Notable E-Book: Transnational Migration, Gender and Rights

Did you know that we had eBooks as part of our Emerald database? We do. Although these are neither traditional reference books nor conventional single-author "monographs." They are actually themed volumes that are part of scholarly "annual" series.

Featured this month is a collection of scholarly essays that might appeal to anyone interested in globalization, social justice, or women's studies. The title is Transnational Migration, Gender and Rights, and it is volume in the series Advances in Ecopolitics which "includes a range of publications [that] discuss a significant element in the environmental theory which now represent an important aspect of sustainable living." This includes "insights into real alternatives to the current economic malaise, with an examination of key themes such as transition towns, sustainable utopias, co-operative farming, sustainability and activism, ecofeminism, green protectionism, intentional communities, environmental justice, environmental movements, green philosophies, politics and green economics."

This particular volume examines the "increase in the migration from poor and conflict ridden states to the affluent peaceful north." The summary for the collection states that "there are of course not only push factors causing migrants to leave, but also pull factors as when the middle classes enjoy an increase in their living standards which cause them to employ domestic help in their homes." The book examines the fact that since many females migrate as domestic workers like nannies and au pairs, they are especially vulnerable to exploitation, wage inequity and issues of forced migration/trafficking.

Be aware that these scholarly anthologies don't read like popular books. But as one chapter abstract indicates: "We want to better understand how migrant women negotiate the dynamic intersections of race, gender and citizenship identities in new places in order to survive, prosper and exert influence in new places and economic environments."

That's a topic worth examining!

Notable E-Book: SAGE Handbook of Public Opinion Research

You probably know that Suffolk has its own major public opinion research center. Founded in 2002, the Suffolk University Political Research Center (SUPRC) has become a national leader in political polling. (Click the left sidebar on the linked page above for recent examples of their polls in this VERY political year!)

But did you know that we also have several good electronic sources for other public opinion research? These include the extensive Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (aka iPOLL Databank) and another extensive collection of surveys from a variety of sources calling Polling the Nations (remember to logoff from the latter as it has only one simultaneous user).

We also have a variety of books on the subject. And a recent infusion of new ebooks into our Sage eReference database includes another useful resource entitled the SAGE Handbook of Public Opinion Research.

The publisher claims that "this major new Handbook is the first to bring together into one volume the whole field of public opinion theory, research methodology, and the political and social embeddedness of polls in modern societies. It comprehensively maps out the state-of-the-art in contemporary scholarship on these topics." While the editors indicate that "as a handbook, [this book] should give the reader an overview of the most important concepts included in and surrounding the term public opinion and its application in modern social research. We have assembled a set of authors who are active researchers and experts in the fields on which they were asked to write a contribution."

A major section on "Methodology" covers the design of surveys from telephone or face-to-face to panels and focus groups. Other sections address the legal and ethical issues of survey research and the use of polling as a media and propaganda/political tool. The book's final section deals with specific applications in marketing and voter research and the like.

The landing page for the eBook allows you to quickly search a keyword concept across the entire volume. You can also browse a Table of Contents or an A-Z index with a "search as you type" box attached.

Besides this handbook, there are plenty of other titles related to a wide variety of topics and research methods in all the social sciences within the Sage eReference database. They're all worth exploring for quick background, basic information and topic overviews, so don't stop with this title!

New Database: ABI/INFORM Complete

The Library's budget is very tight these days. (We're sure YOU know the feeling!) We can't afford to add new databases from extra money in our database budget line currently--because there is no extra money. What we can sometimes do is reconfigure our offerings from a particular vendor to maximize the research potential for our users. This is what we did in order to add ABI/INFORM Complete as a "new" library database for business and economics research.

ABI/INFORM has been around for over 35 years and it used to be our main business database. But then it was eclipsed by Business Source Complete (BSC) from EBSCO, and we actually switched databases over ten years ago. After losing much of its most useful content, ProQuest started rebuilding its database a few years back. And now, the "Complete" version truly is an impressive product, in terms of content.

Among the key titles included in ABI/INFORM Complete are The Wall Street Journal (exclusive--and also available through a separate link), selected ProQuest Dissertations and Theses in business and economics, SSRN Working Papers, as well as key offerings from reputable providers such as Business Monitor International, Economist Intelligence Unit, Oxford Analytica, and Oxford Economic Forecasting. A few exclusive periodical titles--like MIT Sloan Management Review--also make this an attractive product.

So, by combining a few things like our WSJ file and our Hoover's access into the deal, we were able to add this large research file, which indexes 6,800 journals, nearly 80% of which are in full-text.

The issue with ABI is not the amount of information that is available here, but how easy it is to get at the best materials. You will be almost buried in "hits" if you do a simple search. (A boolean keyword search for nike and marketing retrieves over 30,000 records!) The problem is that the results are often unwieldy and don't seem well-targeted using the ProQuest's current search algorithms.

