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Asian American Studies |
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Background Info
Taking a few minutes to read about your topic in a specialized encyclopedia, dictionary
or handbook may be one of the most effective and time saving research tips in
this guide. These can help you define unfamiliar terms, locate quick biographical
information, verify dates and events. Encyclopedia articles are often followed
by carefully selected bibliographies or lists of references to other works, useful
items to have as you begin looking for additional information. The following are
located on different floors, note the locations. Items listed on the 5th floor
are in the Asian American Center Collection in the Cultural Heritage Center. You
will need to locate the call number for items listed on the 3rd floor. Check the SJ Library Catalog to verify availablity as most of the materials listed can be checked out.
If you'd like learn more about research and online resources stop by the 2nd floor
Reference Desk.
| Understanding
Asian Americans. |
E184.O6U5
1990. 6th and 5th floors. |
| Asian Americans: Contemporary trends and issues |
E184.A75 A84325 2006 5th floor. |
| The Asian
American encyclopedia. v. 1-6. |
E184.O6
A827 1995. 6th floor. |
| Peoples
of the world. Asians and Pacific Islanders. |
GN308.3.A83M67x
1993. 6th floor. |
| Korean Americans. |
E 184 .K6 H875
1998. 3rd and 5th floors. |
| Reference
Library of Asian America. v. 1-3. |
E184.O6R438x
1995. 5th floor. |
Biographical Information
| Asian
American novelist : a bio-bibliographical critical sourcebook . |
PS153.A84
A825 2000. REF 2nd and 5th floors. |
| Distinguished Asian Americans : a biographical dictionary |
E184.O6 D57 1999. REF 2nd, 5th, and 6th floors. |
Statistics and Demographics
Finding
Books: SJ Library Catalog
The Library Catalog
is our local online library system. It allows you to locate books, periodicals,
government publications, films and more. The Library Catalog also provides status
information, e.g. if the material is checked out. It does not, however, index
journal contents or include the full text of articles. For help locating materials
or instruction on using the catalog or the online databases please ask at the
Reference Desk.
Library of Congress
Subject Headings
The Library Catalog uses the
"Library of Congress Subject Headings" (large red books in the Reference
Ready section near the Reference Desk) to catalog books. These subject headings
are slow to change and sometimes removed from contemporary usage; they are, however,
extremely useful in locating books and articles. Examples of subject headings:
Korean Americans --
Cultural assimilation
Vietnamese Americans
Filipino
Americans -- Hawaii |
Amerasians
Asian Americans
Pacific Islander Americans -- California |
Chinese American women
Samoan Americans
Japanese-Americans
-- Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945 |
Ethnic groups or geographical
locations can be substituted for other groups or locations.
Some names and organizations
can also be used in subject searches.
Finding
Articles
Try starting your search with a periodical index. There are many indexes to choose from that are available online and arrange articles by subject or allow you to do a KEYWORD search. However, some historical materials might only be accessible in a print index and not online. Print indexes are located in the Reference Area
or in the Library Stacks. An often overlooked resource for journal articles are
the bibliographies that can be found at the end of related journal articles or
in books on your topic. Stop by the Reference Desk for help.
Databases relevant to Asian American Studies:
| ABI/INFORM
(business) |
Alt-
Press Index |
America:
History and Life (history) |
| Criminal
Justice Abstracts |
Academic
Search Premier |
ERIC (education) |
| Ethnic
Newswatch |
GenderWatch |
Expanded
Academic ASAP (1980-present) |
| CQ Researcher |
MLA (literature) |
PsycINFO(psychology) |
| Sociological
Abstracts |
Asian
American Drama |
San Jose
Mercury |
Literary Criticism
| An interethnic companion to Asian American literature |
PS153.A84 I58 1997 5th floor |
| Literary gestures : the aesthetic in Asian American writing |
PS153.A84 L58 2006 7th floor |
Bibliographies
A bibliography is a list of books,
articles and sometimes other materials such as films and recordings. They can
be entire books, within books or at the end of journal articles. These are often
overlooked resources that can be a treasure trove of related sources. Some are
even annotated, with short descriptions of each entry. A well-organized, carefully
selected and annotated bibliography can lead you to the best and most relevant
sources on your topic.
| Asians
in the United States. |
Ref E184.O6A87
1992. |
| Asian
American studies. |
EZ1361.O7K56
1989. |
Style Manual
Guides
When you write a research
paper, it's important that you credit the scholars and critics who have contributed
to your ideas, whatever the format their publications may take (print, sound,
film, WWW). There are guides specific to certain fields of study, or your professor
or instructor may request a specific bibliographic and citation style. Some Styles include MLA (literature), APA (social sciences), or Chicago (history) just to name a few. Check with your professor to see if a specific style is required. See http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/literacy/info_comp/citing.htm for addtional information on Style Guides.
Newspapers
Note: Some Asian language newspapers will not be readable due to not having
the correct program to read the characters.
WWW
The Web is one facet of the Internet
consisting of client and server computers handling multimedia documents. Searches
on different topics can be done. See the Asian American Studies Research Topic page (at www.sjlibrary.org) for several online listings. The following
is a sample of what can be found on the WWW:
Created
and maintained by Kathryn Blackmer Reyes, Cultural Heritage Center Librarian. Suite 4000. (408)808.2097. Last updated/modified 08/2007.