Guide to Resources for Dreams From My Father

The following is a list of resources--organized by themes--that are available to members of the Augustana community who are seeking information related to the 2009 Augie Reads book Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama. 

African American Community, Multi-ethnic Issues, and Race    Kenya and Indonesia  Colonialism and Postcolonialism    Family    Community Engagement / Social Activism Education     Identity / Self / Coming of Age    Memoir / Life Writing  Social Class

African American Community, Multi-ethnic Issues, and Race

To locate books on these topics, try using these subject headings in ALiCat/I-Share:

African Americans
Blacks—Race identity
Whites—Race identity
Ethnicity
Race
Race relations
Race awareness

For background reading, use print reference materials, such as encyclopedias:

E184 and E185 in the reference collection (and in the circulating collection, upstairs on 3rd floor) include books (and videos on 3rd floor) about multiculturalism and the history of African Americans. The titles listed here are only a sample of what you will find in the reference collection:

Encyclopedia of African American History: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass
REF E185 .E545 2006

Encyclopedia of African American History: 1896 to the Present
REF E185 .E5453 2009

Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History
REF E 185. E54 1966

Black Women in America
REF E185.86 .B542 2005

Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America
REF E185.61 .E544 1998

American Immigrant Culture
REF E184 .A1A63448 1997

Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism
REF E184 .A1E58 1994

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
REF E184 .A1G14 1995

The H call number includes books about the social sciences. HT is the section that houses books about communities, classes and races. HT108 includes books about urban groups:

Encyclopedia of Urban Cultures
REF HT108.5 .E53 2002

HT 1521 includes books about race:

Race, Ethnicity and Society
REF HT1521 .E63 2008


For scholarly articles, consult these electronic databases:

Academic Search Premier
JSTOR
Project Muse
AnthroSource
America: History & Life
Sociological Abstracts


The following two electronic collections present primary documents related to history and personal narratives:

Social and Cultural History: Letters and Diaries Online
This collection of primary sources includes the following databases: Oral History Online, North American Women’s Letters and Diaries, North American Immigrant Letters and Diaries, Black Thought and Culture, Manuscript Women’s Letters and Diaries from the Antiquarian Society, American Civil War Letters and Diaries, and British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries.

In the First Person
Provides in-depth indexing of more than 3,350 collections of personal narratives in English from around the world, including 20,500 months of diary entries, 63,000 letter entries, and 17,000 oral history entries. (About 25% of the material in this database is copyright-protected and cannot be accessed for free. Use the “Search Documents” advanced search to limit to free products only.)

Websites:

The Library of Congress American Memory Project
A digital library of primary documents on many aspects of American culture and history, including immigration and African American history.

Ethics Matters: Race, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism
Maintained by a professor at the University of San Diego, this interesting site provides on line access to a wide range of multimedia materials and internet resources about race, ethnicity, human rights, hate crimes, racism, and more. Includes links to programs about race on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation.”

The University of Maryland's Diversity Database
This database contains academic material related to the following areas of diversity as defined by the Office of Human Relations Programs at the University of Maryland: age, class, disability, ethnicity, gender, national origin, race, religion & sexual orientation. Includes syllabi on diversity-related issues from institutions around the country.

Race: the Power of an Illusion
Online companion to California Newsreel’s 3-part documentary about race in society, science, and history which the library owns: Shelved On Reserve GN269 .R337 2003.

Kenya and Indonesia

To find books, try these subject headings in ALiCat/ I-Share:

To find encyclopedias and dictionaries:

On the 2nd floor of the library, browse the DT call numbers for reference books on Africa, the DS call numbers for reference books on Asia, and the HA call numbers for statistical information. Here are a few helpful titles:

New Encyclopedia of Africa (5 volumes)
REF DT2 .N48 2008

Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (5 volumes)
REF DT14 .A37435 2005

Encyclopedia of African History (3 volumes)
REF DT20 .E53 2005

Encyclopedia of Modern Asia (6 volumes)
REF DS4 .L48 2002

Encyclopedia of the Developing World (3 volumes)
REF HC59.7 .E52 2006

To find scholarly articles:

Bibliography of Asian Studies
Historical Abstracts
JSTOR
Project MUSE

Other electronic resources:

Europa World
Europa World is the online version of the Europa World Year Book, the indispensable source of information on world-wide affairs. The year book is renowned as one of the world's leading reference works, covering political and economic information in over 250 countries and territories, including Kenya and Indonesia.

