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| Subject Guide for Social Work |
Homepage > Academics > Library > Find Research Tools > Subject Guides > Social Work
Library Resources for Social Work Students via The College of St. Scholastica Library
The following material is intended to serve as a brief introduction to library research. For a more in-depth presentation, see theLibrary Lablinks found at the end of each section.
Yes, that's right - books! Even in this technologically sophisticated day and age, books with actual printed pages are still the mainstay of a good library. And catalogs are still used to find books.ScholastiCATis the online catalog of The College of St. Scholastica. There are several different ways to search for books on ScholastiCAT. From the main page you can search by a particular title or author - if known.* If you don't know any titles or authors in your field, you can search by subject. Select "subject keyword" and enter "social service" in the text box. [A brief aside: "social service" is the official Library of Congress subject heading for social work. For the really curious, see the Worksheet Three link below to learn all about subject headings and controlled vocabulary. For the not so curious, suffice to say that subject headings are more or less what a book is about. The Library of Congress (just about the biggest kahuna in the library world) decides what is and is not an official subject heading. As part of the cataloging process, books are assigned Library of Congress subject headings - this allows you to find items about social work when you search by subject in PALS.] An exact subject search on "social service" will retrieve over 200 items that are available from our library. To see social work books available through the entire PALS system (includes 120+ other libraries in the state), go back and select "all PALS libraries" from the drop-down menu (click on the arrow at the end of the "where" box), then use the same search as before. Books not owned by CSS can be requested through inter-library loan. Forms are available at the circulation desk, 1st floor of the library.
For any confirmed browsers out there who enjoy scanning the shelves, you'll be pleased to know that books in the library are arranged according to subject. Our library uses the Library of Congress (there's that name again!) classification system to assign call numbers to our books. All those funny-looking letters and numbers on the spine label of a book are part of its call number. Books with similar call numbers are about similar topics - and conversely, books about similar topics will have similar call numbers - and therefore be found close together on the shelf. For example, the Library of Congress has classified social science materials in the "H's." Note that items related to social work can be found in the HV subclass (from the main page of the file, scroll down and click on the HV heading to get to the more detailed outline). Knowing this, you can now go to the HV section of the library's collection (3rd floor) to browse our shelves for social work books, even if you don't know specific titles or authors.
(seeWorksheet OneLibrary Lab material for an overview of how to use PALS ; seeWorksheet ThreeLibrary Lab material for further discussion on subject headings and how to locate books.)
Reference materials
Our reference collection (1st floor of the library) contains standard sources such as the Encyclopaedia Britannica, World Alamanc, etc., that offer broad coverage of topics. We also maintain a variety of resources devoted to specific disciplines (Encyclopedia of Psychology) or narrower topics (Presidents: A Biographical Dictionary). Follow thislinkfor a list of subject encyclopedias available at our library. Many items related to social work are in the "H's" section of the reference collection.
Note that reference books in ScholastiCAT will have a "Ref." designation before their call number to distinguish them from books in the general collection. Like books in the general collection, reference works are also arranged by Library of Congress call numbers and are assigned Library of Congress subject headings. Unlike books in the general collection, however, reference books cannot be checked out - they must be used in the library.
(seeWorksheet TwoLibrary Lab material for an overview of the Reference Collection.)
Journal articles
As catalogs are used to find books, print indexes - or their online equivalent, databases - are used to find journal articles. Print indexes in the library are located at the index tables across from the circulation desk. Social Sciences Index would be a key tool for locating social work material.
For a listing of databases available to all CSS students, see theFind Articlespage. Many articles related to social work may be found in Academic Search Premier, though other databases may be useful as well. [Note that if you are NOT on campus, you must use the database link under "Off-Campus Services" to access these sources.]
Once you've found citations for articles of interest, you must then locate the actual article if the full-text is not available (remember that full-text articles are the exception and not the rule!). There are several blue notebooks in the library labeled "CSS Periodical Holdings List." These tell you what journals we subscribe to and the years of coverage. Individual journal titles can also be looked up inScholastiCAT, or in anelectronic versionof the holdings list. The latter also lists periodicals by subject area. Click on the arrow at the end of the "search by subject" box, then select "social work" to see what periodicals we carry in this field.*
Recent issues (past 6 months, year, etc., depending on the journal) are found in the periodicals shelving on the 1st floor, across from the reference area. Older issues are kept in bound volumes on the 2nd floor. Periodicals cannot be checked out by students but articles may be photocopied as needed. Copiers are located on the 1st and 2nd floors.
Articles from journals that CSS does not subscribe to can be requested through inter-library loan. Forms are available at the circulation desk, or try your hand atelectronic ILL.
(seeWorksheet FourLibrary Lab material for a more thorough discussion on how to locate journal articles.)
Web sites
Social Work Web sites. You can't find everything on the Internet (contrary to popular belief), but there is some good stuff out there. These sites are reviewed, librarian-selected, and social work-specific.
(seeWorksheet FiveLibrary Lab material for an overview of Web searching.)
Statistics
Numbers can really enhance your writing, and your argument. Consider "some dentists recommend sugarless gum" vs. "4 out of 5 dentists recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum." Which packs a bigger punch?
Follow thislinkfor a list of print statistical sources available at CSS.
Follow thislinkfor a list of statistical sources available through the Internet.
(seeWorksheet FiveLibrary Lab material for further information on finding statistics.)
Assistance
Help is available ... in person: the reference desk on the 1st floor of the library is staffed from 11-4, Monday-Friday
... by phone: 723-6140 (Iibrary circulation desk)
... by email :library@css.edu
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