Resources for Background Information
Subject encyclopedias are great for:
- locating authoritative, peer-reviewed, high quality information
- choosing a topic
- gaining background information quickly (major ideas, theories, events, people)
- identifying variant spellings, vocabulary, terminology
- finding a bibliography (list of important, selected references for further reading)
- Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology OnlineBrings together 1800 specially commissioned entries written and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars and teachers. Contains brief and more detailed articles on both classical sociology and contemporary developments in the field, and introductions to sociological theories and research that have developed outside of the United States and Western Europe. The online version provides online additions three times a year, extending and updating coverage and functionality.
Encyclopedia of Transportation by Viewing transportation through the lens of current social, economic, and policy aspects, this four-volume reference work explores the topic of transportation across multiple disciplines within the social sciences and related areas, including geography, public policy, business, and economics.
The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Healthcare Law by The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Health Law covers the breadth and depth of health law through the words and insights of the best scholars in the field. The content is valuable to readers with no background in the field and to those who write, teach, practice, or make policy in health law.
Oxford Bibliographies Online - Education by From teacher retention strategies to early childhood development, the study of education features a range of disciplines including psychology, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science.
The SAGE encyclopedia of food issues by ISBN: 9781483346298The SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues explores the topic of food across multiple disciplines within the social sciences and related areas including business, consumerism, marketing, and environmentalism. In contrast to the existing reference works on the topic of food that tend to fall into the categories of cultural perspectives, this carefully balanced academic encyclopedia focuses on social and policy aspects of food production, safety, regulation, labeling, marketing, distribution, and consumption.
Olin & Uris Libraries
Selected Databases
- Proquest Social Science PremiumThe ProQuest Social Sciences Premium Collection combines our discipline specific collections in politics and sociology, with powerful resources that cut across the entire spectrum of the social sciences. This Collection enriches the discipline by providing more coverage on applied social sciences, criminal justice, education, linguistics, and language behavior.
- Nexis UniAn interdisciplinary, full-text database of over 18,000 sources including newspapers, journals, wire services, newsletters, company reports and SEC filings, case law, government documents, transcripts of broadcasts, and selected reference works. Formerly LexisNexis Academic.
- CQ ResearcherCovers the most current and controversial issues of the day with summaries, pros and cons, bibliographies and more.
- ProQuest Research LibraryProQuest Research Library, formerly known as Periodical Abstracts, is a comprehensive database available through the ProQuest online system. It indexes and abstracts general interest magazines and scholarly journals in the social sciences, humanities and sciences. It comprises two components: a core list of periodicals covering about 800 publications, and 15 subject-specific modules that supplement the core list. Modules cover arts, business, children, education, general interest, health, humanities, international studies, law, military, multicultural studies, psychology, sciences, social sciences, and women's interests. Full text of many articles is provided.
- Vanderbilt Television News ArchiveCoverage: 1968 to date. More than 30,000 individual network evening news broadcasts from major U.S. national broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, and more than 9,000 hours of special news-related programming. Includes commercials, searchable by brand name. Some broadcasts available via streaming video or transcripts.
Sample Catalog Searchers - Subject Headings
Helpful handouts and links
- Bookmark PasskeyBookmark link that reloads a page with your Cornell credentials, when available.
- Scan RequestsRequest a scan of an article or chapter of book. This can be of items Cornell owns, or items that we do not own!
When the Book Isn't on the Shelf
If you need a book that is checked out to someone else...
Search BorrowDirect. If one of our partner libraries owns the item, it will be shipped to you within about 4 days.
If it's not available via BorrowDirect, you can Recall the item from the current user. (Note: This takes time. The first borrower gets at least 2 weeks with the item, and another week following the Recall notice).
If Cornell University Library doesn't own the book...
Search BorrowDirect. If one of our partner libraries owns the item, it will be shipped to you within about 4 days.
If it's not available via BorrowDirect, try the Interlibrary Loan option.
If it is at the Annex...
The Annex is an off-campus storage facility. Choose the Requests or Request Item button to have it sent to a campus library. Turnaround time is approximately 1 day, longer over the weekend.
If Cornell doesn't subscribe to the journal...
Request a scanned copy of the article you need via Interlibrary Loan. It may take several days, occasionally longer, to receive the scanned article.
If someone else has taken out the journal issue you need...
If it is due back within a few days, place a hold on the item. If it's not due back for some time, request the article through Interlibrary Loan.
For more information, see Borrowing and Delivery.
If you can't find anything good on your topic...
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Land Acknowledgement
Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.