CIA World Factbook
“Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.” The World Factbook is a well-regarded publication, but keep in mind its source: a United States government intelligence agency.

Historical New York Times
The Historical New York Times offers full text and image coverage of the newspaper from 1851 to 2005. Search here for information on Kenya at the time of Obama’s visit, or on the deposition of Sukarno in Indonesia in the mid-1960s. (For access to NYT articles from 2006 to the present, use LexisNexis [covers 1980-present].)

Colonialism and Postcolonialism

The resources below lead to introductory information on colonialism and postcolonialism; both of these concepts may arise as you conduct research on Kenya and/or Indonesia.

Reference:

Encyclopedia of Postcolonial Studies
REF PN849 .U43 E53 2001

To find additional books, try these subject headings in ALiCat/ I-Share:

Postcolonialism
Colonies
Decolonization

Here are a few overview/introductory titles that may be helpful:

A Companion to Postcolonial Studies, ed. Henry Schwarz and Sangeeta Ray
JV51 .C75 2000

Colonialism/Postcolonialism, by Ania Loomba
JV51 .L66 1998

Postcolonial Studies and Beyond, ed. Ania Loomba et al.
JV51 .P652 2005

Electronic resources:

Credo Reference
An online reference library of over 350 reference books, with content from all disciplines. Search “postcolonialism” or “postcolonial studies” to find an overview article.

Postcolonial Studies
Introduction to the major concepts and figures connected to postcolonialism. From the Department of English, Emory University.

Some Issues in Postcolonial Theory
Overview essay by John Lye, from the Department of English Language & Literature, Brock University, Canada.

Family

To locate books, try these subject headings in ALiCat/I-Share:

Family
Communication in the family
Home
Family policy
Geneaology
Family – Psychological aspects
Family – Religious life
Family – United States
Adulthood
Parent-child relations
Sibling relations

For background reading, use print reference materials, such as encyclopedias:

HQ in the reference collection (and in the circulating collection, upstairs on 3rd floor) includes books (and videos on 3rd floor) about families, family life, and family communication. The titles listed here are only a sample of what you will find in the reference collection.

International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family
REF HQ9 .E52 2003

Handbook of Family Communication
REF HQ519 .H36 2004

Encyclopedia of Family Life
REF HQ534 .E53 1999

Families in America
REF HQ536 .T35 2002

Parenthood in America
REF HQ755.8 .P3783 2000

American Masculinities
REF HQ1090.3 .A453 2003

Men & Masculinities
REF HQ1090.3 .M436 2004

For scholarly articles, consult these electronic databases:

Academic Search Premier
Academic Search Premier offers scholarly articles on a wide variety of topics, and also includes magazine and newspaper articles.  This database is often a good place to start every time you need to do research.

ComAbstracts
This database focuses on human communication studies, and includes abstracts of articles from journals such as The Journal of Family Communication.  You won’t find any full-text articles in the database itself, but we subscribe to many of its journals; ask a librarian to help you find the full text of an article.

ERIC
Our learning and interest in education is often closely linked to the importance placed on education by our families; look in ERIC to find studies of how a child’s family might influence his or her education.

Family and Society Studies Worldwide
This is one of the premier sources for information in family studies – an important resource if you’re interested in this topic!  Please note that only one user may use this database at a time; if you can’t log on, be patient and try again later, and don’t forget to log off when you’re done.

Gender Studies
Gender roles and a child’s self-perception are heavily influenced by family life; look here if you’re interested in exploring how family relationships affect individuals’ sense of gender.

PsycINFO
Psychologists study the human mind, often focusing on an individual’s behavior.  A person’s family can influence his or her perceptions, thoughts, and emotions, just as an individual’s personal behaviors can affect his or her family and familial relationships.  This is the first place to look for any psychology-related research topic.

Sociological Abstracts
Sociologists study human society, the basis of which is often individuals’ relationships with each other.  A family is a society in itself.  You won’t find any full-text articles in this database, but we subscribe to many of its journals; as a librarian to help you find the full text of an article. 

