Research Guide for Water in the West: Sustainability or Scarcity
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Prepared by Elinor Appel NSCC Library (this will open in a new window)
Image source: Flickr. More about this photo in the photographer's words . |
Books
Reference Books - use these books for background information on your topic. Reference books vary in their approach and content, so consider which angles are appropriate to your research. Some examples:
- The Australian People, An Encyclopedia of the Nation, its People, and Their Origins [Ref DU 120.A718 2001]
- Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara, 4 vols. [DT 351.E53 1997]
- Encyclopedia of the Biosphere: Humans in the World's Ecosystems, 11 vols. [Ref GF 75.B5613 1999]
- Encyclopedia of India, 4 vols. [Ref DS 405.E556 2006]
- The Encyclopedia of World Environmental History, 3. vol. [Ref GE 10.E63 2004]
- Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Issues, An Encyclopedia [Ref GF 50.J65 2003]
- Native America in the Twentieth Century, An Encyclopedia [Ref E 76.2.N36 1994]
- A Native American Encyclopedia [Ref E 76.2.P75 1978]
Circulating Books - use these books to find more in-depth information on your topic.
Begin with a Keyword Relevance search:
Then find a title that looks good:
Click on the title to open the record. Check location, call number, and availability.
Locate the subjects in the record . . .
These subject links will lead to more titles on the same topic. Select a likely link and click on it. According to the catalog,
there are 4 more books like this in the collection with this particular subject:
Clicking on that link will display the book titles. You may find several likely subjects -- cast a wide net as you begin your research!
Once you find a title or two in the catalog, locate them in the circulating collection upstairs using the call number, and then browse the shelves in that area for more books on your topic. Depending on your topic, you may need to find books in several areas for your research, for instance:
Books about water supply and pollution - TD 220 area
- Dam! Water, Power, Politics, and Preservation in Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park [TD 225.S25 S715 2005]
- Freshwater Issues (Contemporary World Issues series) [TD 345.65 2003]
- The Price of Taming a River: The Decline of Puget Sound's Duwamish/Green Waterway [TD 224.W2 S28 1997]
Books about North American Indians - E 78 area
- Coyote Warrior: One Man, Three Tribes, and the Trial That Forged a Nation [E 78.N4 V35 2004]
- A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest [E 78.N77 R79 1986]
Books about water resources - HD 1690 area
- Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water [HD 1691.B37 2002]
- The Cost of Living [HD 1698.I42 G8565 1999]
- Overtapped Oasis: Reform of Revolution for Western Water [HD 1695.A17 R45 1990]
Books about United States laws and Indians - KF 8210 area
- Empty Nets? Indians, Dams, and the Columbia River [KF 8210.N37 U45 1999]
- The Rights of Indians and Tribes [KF 8210.C5 P48 2004]
Final words on finding books:
- Can't find a book on your topic? Consider searching more broadly, then check the index of the book for information related to your topic. (Just because your topic isn't in the title doesn't mean it isn't in the book!)
- For some topics you will find more information in books, for others it will be more useful to search periodical databases for articles. This is especially true of newer information.
- Librarians will always be happy to help!
Refer to Finding Articles for tips on how to search ProQuest using keywords and Topics. Think about your keywords. Experiment with related terms, for instance: ___________
- and – for combining concepts/keywords, will narrow the search: dams and globalization [note: always use AND when combining terms in a database search]
- or – when you are using related terms, will broaden the search: indigenous or native
- “ ” – when you are using a phrase: “hydroelectric power ”
- * – when the terms have the same word stem: dam* for damming, dams, etc.
Other periodical databases:
- Academic Search Premier - another general database with a range of articles
- eLibrary Academic - an articles database that includes images, transcripts
- Ethnic NewsWatch - news from ethnic and minority publications
When you log into these databases from off campus, you will be prompted to enter your last name and SID number.
Refer to Searching the Internet for tips on searching the Internet effectively using Google. Simply limiting your search by domain (site:edu or site:gov) is often a good way to start. Both domains will contain authoritative information. The .org domain can be iffy. Consider the author, bias, and currency (is it up to date) of any web resource you find. Selected sites:
- The Big Dry: Australia's Water Shortage - recent article from The Economist, World ed. on the shrinking Murray River
- The Dammed - PBS program on India's Sardar Sorovar Dam, includes interview with activist Arundhati Roy
- International Rivers Network - "protects rivers and the communities that depend on them"
- River Flows and Water Wars: Emerging Science for Environmental Decision Making - scholarly article from Ecological Society of America
- The World Bank and Human Rights, A Need for Greater Accountability - article from Harvard Human Rights Journal (includes information on now-defunct World Commission on Dams
Your instructors have given you citation information for your bibliography. Here are some additional resources:
- Citation Style Guides, North Seattle Community College
- Guide to MLA Style for Citations, George Mason University
- KnightCite citation creator, Calvin College Library
- MLA Citation Style (Cornell University Library); includes how to cite an article retrieved from a periodical database
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide (Owl Writing Center at Purdue University); see Works Cited: Electronic Resources
Still need help? Email me, come to the library reference desk, or chat online with a reference librarian.
Please fill out this quick survey to help us plan future library workshops. Thank you!
From the photographer:Rex Bizaholoni is of Navajo descent and has been collaborating with me over the past few years as one of my muses.
The image of Rex was made at the mouth of Havasupai Canyon. This is the smallest Indian Reservation in our country. From the river to the village is a 20 mile walk up a canyon where the turquoise green waters make amazing cascades and water falls.
Rex symbolizes the ideal of a young Native American Adonis. Beyond his physical handsomeness he also carries the traditions of his people, and is a traditional Grass Dancer. He has accompanied me when I do artist in residencys teaching young Native American students the power of the image and the word. I like to have him work the young people as I believe he is a good role model, and understands the difficulty of cultural and visual literacy on the reservations and in the schools where cultural identities are often overlooked as important.
As a photographer and visual communicator, I believe collaborations that come from a place of shared inspiration help redefine stereotypes and we learn about ourselves and help other people understand and expand their perspectives.. I hope this is of help. Please refer to my website for other images, and some examples from my visual literacy workshops. If I can be of further help or offer insight I would be happy to share.