Environmental Sciences Resources at the Biology Library

This guide covers materials in the Biology Library only, with the exception of online resources. Other materials on this topic can be found at the Undergraduate, Agriculture, Natural History, City Planning and Engineering Libraries, among others.

Abstracts & Indexes

BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS (BIOSIS) (1980-current)
Biological Abstracts indexes over 6,500 journals in the life sciences. Articles indexed in this database are scholarly, scientific works published in refereed journals. This is the best index to use when looking for research articles in the biological sciences.
A print version is available from 1926 (v. 1) to present (last two years are shelved in the reading room reference collection, previous years are shelved in the bibliography section on the middle floor - Call Number: 570.5 BIOA).

BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL INDEX (1983-current)
The Wilson Biological and Agricultural Index covers over 250 of the most common periodicals in the fields of biology and agriculture. It includes popular journals such as Audubon and Natural History as well as scientific refereed journals. From the above link click on "Start Ovid" and then choose "Wilson Biological and Agricultural Index" from the alphabetical list.

CAB ABSTRACTS (1972-current) and AGRICOLA (1970-current)
CAB (Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux) Abstracts indexes over 8,500 international scientific journals in addition to books, reports and conference proceedings covering all aspects of agriculture. AGRICOLA, the bibliographic database of the National Agriculture Library, indexes over 2,000 U.S. journals, in addition to theses, monographs and technical reports. Use these two indexes for articles on environmental biology related to agriculture and forestry.

CURRENT CONTENTS (most recent 3 years online)
Current Contents indexes over 17,000 journals from many disciplines. The Life Sciences section contains around 2,000 journals. This index is updated weekly and provides the most current access to scholarly journal articles. However, it does not cover as many biological journals as either BIOSIS or CAB abstracts. From the above link click on "Start Ovid" and then choose "Current Contents" from the alphabetical list.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND POLLUTION MANAGEMENT (1993-current)
This database indexes 1,500 scientific journals in addition to many other sources such as conference proceedings, reports, books, monographs and government documents. It is international in scope and is updated monthly.

FULL TEXT ONLINE DATABASES (1994-current)
Articles with full text can be retreived from either the Wilson Select Full Text or Expanded Academic ASAP database. Most journals covered are general science and/or popular titles such as Wilderness, Bioscience, New York State Conservationist and Environment. Links to these databases can also be accessed through the Biology Library's Electronic Journals web page which list journals with full text available. Format (ASCII vs. PDF; images vs. no images) and time period covered (usually most recent 3 years) varies.

MEDLINE online 1966-current
Medline indexes over 2,000 biomedical journals. Use this database when searching for articles concerning medical/health aspects of environmental biology (such as lead poisoning, toxicology, and environment and public health).

READER'S GUIDE TO THE PERIODICAL LITERATURE online 1983-current
Reader's Guide indexes popular general interest magazines such as Time and Newsweek. This index is useful when looking for media coverage of environmental issues or for general information regarding environmental organizations and events. From the above link click on "Start Ovid" and then choose "Wilson Readers Guide Abstracts" from the alphabetical list.

Encyclopedias, Guides & Handbooks

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY (1995)
This encyclopedia provides a good introduction to key environmental issues. It is comprised of articles on key topics in environmental science. There is an extensive subject index at the back of volume 3. Each article is cross-referenced to other articles on related topics within the encyclopedia.
Call Number: Q.574.503En19 v.1-3 (located in the reference collection of the reading room)

THE OFFICIAL WORLD WILDLIFE FUND GUIDE TO ENDANGERED SPECIES (1995)

This four volume guide provides information on plants and animals that are on the U.S. federal endangered species list. The first two volumes describe species that were listed as of August 1989. Volume 1 addresses the plants and mammals and Volume 2 addresses birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, mussels, crustaceans, snails and insects. Volume 3 addresses species added to the list between August 1989 and December 1991 and includes a state-by-state listing of newly added species and an account of the recovery status of listed species (whether they are improving, declining, etc.). Volume 4 includes species added to the list between December 1991 and July 1994 including a very large number of Hawaiian species. Within each volume the species are listed by category and then alphabetically by scientific name - an index of common and scientific names is provided and common names are also listed in the indexes at the back of each volume.

Entries include a photograph (some are in colour), a description, and information on the habitat, historic range, current distribution, and recovery and conservation (which explains causes for a species decline and what, if anything, is being done about it) for each species. Bibliographic references and contact information (usually the appropriate office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) are also included.
Call Number: 574.529097Of2 v.1-4 (located in the reference collection of the reading room)

HANDBOOK OF ECOTOXICOLOGY (1995)
Hoffman, D.J., Rattner, B.A., Burton, J.A. Jr., and Cairns, J.Jr.
This reference book is divided into four sections: Quantifying and measuring ecotoxicological effects, Contaminant sources and effects, Case histories and ecosystem surveys, and Methods for making estimates and predictability in ecotoxicology. A subject index is located at the end of the volume.
Call Number: 577.27H191 (located in the reference collection of the reading room)

Dictionaries

DICTIONARY OF NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (1996)
Dunster, J. and Dunster, K.
Definitions to over 6,000 terms used in the interdisciplinary study of natural resource management are provided. The book's wide scope covers forest industry terminology (clam bunk skidder), biological (megagametophyte) and geological (mesa) terms, as well as terms particular to resource management (visual impact assessment, watershed restoration, etc.).
Call Number: 333.703D561d (located in the reference collection of the reading room)

