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World Cultures
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Reference Books  |  Facts & Figures  |  To Locate Other Books

How to Find Articles  |  Selected Websites

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Reference Books

These specialized reference books provide background material on a topic and are often a good place to start your research.

Books held in the Reference collection at the Brighton campus (LeRoy V. Good Library) have "Ref" in front of their call number. Books held in the Reference collection at the Damon City Campus Library have "City Ref" in front of their call number.

  • African Folklore  (Ref GR 350.A33 2004)
  • American Regional Folklore  (City Ref GR 105.34.M66 2004)
  • Asian American Encyclopedia  (Ref E 184.06 A827 1995)
  • CultureGrams  (Ref GT 150.C85 2005)
  • Countries and Their Cultures  (City Ref GN 307.C68 2001)
  • Death and the Afterlife  (Ref GT 3150.T25 2000)
  • Dictionary of Chicano Folklore  (Ref GR 111.M49 C37 2000)
  • Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
        (Ref E 185.E54 1996; City Ref E 185.E54 1996)
  • Encyclopedia of Food and Culture  (Ref GT 2850.E53 2003)
  • Encyclopedia of World Cultures  (Ref GN 307.F53 1991)
  • Fashion, Costume and Culture  (City Ref G T511.P46 2004 Vols.1-5)
  • Festivals and Holidays  (Ref GT 3925.F47 1999)
  • Food and Culture  (City Ref GT 2850.E53 2003 Vols.1-3)
  • Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America  (Ref E 184 .A1 G14 1995)
  • Gale Encyclopedia of World Tribes  (Ref E 77.G15 1998)
  • Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore
  • Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life
        (Ref GT31.G74 2004; City Ref GT31.G74 2004)
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind  (Ref GN 307.I44 1990)
  • Holiday Symbols and Customs  (Ref GT 3930.H6 2003)
  • How People Live  (Ref GN 333.A75 2003)
  • International Handbook of Funeral Customs  (Ref GT 3150.M27 1998)
  • The Latino Encyclopedia  (Ref E 184.S75 L357 1996)
  • Marriage Customs of the World  (City Ref 2690.M65 2004)
  • Marriage, Family, and Relationships  (Ref GN 480.B76 1994)
  • Multicultural Manners  (City Ref BJ 1838.D74 1996)
  • Native American Almanac  (Ref E 77.H59 1993)
  • The Peoples of Africa  (City Ref GN645.047 1996)
  • Traditional Festivals  (City Ref GT 3925.R68 2005 Vols.1&2)
  • The World Factbook  (Ref G 122.U56a 2007; City Ref G 122.U56a 2007)
  • World Travel Guide
        (Ref G155.A1 W686 2004; City Ref G 155.A1 W686 2001)
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    Facts & Figures

    Use these sources to find and check facts about topics, people, events.

    • The Statesman’s Yearbook
      Ref JA 51.S7 2008; City Ref JA 51.S7 2008

    • Statistical Abstract of the United States
      Ref HA 202.U5 2007; City Ref HA 202.U5 2007
      Also available online at: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

    • World Almanac and Book of Facts
      Ref AY 67.N5 W7 2007; City Ref AY 67.N5 W7 2008

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    To Locate Other Books

    Use the MCC Library Catalog to find books in our circulating collection about the country you are researching.

    Some search terms to use in combination with the name of your country include:

  • Anthropology
  • Culture
  • Description and Travel
  • Ethnology
  • Folklore
  • Manners and Customs
  • Social Life and Customs
  • Use the Basic Keyword Search option in the Library catalog and the strategies shown below to search for books:

    1.) Country name, region, or continent + the word “Culture”

          For Example:  Asia Culture

    2.) Country name, region, or continent + the words “Social Life and Customs”

          For Example:  France Social Life and Customs

    Image showing how to perform a basic keyword search in the MCC Library Catalog

    Accessing the MCC Library Catalog
  • Go to http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library
  • Click "Find books and media at the MCC Libraries"
  • Type your words in either the "Basic Keyword Search" or "Browse Search"
        boxes, then press the "Go" button
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    How to Find Articles

    The MCC Libraries subscribe to a number of different electronic databases you can use to search for magazine, journal, and newspaper articles about a specific country.

    Some databases are full-text and therefore have entire articles from certain publications available online for you to print directly from the computer.

    Library databases to search for articles about countries and cultures include:

  • Academic Search Premier
  • Custom Newspapers
  • JSTOR Electronic Journals
  • MasterFile Premier
  • OmniFile Full Text Select
  • The "National Geographic", "Smithsonian", and "History Today" magazines often publish articles containing cultural information on a country. Search the Academic Search Premier, MasterFile, and OmniFile databases to see if any articles have been written in these magazines about the country or culture you are researching.

    The websites for National Geographic, Smithsonian, and History Today magazines also have special features to supplement your research.

    Accessing MCC Libraries Article Databases
  • Go to http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library
  • Click "Find articles and online databases" and select a database
  • If off-campus, click “Access from Home” and follow directions to
        log-in to EZproxy
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    Selected Websites

    • Background Notes – These publications from the U.S. Department of State include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of various countries.

    • Country Studies Area Handbooks – A continuing series of books prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress that provide historical, social, economic, and political analyses of individual countries.

    • OneWorld.net - This site publishes U.S. and international perspectives on global issues gathered from OneWorld partners worldwide and includes in-depth guides on topics and countries.

    • Portals to the World – From the Library of Congress, this site contains selective links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world.

    • The World Factbook – This source provides profiles on countries and territories around the world and includes information about their geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, and military.

    • Foreign Government Resources on the Web – This site from the University of Michigan Documents Center provides links to news resources, embassies, and background information on many countries. 

    • Search Academic and Professional Subject Directories – Web links contained in these directories are selected and updated by subject experts and are considered to be authoritative and reliable and therefore recommended for academic research.

    P. Czaja, Revised 3/2008, http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library

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    Questions or Comments E-Mail the Library.


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