Library Guides:  Communication 4:
Interpersonal Communication

Instructor, Vanessa Ruiz
Developed by Gina Haycock, Librarian
 

REFERENCE BOOKS:  Located on the first floor of the library behind the Reference Desk.  These books must remain in the library. Reference books include dictionaries, almanacs and encyclopedias. Specialized or subject encyclopedias (concentrating on a particular subject instead of covering all knowledge) are excellent starting points for research. They are focused on a particular topic, cover the major concepts of the topic, are written by experts in the field, and often have bibliographies or other references.
Examples of Reference books in the COS library are as follows:

Statistics:
Statistical Abstract of the United States    #R317.3 Un58    This resource is also available online at the following URL:    http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
The World Almanac and Book of Facts    #R317.3 W927

Subject Encyclopedias: (a small sampling of what is available)

    Encyclopedia of Relationships Across the Lifespan    #R302.03 T948
    Contemporary Youth Culture: An International Encyclopedia    #R305.23509 C761
    Encyclopedia of Family Life    #R306.85 En56
    Encyclopedia of Marriage and the Family    #R306.8
    The Official Guide to American Attitudes    #R306    M682
    MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers    #R808.027 G437

Online Reference Books:
Gale Virtual Reference Library - Gale provides access to 200 reference books. All the books are full-text and cover a wide variety of topics including art, science, literature and much more. All 200 titles can be searched simultaneously or individual titles may be selected. (Cost $20,000)
   

CIRCULATING BOOKS: Located on the second floor of the library. Our newest books are, for the most part, in the areas of science and social issues, and current topics, because we try to build the collection to the type of assignments given to students. Some subject headings you might use in the COS book catalog are as follows:

Interpersonal communication Interpersonal relations
Communication in marriage Body language
Communication in the family Man-woman relationships
Parenting Communication--sex differences
Child Rearing Conversation
Conflict management Listening
Interpersonal conflict Negotiation
Gesture Nonverbal communication
Assertiveness training Customer Services--Communication systems
Stepfamilies Personnel management
Organizational behavior Communication in personnel management
Children of divorced parents Parenting, Part-time
Divorced parents--Family relationships Divorce--United States--Longitudinal studies
Adult children of divorced parents Divorce--Psychological aspects
Parental alienation syndrome--Prevention Communication and culture

ONLINE BOOKS:

  • NetLibrary E-books: Electronic full-text copies of published print materials, such as reference books, scholarly and popular books. They can be accessed from any computer on campus as well as remotely from home when you set up a user name and password from a campus computer

PERIODICALS INDEXES AND DATABASES: Located on the first floor of the library. Periodicals refer to information printed over a period of time such as magazines, journals and newspapers. These are excellent sources for current and authoritative information. To find an article on a specific topic, it is necessary to use an index.  Indexes are available in paper and electronic formats. The library subscribes to approximately 23 indexes,  300 periodicals and 13 newspapers.  For a list of which periodicals and indexes are available at COS click on the link: http://www.cos.edu/library/periodicalsalpha.htm .  For periodicals that the COS Library does not have available, there is also the possibility of an Inter-Library Loan from Fresno State University.

ALSO, through the Electronic Resources link, http://cos.edu/library/electronic.htm, on the COS Library’s Web Site, there are links to the electronic index subscription databases that the library makes available to COS students. Many of these indexes offer full-text articles, which means the entire article will be available even if the library doesn't subscribe to the periodical itself. If a student is off campus, passwords are necessary to access these databases. Passwords are available for COS students at the COS Library Information Desk or by calling the Library at (559) 737-6179.

DATABASES FOR SCHOLARLY SOURCES:    (These databases are not completely full-text.)

  • Infotrac - Infotrac provides articles from more than 500 scholarly, trade and general-interest publications, as well as references for The New York Times. The databases integrate core titles in every major academic concentration; area  and issue-specific journals; academic journals with application in the professions; and publications with national news coverage and commentary.  The time period it covers is current year to date + the previous 3 years. The optional backfile extends coverage as far back as 1980.  (Annual Cost $9,732)
  •  
    It works well when using a subject search. When entering a subject search, you can use broad terms, because the index will automatically help to narrow the search. This index is not completely full-text.
  • Academic Search Elite - This database indexes over 1000 periodicals from 1984 to the present.  It will identify the periodical titles that the COS Visalia Library owns.    (Annual Cost $11,000)
    It works well when using a key-word search. When entering a key-word search, you need to use precise words and the more words you add, the narrower the search becomes. This index is not completely full-text.

DATABASES FOR CONTEMPORARY ISSUES:    (These two databases are full-text)

  • CQ Researcher - Your complete source on the most current and controversial issues of the day with complete summaries, all the pros and cons, bibliographies and more. (Annual Cost $523)
  • SIRS (Social Issues Research Series) - SIRS contains all full-text articles from a variety of newspaper and magazines covering current social issues.  (Annual Cost $1440)

DATABASE FOR A COMBINATION OF SOURCE TYPES:

  • Student Research Center - This site provides access to the Columbia Encyclopedia as well as government reports, magazines, news transcripts, Primary Source Documents and more.

MLA STYLE CITATIONS:

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This page was created April 2008.
This page was last updated: 04/25/2008
For questions and comments, please mail to:
ginah@cos.edu

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