, and the Korean American Historical Society, from Seattle. No search engine on the UCLA page, but many individual resources linked there do include search features.

research tips

How to Critically Analyze Information Sources
Comprehensive online tutorial in the form of questions to consider when evaluating both print and Web materials, written by reference librarians at Cornell University.

Library Research Process
Online guide explains how to do research, from beginning point of defining your topic, through finding information, evaluating it, and documenting your sources. Useful especially for beginners; includes links to other research and evaluation guides.

Online Citation Manuals
List of popular style manuals (such as the MLA and the Chicago) and links to their Web versions. Call numbers are also given for their print counterparts in ISU's Parks Library.

Researching Online
Exhaustive and authoritative online textbook provides much useful information on when and how to use the Internet for scholarly literary research. URLs to sample sites and listserv addresses are provided, along with instructions on how to make use of numerous Internet services. Includes links to other helpful sites. From Literature Online, a website supplement to Kennedy & Gioia's textbook, Literature (7th edition).

Evaluate the librarian

Comments: savega@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Library, Ames, IA 50011
URL: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~savega/las325X.html
Last updated: 24 January 2000.
Created: 21 January 2000.