MCC LIBRARY RESOURCES

Women's Studies

Researching women is an interdisciplinary endeavor. This represents just a sampleof the resources available at the library. Each subject may contain specific resources on the role of women within the discipline.

This guide has been prepared by the MCC reference librarians to assist you with research for your class. If you need further assistance, please stop by the reference desk to consult with a librarian.

Reference Sources

Reference Sources are a good place to start your research. They can give you a concise overview of your topic, background information, facts & statistics, plus help you define and spell words, and focus your topic. Reference Sources include both books located in the Reference Collection and databases accessible on the Library Web Site under the link Reference Databases.

Call Number Title
REF CT3260.N5725 Notable American Women
REF E185.86.B542 Black Women in America
REF HQ1180.K75 Women's Studies: A Recommended Bibliography
REF HQ1410.H58 History of Women in the United States: A State-by-State Reference
REF HQ1439.C47.W66 Women Building Chicago 1790-1990: A Biographical Dictionary
REF ML82.F76 From Convent to Concert Hall: A Guide to Women Composers
REF ML82.W625 Women and Music in America Since 1900: An Encyclopedia
REF PN471.S58 Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature
REF PS663.W65.F76 From Megaphones to Microphones: Speeches of American Women, 1920-1960
REF RA778.A494 Encyclopedia of Women's Health
REF RG121.M667 Yale Guide to Women's Reproductive Health
REF T36.Z54 American Women in Technology: An Encyclopedia

Reference Databases:

Some reference sources are available not only in print, but also online through the library web site. These sources often combine a variety of information found in other sources. They are full-text, and most are available off-campus with passwords you may obtain from the Reference Desk. Some of the reference databases useful for this subject area are listed below:

Database Name

Vendor Name

Daily Life Online

ABC-Clio
Global Issues in Context Gale

Books & Media

The Stacks contain books and audiovisual items that may be borrowed or "checked out" of the library. These resources are useful when you need a more in-depth study of a topic than can be provided in reference sources alone. Use the Library's Online Catalog to determine what resources are available on your topic and the call number and location in the library. If our library does not own the necessary resources for your research needs, you may request additional items be ordered through interlibrary loan.

Possible search terms to use for your topic are:

Sample Keyword Searches

Sample Subject Headings

gender

feminism

women

sex role

women's history women's studies

Article Databases

Periodicals consist of popular magazines, newspapers, trade and scholarly journals. Magazine & newspaper articles can be good sources to use for very current information, to focus on specific topics or aspects of a topic, to find reviews, and for opinions. Trade journals are helpful to follow trends and career opportunities within a field, and to find practical tips and techniques to use "on the job". Scholarly journals give details of actual research studies that have been conducted and/or scholarly treatment of discipline specific topics. All of these resources can be located using the article databases located on the library web site.

Recommended Databases for periodical articles

Database Name Vendor Name
Academic Search Premier EBSCO
Health Source Consumer EBSCO
Literary Reference Center EBSCO
ProQuest ProQuest
PsychArticles EBSCO

Passwords to access the library databases from off-campus are available on the pink handout MCC Library Database Chart. If you have not received this handout, please ask for it at the Reference Desk.

Internet Resources

Recommended web sites for this subject are listed below. For additional web sites on this subject, refer to MCC Library's Web Sites by Subject link on the library web site.

Web Site Address
Feminist.com www.feminist.com
Feminist Majority www.feminist.org
National Organization for Women www.now.org
National Women's History Project www.nwhp.org
National Women's Studies Association www.nwsa.org
UN WomenWatch www.un.org/womenwatch/
U.S Census Bureau on Women's History Month www.census.gov search under "women's history month"


Remember to carefully evaluate information found on the Internet. Unlike most traditional print sources, Internet sources may not go through any review process before the information is made available to the public. Anyone can create and publish a web site. If you need help evaluating your sources, please ask at the Reference Desk for guidance. For critieria to use to evaluate your sources refer to our handout on Evaluating Sources. It is available at the Reference Desk.

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