ETHNIC STUDIES:
CHICANO & LATINO STUDIES


Background Info
Taking a few minutes to read about your topic in a specialized encyclopedia, dictionary or handbook may be one of the most effective and time saving research tips in this guide. These can help you define unfamiliar terms, locate quick biographical information, verify dates and events. Encyclopedia articles are often followed by carefully selected bibliographies or lists of references to other works, useful items to have as you begin looking for additional information. The following are located on the Reference shelves behind the Reference Desk area.

If you'd like learn more about research and online resources stop by the Reference Desk, or take a class at the Library.
Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture and Society in the United States Ref E184.S75E587 2005 vols. 1-4
Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States Ref E184.S75O97 2005 vols. 1-4
Latino Encyclopedia. Ref E184.S75L357 1996 vols. 1-6
Handbook of Hispanic Cultures. E184.S75H365 1993 vols. 1-4
Atlas of Hispanic American History E184.S75O287 2001
Dictionary of Chicano Folklore. Ref GR111.M49 C37 2000
Encyclopedia of the Mexican American civil rights movement. Ref E184.M5M458 2000

Finding Articles
Try starting your search with a periodical index which arranges articles by subject. There are many indexes to choose from, some available in online formats. Many indexes have not been put online and can only be accessed in print. These are located in the Reference Area. An often overlooked resource for journal articles are the bibliographies that can be found at the end of related journal articles or in books on your topic. There are even specialized indexes that allow you to search just for bibliographies! Stop by the Reference Desk for help.

Databases relevant to Chicano and Latino Studies: The Ethnic Studies Resources Guide page will provide links to the following databases.
Chicano Database Ethnic NewsWatch MEDLINE (health)
EBSCOhost: Academic Search INFOtrac: Academic Index MLA (literature)
Sociological Abstracts Alternative Press Index (newspapers) ERIC (education)
Criminal Justice Abstracts America: History and Life (history) CINAHL (heath)
PsycInfo (psychology)

Finding Books
Don't bother looking for the card catalog if you want to locate books at CSUS. The catalogs for finding materials in the library are computerized. These online catalogs are powerful search tools, but to take full advantage of them you may need some help getting started. Stop by the Reference Desk for one on one assistance in learning how to use these systems, or check out the workshops offered throughout the school year.

CSU Sacramento's Catalog
EUREKA is CSUS's local online library system. It allows you to locate books, periodicals, government publications, music scores, films and more. EUREKA also provides status information, e.g. if the material is checked out. It does not, however, index journal contents or include the full text of articles.

Library of Congress Subject Headings
EUREKA and some online databases use "Library of Congress Subject Headings" (large red books at the Reference Desk) to catalog books. These subject headings are slow to change and sometimes removed from contemporary usage; they are, however, extremely useful in locating books and articles. Subject headings:

Agricultural laborers--United States
Illegal aliens--United States
Salvadorans--California--Los Angeles

American Literature--Latino authors
Guatemalans--United States--statistics
Nicaraguans--California

Alien labor, Mexican--United States
Emigration and immigration
Puerto Ricans--civil rights--New York
Ethnic groups or geographical locations can be substituted for other groups or locations.
Some names and organizations can also be used in subject searches.

Statistics
Hispanic Americans: a statistical sourcebook Ref E184.S75 H54 2000
Women of Hispanic origin in the Labor Force Gov Pubs US Docs L36.114/3:2000-04
Statistical Record of Hispanic Americans Ref E185.S75S83 1995
California Latino demographic databook Ref E184.S75 C3543 1998

Biographical Information
Notable Hispanic American women. Ref E184.S75N68 1993
Notable Latino Americans: a biographical dictionary Ref E184.S75 M435 1997
Who's who among Hispanic Americans. Ref E184.S75W36 1992-93

Bibliographies
A bibliography is a list of books, articles and sometimes other materials such as films and recordings. They can be entire books, within books or at the end of journal articles. These are often overlooked resources that can be a treasure trove of related sources. Some are even annotated, with short descriptions of each entry. A well-organized, carefully selected and annotated bibliography can lead you to the best and most relevant sources on your topic.
Arte Chicano, 1965-1981.( index is available in the Chicano Database) Ref NZ5961.U5G64 1985.
Latinos and politics. Ref EZ1361.S7L365 1991.
U.S. Latino literature. Ref PSZ 1229 .H57 Z55 1992.
Hispanic American genealogical sourcebook. CS 49 .H563 1995 .
Hispanic mental health research. Ref RCZ 6664 .N5 N48 1982.
Cuban and Cuban-American Women Ref HQZ 7964 .C85 S76 2000.

Style Manuals Guides
When you write a research paper, it's important that you credit the scholars and critics who have contributed to your ideas, whatever the format their publications may take (print, sound, film, WWW). There are guides specific to certain fields of study, or your professor or instructor may request a specific bibliographic and citation style. Some Reference Guides that provide more detail on bibliographies and specific style guides are:
ASA Citation Guide APA Citation Guide 5th edition Style Manual and Guides (includes MLA and Chicago)

Spanish Language Newspapers For additional newspapers see link below in "WWW" section.
Clarín. (Buenos Aires, Argentina) www.clarin.com La Prensa Honduras. (San Pedro, Honduras) www.laprensahn.com
El Comercio. (Quito, Ecuador) www.elcomercio.com La Prensa. (Managua, Nicaragua) www.laprensa.com.ni
El Diario de Hoy. (San Salvador, El Salvador) www.elsalvador.com El Tiempo. (Bogotá, Colombia) www.eltiempo.com
La Nación. (Buenos Aires, Argentina) www.lanacion.com El Universal. (Caracas, Venezuela) www.el-universal.com

WWW
The World Wide Web (WWW) provides a means of connecting to a vast amount of information via the Internet. The range of information is enormous, ever-changing and astonishingly varied. However, just because something comes packaged in a high tech format, doesn't mean it's well researched or accurate. One approach to researching the Web is to start your search using a site that is more likely to focus on scholarly resources and critically evaluate your WWW search results.
Chicana/Latina Issues - CSUS Library Guide http://library.csus.edu/guides/blackmer/C-Lissues.htm
Chicano/Latino Net http://latino.sscnet.ucla.edu/
Making Face, Making Soul: a Chicana Feminist Page http://chicanas.com/
Electronic Newspapers - Latin America: Links of South America and Mexico newspapers. http://way.net/omnivore/lat-am.html
Latin American Network Information Center http://info.lanic.utexas.edu/
Yahoo's guide to resources: Links to newspapers, arts, education, health, etc. Mexican Americans or U.S. Hispanics & Latinos

Maintained by Kathryn Blackmer Reyes, 916.278.7784. University Library Rm. 3032, 3rd floor. Last Modified: October 11, 2005