Here are a couple of tips for getting something useful. First, on the landing page, which is an Advanced Search page, put in multiple terms in the AND boxes--this should look for multiple concepts in the same record. Also consider using some of the "Search Options" limits on the lower half of that opening search page.

If you end up with too many (inappropriate) hits on your initial results page, consider changing your sort to one by Relevance instead of date, as highlighted in yellow in the below screenshot. If you are searching for something that is a phrase, consider putting the phrase in quotation marks (as in "social media") so the database doesn't simply search for both words anywhere in a record. Consider changing the search scope from "All fields + text" to "All fields (no full text)." And it might also be worth exploring some the database-suggested subject searches you'll find above your results list. (Just be aware that these often knock out more items than you might wish!)

Another good option is to click the "More Options" link under "Source Types" in the right column. This allows you to include and exclude only certain types of materials. For example, in the below screenshot, I tell the database to give me only materials that are from trade journals, magazines and reports, as I do not want secondary materials like wire feeds or overly academic materials like scholarly journals and dissertations.


You will change these preferences, according to your particular research needs at that moment.

And are you primarily interested in finding some impressive statistics for your presentation? Then change the search from Advanced to Data & Reports by clicking the link under the main database name (as below).

You can search by keyword terms and also plug in extra limits by looking up the right company term, location, or other search option.

For more information on the database, you might want to look at this general brochure. Here, too, is a search guide from the company. But unfortunately, since it is dated from 2007, it is not accurate to the current ProQuest interface. To see how things are different (and not necessarily improved!) see this Search Syntax Conversion Guide. And for some more up-to-date tips, see this company LibGuide.

There's plenty to find here, so delve into this new database when you are doing business or economics research!

[Find ABI/INFORM Complete on our A-Z database list, or in our Subject Database List for Business & Management.]

Downloading ebrary eBooks To Your Device

Our ebrary database is our best general collection of ebooks that would be considered "monographs." That is, regular books with chapters rather than reference books with entries. (For reference books, GVRL and Sage eReference are two better choices.) Most of these books are part of a subscription database of over 30,000 volumes called ebrary Academic Complete. But many others we have either purchased for our own library collection, or have posted to ebrary from various vendors, NGOs, government agencies, or public domain free sources.

Ebrary has a nice readable interface, similar to a standard PDF. And it has plenty of tools (some of which require setting up an individual account) like doing word searches within the book, highlighting, saving materials to a personal bookshelf, and printing chapters (within certain limits). For more, generally, on how to fully utilize ebrary, see their Quick Start Guide.

But many people want to read ebooks on their tablet, ebook reader, or on their smartphone. They don't want to be tethered to a computer. Until recently, readers of ebrary ebooks had no options in this regard. Now you do. Ebrary has launched a download function, which they are continuing to refine.

The details of this are best detailed by Amy's detailed LibGuide on the subject, since how you do the downloads and whether you can download entire books or only chapter PDFs vary from device to device.

As illustrated on the top screenshot, you will now see a download icon above the contents of ebrary ebooks. You will need to set up an account to make full use of the download functionality. Once you do, you should be able to download chapter PDFs for all books. And for those books designated to accept multiple simultaneous users, you will even be able to download the entire ebook to your personal device. Options for download will look like this:


For those books that only permit a single viewer at a time to use them, you will not be able to do a full-book download. Instead, you will see this message:


Getting this set up for the first time on your device will likely take a little time and effort. And Kindle readers are especially problematic. But do look through the tabbed pages of our guide for much more on how to use this new functionality.

Notable E-Book: Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues

Sometimes, when starting a paper or speech or debate on a hot-button social topic, students are wise to start with an encyclopedia entry that provides an overview of the subject they are interested in exploring. Then, afterwards, they move on to journal literature and other research databases and statistics.

For the types of "social problems" students often choose (from their own interests or from readings in texts like the Bedford Reader), one 8 volume encyclopedia--that the library owns in paper form--called Social Issues in America has gotten a lot of use for browsing and basic research in the last few years. This is still a good first step for many students. But since this multi-volume set was published in 2006, it is useful to update it with something newer. This we have just done with a 4 volume 2011 resource available on our handy Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) interface.

Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues, was just published by ABC-CLIO, and it covers many of the same subject areas, from abortion to zombie computers (mentioned in the Cybercrime entry), that the earlier Sharpe Reference set discussed.

The publisher indicates that the set contains "approximately 225 in-depth entries lay out the controversies debated in the media, on campuses, in government, in boardrooms, and in homes and neighborhoods across the United States." They also indicate that "the work of almost 200 expert contributors, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues comprises four volumes, each devoted to a particular subject area. Volume one covers business and the economy; volume two, criminal justice; volume three, family and society; and volume four, the environment, science, and technology."

