Library Guides: Communication 9:
Intercultural Communications
Instructor, Heather Bixler
Developed by Gina Haycock, Librarian
September 8, 2008
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:
Man. Myth, and Magic
#R133.03 M266
Encyclopedia of Religious Rites,
Rituals and Festivals #R203.803 E56
Encyclopedia of Religion
#R203 F358
New Catholic Encyclopedia
#R282.03 N532
The New Jewish Encyclopedia
#R296.03 N532
Encyclopedia of Native Religions
#R299.703 H669
American Immigrant Cultures:
Builders of a Nation
R #305.8 A512
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural
America R #305.8 G151
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures
and Daily Life #R305.8 W927
Encyclopedia of World Cultures
#R 306.097 En56
Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism
#R
306.4 En56
Encyclopedia of Taboos
#R390.03 H&26
You Are Cordially Invited to
Weddings, Dating & Love Customs of Cultures Worldwide
#R382.5 M834
You Eat What You Are
#R394.1 B248
Celebration of Customs & Rituals of
the World #R394.2 In53
Holiday Symbols
#R394.26 T476
Death and the Afterlife - A Cultural
Encyclopedia #R 398.03 T245
The Cambridge
Encyclopedia of Language #R403 C957
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands
#R403 D137
Encyclopedia of Native American Healing
#R
615.8 L991
World Music
#R780.9 W927
Musical Instruments
#R71l.91 R245
Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle
East #R956.003 En56
Encyclopedia of the African-American Culture and
History #R 973.En56
Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups
#R
973.04 H339
The Latino Encyclopedia
#R973.0468 L357
Asia American Encyclopedia
#R973.0495 A832
American Jewish Desk Reference
#R973.0924 A512
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture
#R 980.003 En56
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)
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CredoReference - Credo provide full-text reference books on a wide variety of subjects (Cost $2500)
CIRCULATING BOOKS: Located on the second floor of the library. Some subject headings you might use in the COS book catalog are as follows:
| Manners and customs | Social life and customs |
| Ethnic identity | Social conditions |
| Cultural assimilation | Intercultural communication |
| Acculturation | Calendars |
| Anniversaries | Birthdays |
| Holidays | Festivals |
| Handicraft | Folk art |
| Cookery | Ethnic art |
| Food habits | Decorative arts |
The Library is purchasing a series of books published by Greenwood Press on the culture and customs of various countries. We currently have about 50 books in this series. To find a book in this series, use the title search in the COS Library Catalog and type in Culture and Customs of
ONLINE BOOKS:
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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 4 indexes, 250 periodicals and 11 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.
DATABASE FOR SCHOLARLY SOURCES: (This database is 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.
DATABASE FOR A COMBINATION OF SOURCE TYPES:
- ProQuest - This mega-database contains 17 databases including: newspapers and magazine/journals (Annual Cost $19,000)
-
CountryWatch
- CountryWatch provides a
political and economic survey of 191 countries. It also has
updates from United Press International, other news organizations, and
the CountryWatch.com staff which cover the latest economic, corporate,
and environmental information on a country by country basis as they
occur.
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This page was created August 2007. This page was last updated:
11/05/2009
For questions and comments, please mail to:
ginah@cos.edu