Websites:

U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau provides data about family structure, answering questions such as “How many people live in the average household?” as well as other questions about families that might be related to race, education, economic status, geographic location, etc.

Administration for Children & Families
This branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services addresses issues and concerns relevant to American families, including adoption, child abuse, child care, etc.  They also provide a gateway to legislation, statistics, and research related families.

Medline Plus: Family Issues
Medline Plus, run by the National Library of Medicine, is a gateway for health information that is designed to be readily accessible to people without any advanced education in the health sciences.  This page addresses health concerns and issues that can particulary affect families, including marriage and divorce, family counseling, nutrition, depression, etc.

Community Engagement / Social Activism

To locate books, try these subject headings in ALiCat/ I-Share:

Community organization
College students—political activity
Political participation
Social change
Social justice
Social movements
Student movements
Voluntarism—United States

To locate print Reference materials:
The H call number area covers the Social Sciences and contains several useful volumes dealing with community engagement and social activism. Here are a few titles you might find particularly helpful:

Protest, Power , and Change: An Encyclopedia of Nonviolent Action from ACT-UP to Women’s Suffrage
REF HM 278.P76 1997

Encyclopedia of Community (4 volumes)
REF HM 756.E53 2003

The Blackwell Companion to Social Movements
REF HM 881.B53 2004

Alternatives to the Peace Corps: A Directory of Global Volunteer Opportunities
REF HN 49.V64 A47 2003

Encyclopedia of American Social Movements (4 volumes)
REF HN 57.E594 2004

A Guide to Careers in Community Development
REF HN 90.C6 B754 2001

For scholarly articles, consult these electronic databases:

JSTOR
PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) International
Political Science Complete
Sociological Abstracts

To search effectively, use and combine search terms such as:  community, activism, social change, social movements, grassroots, community organization, social justice, volunteer, civil participation, citizen participation, community development, progressivism, collective representation, lobbying, democracy, empowerment, civil rights, etc.

Other online resources:

Women and Social Movements
Over 30,000 pages of documents from 1769 - present pertaining to women and social movements. On the left side under “Browse,” click on “Social Movements” for an alphabetical list of social movements and access to documents pertaining to each one.

CQ Researcher
Original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on political and social issues in the news. Relevant reports include “Civic Renewal” (3/21/97), “National Service” (6/25/93 and 6/30/06), “The New Volunteerism” (12/13/96), and “Student Activism” (8/28/98).

Community Resources Online
The "Iowa 2-1-1 Information and Referral Database" allows you to search for local social service agencies and organizations. This is a good way to identify volunteer opportunities.

Websites:

Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) of the Quad Cities 
This local Quad Cities collective began organizing in 2005 and seeks “to educate, engage, promote, transform and build relationships to bring about needed changes for the betterment of our communities and for the advancement of progressive values.” The organization has sub-groups that address human rights, peace and justice, women’s issues, civil rights, the environment, labor and social security, health care, immigration, moral values, election reform, education, and others.

United Way of the Quad Cities
Visit this site for local volunteer opportunities.

Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities

Education

To locate books, try these subject headings in ALiCat/I-Share:

Multicultural education
School integration
Educational equalization – United States
Education and race (Boolean search)
Affirmative action
Minorities – education
Education and state
Identity development
Racially mixed people
Education – social aspects

For background information, use print and electronic reference encyclopedias and handbooks:

Encyclopedias and handbooks concerning educational topics can be found in the L section of the reference collection. Books and videos on education available for check out are found under L on the 4th floor. Another useful subject area is African- American studies found at E185 in reference and in the stacks.  Electronic reference books are located on the main library page, http://www.augustana.edu/library under Electronic Reference. The titles listed below are only a sample of what you will find in the reference collection.

Education Opposing Viewpoints 
REF LA217.2 .E34 2009

Encyclopedia of Education 
REF LB15 .E47 2003

Encyclopedia of American Education
REF LB17 .U54 2001

Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education
REF LC1099.3 .H35 2004

Statistical Abstract of the United States
REF HA202 .S797 2009
(Great resource for statistics on education. An electronic version is available through ALiCat, as are previous editions dating back to 1881.)

