Class Guide for Politics of Fashion

Welcome! This site has been created to assist you in finding and using library resources for the topics you are researching in your senior seminar. Our library, one of the largest university libraries in the U.S., can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it is truly a treasure trove for scholars. All of the UIUC Library's resources are available to you as you do your research, so explore, have fun, and don't hesitate to ask questions!

ASK-A-LIBRARIAN FOR HELP WITH YOUR RESEARCH

Use our Ask-A-Librarian Service to IM, chat, email, phone or find a reference librarian. You can also type in the box to the right to instant message us.

For individual help with your research, don't hesitate to contact me:

Cindy Ingold, Women & Gender Resources Librarian
Office hours: by appointment.
Office: Education and Social Science Library, 100 Main Library
Phone: 217-333-7998
Email: cingold@uiuc.edu

Fill out an Individual Research Consultation Form to sign up for a one-on-one appointment with a librarian to learn about the best databases, search strategies and information sources for your upcoming project or paper.

LIBRARY HOURS

FINDING ARTICLES

Journal articles are one of the primary means of communicating research and ideas in academia. They can be an important component of your research paper and give you some insight into ongoing debates and conversations about your topic.

WHICH DATABASES WILL WORK BEST FOR THIS CLASS?

Women's Studies International (1972 to date)
Provides citations to journals, books, book chapters, proceedings, NGO reports, and gray literature. Over 2,000 periodical sources are represented.

GenderWatch (1974 to date)
This full text database indexes journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, pamphlets, and reports. Covers business, education, literatureand the arts, health sciences, history, public policy, and contemporary culture. Has more of a U.S. focus than worldwide.

LGBT Life
Includes the full text for 55 of the most important and historically significant LGBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as more than 100 full-text monographs and books. The database includes comprehensive indexing and abstract coverage as well as a specialized LGBT Thesaurus containing over 6,400 terms.

Academic Search Premier (1984 to date)
Identifies articles in most scholarly subject areas including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. Also provides access to many magazines such as Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. This multidisciplinary database provides full text access to about 1500 periodicals and citation/summary access to articles from about 4000 periodicals.

SocINDEX (1985 to date)
Identifies articles in all areas of sociology including anthropology, criminology, ethnic & racial studies, gender studies, politics, religion, rural sociology, social psychology, and urban studies. Indexes over 620 core coverage journals dating back to 1895, over 500 priority journals as well as selective coverage for over 1,390 additional journals. Extensive indexing for books, monographs, conference papers, and other sources is included.

Sociological Abstracts (1963 to date)
The preeminent database for citations to scholarly journals in sociology. Indexes and abstracts over 2,600 journals and other serial publications, plus conference papers, books, and dissertations. Covers 1963-present, updated monthly.

Historical Abstracts and America History and Life
Go here to search for articles, books, dissertations on world history since 1450, and on U.S. and Canadian history from prehistory to the present.

Communication Abstracts (1977 to date)
Identifies publications in all fields of communications including international literature in film studies, the role of technology in human communications, crisis communication and public opinions. Include articles, reports, and books.

Philosopher's Index (1940 to date)
Identifies articles, books, and anthologies on all areas of philosophy.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (1975 to date)
Identifies articles on political science, international relations, law, public administration/policy and political economy.

Artbibiographies Modern (1974 to date)
Identifies articles, books, dissertations and exhibition catalogs on art from Impressionism to present.

Online Research Resources
The complete list of electronic databases that the UIUC Library purchases. If you don't find what you need using the resources in this section, try browsing this list for resources in your subject area. This source also indicates which journals provide full-text to UIUC students and faculty.

FINDING BOOKS

Online Library Catalog - Look here to find books, magazines or journals containing articles that you need, DVDs, and many other resources. In addition to the 10 million volumes we have on this campus, you can connect to over 70 other libraries in Illinois and request books be sent to you.

When you find something you want in the catalog, write down the following:

Location - in which library the item is kept (or libraries, if we have multiple copies)
Call Number - this number is essential for finding the item on the shelf
Status - is it available for you to check out?

Hint: Catalogs are used for two purposes: (1) If you know exactly what you are looking for - an exact title or author - you can use the catalog to locate your material (this works for book titles and journal titles); (2) You can also use catalogs to discover material that might be helpful to you by doing subject and keyword searching.

WorldCat and Interlibrary Loan - The places to verify citations for books and request books and articles you cannot find elsewhere.

WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GO FOR INFORMATION? SELECTED WEBSITES

Women & Gender Studies Information Resources -- The UIUC Library gateway to information resources for women and gender studies.

Internet Public Library: Fashion Websites -- Lists sites dealing with costume, fashion advice, shoes, cosmetics, and fads.

Women's Studies/Women's Issues Resources -- This is a selective, annotated list of resources with a particular emphasis on sites of interest for academic women's studies issues. Maintained by Joan Korenman.

CITING SOURCES IN YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY

Style and Writing Guides -- How to format citations, write papers, and do research in the the social sciences.

Refworks -- A great tool for writing papers, Refworks helps you export bibliographic records from databases, change the citation styles as needed and import the citation directly into a Word document so you can create bibliographies on the fly. For help using this utility, see Refworks Help.

MORE TIPS ON USING THE LIBRARY

Basic Library Usage -- A great source on how to use the UIUC Libraries. See the FAQ at the bottom of the page.

Research Process -- A step-by-step guide to research that takes you through the entire process, from choosing your topic to citing sources.

Guide to Sources in Women's Studies -- A guide to women's studies-related sources in the Education and Social Science Library and the Main Library.

April 2, 2008

Class Guide for GWS 485/AAS 490: The Politics of Fashion Spring 2008