MACMILLAN DICTIONARY OF THE ENVIRONMENT (1988)
Allaby, M.
Definitions are provided for environment-related terms, including entries for relevant government and international institutions. Incidents of "environmental disasters" are listed under that heading. Entries for particular items of legislation, such as the "Clean Air Act" are included.
Call Number: 301.303A51d1988 (located in the reference collection of the reading room)

Journals

The journals listed below are located at the Biology Library (in the stacks, shelved alphabetically by title) and consider mostly health aspects of environmental biology. The Biology Library also carries the major ecology journals (Ecology, Oikos, Oecologia). Other relevant journals such as Environmental Science and Technology and Conservation Biology can be found in other libraries on the UIUC campus (check the online catalog for holdings). Free access to the full text of available electronic journals can be found on the Biology Library Electronic Journals Web Page.

ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 1977-current
This is the official journal of the International Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. Articles in this refereed scienfitic journal cover a variety of topics related to the toxic effects of environmental pollution.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 1972-current
This is the journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. It includes refereed research articles on the effects of toxic pollutants. Environmental Health Perspectives, Supplements are monographs on environmentally relevant topics.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 1967-current
This scientific refereed journal addresses topics in environmental medicine and environmental sciences, particularly the effect of toxic pollutants on humans.

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 1963-current
This is the official publication of the National Environmental Health Association and is "dedicated to the advancement of the environmental health professional". Articles address environmental health concerns.

CD-ROM's

CD-ROM's can be checked out from the circulation desk and used at the CD-ROM station in the Biology Library reading room.

BEACHAM'S INTERNATIONAL THREATENED, ENDANGERED AND EXTINCT SPECIES (1995)
This full text CD-ROM contains 10-70 page accounts of over 1,300 species and includes images. Also included is the full text of over 170 Fish and Wildlife Service Technical Bulletins from 1976-1994. Information about relevant organizations and also the history of endangered species legislation is included.

ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES (1990)
This is a CD-ROM version of the government publication Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Program: Report to Congress from 1990. It contains recovery plans for 531 species of plants and animals.

Other Sources

ENVIRONMENTAL GRANTMAKING FOUNDATIONS (1996) In depth profiles of over 700 grantmaking foundations. Extensive cross-indexing including indexes by geographic location and environmental issues. Appendices include a listing of environmental issues covered, grantmaker types and geographic location.
Call Number: 363.7079En891996 (located in the reference collection of the reading room)

Internet Resources

The following are only a few examples of resources available on the World Wide Web. Each web site listed below will lead to further resources. When using Internet resources it is important to consider your source. Items published on the Internet are not necessarily peer-reviewed and the authority and agenda of the author and/or organization must be taken into consideration.

BIODIVERSITY RESOURCE CENTER: KEY RESEARCH AND INFORMATION CENTERS
The extensive resources listed at this web site include international and national organizations, universities and non-governmental organizations, databases, metadatabases, information services, and international treaties, laws and agreements.

BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION NEWSLETTER AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
This web site provides access to the Biological Conservation Bibliography (a searchable database featuring articles on conservation) and the Biological Conservation Newsletter. Both are publications of the National Museum of Natural History, within the Smithsonian Institute.

ECONET
EcoNet's mission is to support environmental sustainability and environmental justice. Their web site provides access to resources on a broad range of environmental topics from conservation to hazardous wastes (from the bottom left of their homepage, choose from a scrolling list of topics for links to further resources). Frequently updated news and information on current environmental topics are featured.

ENVIROLINK LIBRARY
Envirolink is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive, up-to-date environmental resources. Choose from an alphabetical list of topics ranging from acid rain to zoos. Under each subject online resources are presented under different categories: education, general interest, government, publications, etc.

ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL - UIUC
The Environmental Council's website includes links to environment-related websites at the local (University of Illinois), state, and federal levels, as well as links to other organizations.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
The web site of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides information about the EPA as well as news items, laws and regulations, publications, and access to the "envirofacts" national information system. Data regarding safe drinking water, toxics release, and hazardous waste is available. A unique feature of this web site is that different access points are provided for different types of users: kids, teachers and students, researchers and scientists, concerned citizens, business and industry, and community (state, local and tribal).

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Included in this site is information about the organization, press releases, state fact sheets (summarizing conservation information and issues about each state - from the homepage choose "Newsroom", then "Reporter's Notebook"), a "conservancy library" with links to publications, scientific resources such as species and management practices, contacts for conservation, Nature Conservancy magazine, and more.

SIERRA CLUB
Divided into the broad categories of "Community", "Global Environment", "Environmental Quality" and "Habitat", this web site provides information on each of these topics as well as the conservation policies of the Sierra Club. The website can be searched using keywords.

WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE
This organization provides "information services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources". Their home page provides access to conservation databases (including access to IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species; from the above link choose "Conservation Databases" and then "Species"), information services and international conventions and programmes. This web site has a very international focus.

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND (WWF)
This dynamic web site contains information about endangered species and habitats, climate change, and sustainable development. Information resources include country profiles, WWF press releases, WWF fact sheets, and publications. Also included are multmedia features such as videoclips, slide shows and photographs. Several levels of searching are available including an "experts database" which will search for professional researchers by keyword, and a "green web directory".

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07-02-2003 BJA