Reference Books in the Library
- Catalog This link opens in a new window
For general information, search a specific country for information on politics, cultural and social environment, education, religion, etc. Although you cannot include general encyclopedias in your bibliography, they may be helpful as a preliminary source. AE5…LRC-R
• Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook-- G1. C88 2006LRCR(2vols.) -opens new windowYearbook 2009
• The Europa World Yearbook-- JN1.E85LRC-R
• International Year Book & Statesmen's Who's Who --JA51. I57LRC-R
• National Geographic Desk Reference --G123. N38LRC-R
• Place names of the World--G105.R66 2006LRC-R
• The Statesman's Yearbook-- JA51.S7LRC-R
• World Almanac-- AY67. N5W7LRC-R
• The World Factbook-- G122.U56LRC-R
• World Christian Encyclopedia: A Comparative Study of Churches --BR157.W67LRC-R
• World Travel Guide --G153.4.W67LRC-R
To find specific reference titles,use the Library catalog and limit your results to "Reference Collection" or browse the shelves in subject areas:
opens new windowG-- Geography PDF
opens new windowGN--Anthropology PDF
opens new windowGR--Folklore PDF
opens new windowGT--Manners and customs PDF
See: opens new window Library of Congress Classification Outline for more subject areas.
Reference books cannot be checked; however, some titles may have a duplicate in the main collection that is available for checkout. Search the title you need in the library catalog to see if the book is located elsewhere in the library and availability for checkout.
Credo Reference
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
If you are off campus, includes distance learners, when prompted, sign in with your ORU network login or Single Sign-On (SSO).
Sample Titles:
A Handbook of Globalisation and Environmental Policy
by In the current era of globalisation, national governments are increasingly exposed to international influences that present new constraints and opportunities for domestic environmental policies. This comprehensive, revised Handbook pushes the frontiers of theoretical and empirical knowledge, and provides a state-of-the-art examination of the multifaceted effects of globalisation on environmental governance. Including substantially revised as well as new contributions from leading authorities, the Handbook offers an insightful overview of recent developments at the intersection of globalisation and national environmental policy. It covers themes including national regimes, trade rules, types of goods, federalism, innovation, standards, citizen-consumers, developing countries, policy networks, partnerships, and carbon trading. The Handbook's depth and scope will appeal to a broad and varied readership, across academics, students, and policy-makers interested in public and private governance, environmental economics, international relations, environmental politics and law, sociology, and political science.Publication Date: 2012-01-31
Perspectives on Global Development 2017
by Perspectives on Global Development 2017 presents an overview of the shifting of economic activity to developing countries and examines whether this shift has led to an increase in international migration towards developing countries. The report focuses on the latest data on migration between 1995 and 2015, and uses a new three-way categorisation of countries. It describes the recent evolution of migration overall as well as by groups of countries according to their growth performance. It analyses what drives these trends and also studies the special case of refugees. It examines the impact on migration of migration policies as well as various sectoral policies in developing countries of origin as well as of destin ation, and studies the impact of migration on these countries. The report also develops four illustrative future scenarios of migration in 2030 and recommends policies that can help improve the benefits of migration for origin and destin ation countries, as well as for migrants. Better data, more research and evidence-based policy action are needed to prepare for expected increases in the number of migrants from developing countries. More needs to be done to avoid situations that lead to refugee spikes as well as to foster sustainable development.Publication Date: 2016-12-22
Peoples, Nations and Cultures
by A unique and comprehensive look at some 1,500 of the world's peoples--from the earliest times to the present--offers a fascinating exploration of our planet's cultural and ethnic diversity. Africa, the Americas, Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania all receive individual sections, with maps and entries arranged in A-to-Z form. In addition to covering today's nation-states, there's information on the minorities who live in these countries (such as the Basques in Spain); the various diasporas created by dispersed peoples (Kurds, Jews); significant cultural, but non-ethnic groups, including Maronite Christians; and even extinct populations like the Goths.Publication Date: 2005-04-01
Gale Ebooks
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
opens new windowGale eBooks (GVRL) - includes subject encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Selected titles:
- opens new windowEncyclopedia of World Cultures
- opens new windowEncyclopedia of Religion
- opens new windowEncyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics- Also available in print - call number Q175.E53 2005 (3 vols.).
- opens new window International Encyclopedia of Marriage and the Family
Sample Titles:
African American Religious Cultures
by This encyclopedia offers the most comprehensive presentation available on the diversity and richness of religious practices among African Americans, from traditions predating the era of the transatlantic slave trade to contemporary religious movements. * Over 80 alphabetically organized entries on religious traditions embraced by African Americans, covering their historical development, doctrines, rituals, and key figures * Over 50 contributors, each a distinguished scholar familiar with the richness of African American religious lifePublication Date: 2009-09-10
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
byPublication Date: 2004-02-01
The Encyclopedia of World Cultures
by This 10-vol. set lists and describes more than 1,500 global cultures. Based on research of social scientists, it is the source for historical, social, political, economic, linguistic, religious, and other information on virtually every existing culture. Its cross-cultural perspective meets high school curricular requirements for world studies and social sciences.Publication Date: 1996-03-06
Women in World Religions [2 Volumes]
by This reference offers reliable knowledge about women's diverse faith practices throughout history and prehistory, and across cultures. * Offers nearly 300 reference articles by international scholars of religion, women, and history * Provides an overview of the religious experiences of women across time, faiths, and cultures * Devotes sections to particular religious traditions to provide information about the role of women and the feminine devine within those faiths * Presents reference information about the experiences of women within religions * Directs the user to additional resources via suggestions for further reading and an end-of-work bibliographyPublication Date: 2018-11-16
Oxford Reference Online
- Oxford Handbooks Online: Religion This link opens in a new window
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Click Refine terms under Narrow Your Choices, key in a term, such as opens new windowculture, in the Quick search term box, and then click Update.
Sample Title:
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in America
by This encyclopedia consists of a groundbreaking collection of detailed scholarly articles that address a wide range of topics in American religious history and culture, all written by experts in their fields. It is not an amalgam of articles on the traditionally invoked topics that havedirected thinking about religion in America. Rather, it is organized in a way that utilizes the most recent categories of scholarly research to identify the crucial themes, events, people, places, and ideas that have constituted the rich history of religion in America. It is arranged in fivesections: Space, Religious Ideas, Race and Ethnicity, Public Life, and Empire. In each section, a range of articles address the religious lives of Americans and the institutions, theologies, and social forces that have influenced those lives and given shape to a broad cultural landscape of religionin America. The articles in each section draw upon scholarship from an assortment of fields. As a result, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in America is fully interdisciplinary in its approach to religion in America. It is informative about cutting-edge debates not only in the fields of religion and history,but in sociology, geography, philosophy, ethnic studies, literature, and a number of other fields as well. The articles are interconnected in various ways. There are common themes as defined by the section headings, such as space, race, and religious ideas. There are also mutually reinforcingarticles on specific topics such as a particular denomination, a distinctive intellectual tradition, gender, class, economics, and immigration. The encyclopedia accordingly is best engaged as a tool that can be read both through and across the categories that organize it. It offers multipleinsightful takes on a range of topics and represents the history and culture of religion in America in ways that will both resonate with and challenge the perspectives of readers.Publication Date: 2018-09-20