GVRL access is easy. Although you can access this (and the rest of GVRL content) from the database as a whole, if you are interested just in this new encyclopedia, it's probably easiest to simply link directly to it from our catalog record.

When you enter the landing page for this set, you can either do a keyword search, just in this publication, from the yellow search box to the left. Or, you can browse the table of contents or index (with eLinks), as well. See screenshoot below.


Once you search or select an entry, you can read it in HTML, often with links to supplementary items in the bibliography at the end of the entry. Or, you can view the entry in PDF, which looks exactly like the original volume, and prints in a more handsome form. Other tools (like getting an MLA or APA citation!) are available to the right of each HTML entry.



The great thing about GVRL is that, unlike many ebook platforms, it allows unlimited access to all content. So, if an instructor assigns an article in this or any other GVRL resource, students don't have to worry about being locked out while another student is using the material.

I should warn you that, within the month, GVRL is planning to roll out a new (and supposedly improved) platform. So some of what is described in this blog entry might change. But the over-all functionality should remain, and be even better. (We hope!)

Explore this and other new ebooks for 24/7 access to good-quality content.

Databases Worth Exploring: Ready eReference

It's term paper season, so remember that besides our many databases that get you good quality journal literature, and our online catalog (OPAC) that identifies electronic and good, old-fashioned paper books, we also have many sources of eReference books.

Electronic reference books are easy to cross-search and are a great way to get familiar with a topic. You can get a basic overview and background on a person, place, thing or concept. Then, once you have that grounding in the subject, and have become familiar with the common vocabulary of the field, you can more readily move on to the journal databases and do more informed searches there. Our two best collections of electronic encyclopedias and handbooks includes Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL), which is a very broad-based collection of reference books from a wide variety of publishers (not just Gale).


The basic search on the opening screen works well, just put in the concept you're interested in and you can read the reference entries in either HTML or in PDF form (just look for the Adobe icon).

Are you interested in topics in the social sciences or in social aspects other disciplines? If so, then Sage eReference is a great place to do some reading.


A search for social exchange theory, gets me lots of encyclopedia and handbook entries that would help me understand the theories and the theorists behind them. Sage entries usually suggest additional key readings at the end of their signed entries. (Remember, this is not anonymous, who-knows-who-wrote-it-or-when content like what you find in Wikipedia. These entries are written by scholars whose writing has undergone rigorous editorial review. And the kind of entries you find here are much more reliable as a starting place!)

For even more basic ready reference--quick definitions and such--consider Credo Reference


Credo has dozens (and dozens) of dictionaries and basic encyclopedias in just about every topic, as well as basic English and even bilingual dictionaries, available 24/7. (Just authenticate with your name and Suffolk ID number, if you are off-campus.)

And if you are struggling to find the right word or synonym while writing your paper, Credo even has two thesauri, the Bloomsbury Thesaurus and Roget's II New Thesaurus to help you polish up your writing.

The tools are here, whenever and wherever you need them. So take advantage of this great content. And if you have questions, stop by and see us!

Recurring Reference Question: How Do I Get Economist Articles Online?

Here's another question we get a lot. Teachers, especially in the Globalization class (SIB 101) want students to read articles from the London-based news magazine, The Economist. This is easy to do through our databases, and here's how. (And this technique would work with any journal or periodical you choose.)

First, put the name of the journal, economist, into the eJournal Locator box to the right of our homepage, as illustrated below.


When you submit this search there will be multiple listing for "economist," but the top option, Economist (London) is the one you want.


You'll note that there are several options for accessing current ("to present") issues of the The Economist. Although Gale databases, like Academic OneFile (AOF) usually get the latest issue a couple of days sooner, many people prefer to use the Ebsco database options like Academic Search Complete (ASC) and Business Source Complete (BSC). Pick whatever option you like.

If you click on Academic OneFile, the landing page will look like this:


Note that you have a couple of approaches you can take. If you want to look at ALL of a current issue, pick that issue from the link list in the middle of the screen. However, if you know that the article you want has a particular keyword in the title, or an unusual author name, you could, instead, "Search within publication" using the search box to the left. If you click on an issue, all the articles in it will be listed with a link. In that case, you can also refine and limit your search/browsing using the options in the left frame.


If you click on an Ebsco database like ASC and BSC from the eJournal Locator results, the landing page will look like the below. Similar to AOF, you have the option of either clicking on a date and expanding a list to browse complete issues OR in the upper right is a link to "Search within this publication."


If you know that the article has an unusual word silvery in the title, you might pick the "search within" option. On the search page, the journal is supplied by the database. Simply use boolean operation (that is, the word and) and add the word you want. In this case, I would add and silvery to my Economist search. As below.
I you have an uncommon word or words to look for, you might have an easy time spotting the article you need. (You can change the sort from Relevance to Date in the dark blue border, if you need to.)


That's the basic approach. I you need help, talk to us at Reference!