For scholarly articles, consult these electronic databases:

Academic Search Premier
Academic Search Premier offers scholarly articles on a wide variety of topics, and also includes magazine and newspaper articles.  This database is a good place to start every time you need to do research.

CQ Researcher and CQ Weekly
Designed as background information sources for Congress, CQ provides pamphlet style, unbiased, overviews of current social topics. Results will be initially be ranked by relevance, but can be resorted by newest first. 

ERIC
ERIC is the primary education database in the world and the resource to use for scholarly articles on all aspects of education.

Gallup Brain
The Gallup Poll has collected Americans’ opinions about many subjects since 1935. This database gives you access to these polls and can help you build a case concerning education.
 
Professional Development Collection
Provides indexing for scholarly articles primarily concerned with higher education topics.

PsycINFO
Educational attainment and success often are dependent upon psychological factors. Use the same search terms as you would in an education database and find articles providing a different perspective on your question.

Website:

U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau provides vast amounts of data about education. Much of this is summarized in Statistical Abstract of the United States. Use http://www.census.gov  to explore on a more local level.

Identity / Self / Coming of Age

To locate books, try these subject headings in ALiCat/ I-Share:

Identity
Self
Individuality
Personality

To locate print Reference materials:

The Psychology section is BF and Family Studies is located in HQ. You may find these titles helpful:

21st Century Psychology: A Reference Handbook
REF BF 131.A15 2008

Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science (2 volumes)
REF HQ 767.84.E52 2005

Handbook of Applied Development Science (4 volumes – volume 1 is especially useful)
REF HQ 767.9.H346 2003

Contemporary Youth Culture: An International Encyclopedia (2 volumes)
REF HQ 796.C8154 2006

Greenwood Encyclopedia of Children’s Issues Worldwide (6 volumes)
REF HQ 767.84.G74 2008

For scholarly articles, consult these electronic databases:

Family and Society Studies Worldwide
PsychINFO
JSTOR
Sociological Abstracts

To search effectively, use and combine search terms such as:  identity, self-esteem, coming of age, sexual identity, ethnic identity, personality, adolescent development,  self concept, roles, individuality, identity formation, personal identity, social identity, personal expression, etc.

Other resources:

To locate authors who have written fiction or nonfiction dealing with issues of identity, use the Literature Resource Center. Click on “Person Search” and then click on “Browse” next to the “Subject/Theme” box. Type “Identity” (or “Self identity” or “Coming of age” into the box at the top and click find.

As you discernyour own identity, consider a visit to the Center for Vocational Reflection in Carlsson Evald Hall: “The Augustana College Center for Vocational Reflection helps students recognize who they are called to be. Vocation is recognized when one's skills, gifts, and talents combine with one's passions to meet the needs of the community.”

Memoir / Life Writing

Subject headings to use to look for books in ALiCat/I-Share:

Autobiography
Life Change Events
Self in literature

For background reading, consult print encyclopedias in the reference section:

Encyclopedia of Life Writing: Autobiographical and Biographical Forms
REF CT221 .E53 2001
Provides a guide to the field of life writing—an overview of its central genres and themes, an account of historical and international traditions and trends, a summary of the significance of individual writers, and a discussion of the contexts out of which memoir is born. A thematic list to the contents, found at the beginning of volume 1, is especially useful; one can find entries that deal with history, with regions, or with themes such as “women’s life writing” or “social and political contexts.”

Remembered Childhoods: A guide to Autobiography and Memoirs of Childhood and Youth
REF CT25 .L66 2007
Mainly a list of memoirs of childhood organized by topic, this book includes a nice introduction to what memoir is and its value. An appendix lists coming-of-age films based on autobiographies.

For scholarly articles, consult these electronic databases:

Academic Search Premier
JSTOR
Project Muse
MLA Bibliography

Social Class

To locate books on this topic, try using these subject headings in ALiCat/I-Share:

Social Classes
Social Mobility
Social Status

For background reading:

Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Society
REF HT1521 .E63 2008

CQ Researcher (articles on “Upward Mobility” and “Black Middle Class”)

Encyclopedia of Social Work
REF HV35 .S61

For scholarly articles, consult these electronic databases:

Academic Search Premier
Family and Society Studies Worldwide
Sociological Abstracts


Website:

Center for Working-Class Studies at Youngstown State University (Includes links to other online resources)