Ethnic Studies:
 African American Women

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 of African American Culture and History Ref E185.E54 1996
Organizing Black America Ref E185.5.O74 2001
Encyclopedia of Civil Rights In America. Ref E185.61.E544 1998
Encyclopedia of minorities in American Politics Ref E184.A1 E574 2000
International Encyclopedia of Women Ref HQ1115.E43 2000 vol. 1-4
Encyclopedia of Women and Gender Ref HQ1115.E43 2001

Finding articles
Try starting your search with a periodical index which arranges articles by subject. There are many indexes to choose from that are available online, however many indexes are only accessible in print. These are located in the Reference Area or in the Library Stacks. 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. Stop by the Reference Desk for help.

Databases relevant to African American Women: Go to Ethnic Studies Library Resources guide for links to these databases
GenderWatch Alternative Press Index America: History and Life (history)
Ethnic Newswatch EBSCOhost: Academic Search ERIC (education)
Sociological Abstracts ABI (business) Infotrac: Academic Index (1980-present)
Left Index MLA (literature) PsycINFO(psychology)
Criminal Justice Abstracts San Francisco Chronicle San Jose Mercury
You might also want to view the Women's Studies Library Resource guide.

Print Indexes
Index to Periodical Articles by and about Blacks.1960-. Ref EZ1361.N39O48
African American newspapers: The 19th Century. Ref PNZ 6944.N39A37 1998

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 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. For help locating materials or instruction on using EUREKA or the online databases please ask at the Reference Desk.

Library of Congress Subject Headings
EUREKA along with the majority of the online databases use "Library of Congress Subject Headings" (large red books near 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:
African American Women
African Americans -- Civil Rights
African Americans -- History -- to 1863 		African Americans Social Life and Customs
African Americans and Mass Media
Black power

Minority Women
Women, Black

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
State of Black America Ref E185.5.N317 2001-02
Historical Statistics of Black America Ref E185.H543 1995 v. 1-2
Statistical record of Black America Ref E185.5.S8 1997

Biographies and Directories
Black Women in America Ref E 185.96.B539 1999
Facts on File encyclopedia of Black women in America Ref E 185.96 .F2 1997
Black women in America E 185.86 .B5418 1995
African American writers Ref PS 153 .N5 A344 1991
African American women: a biographical dictionary Ref E 185.96 .A45 1993

Other Printed Resources
Joy Hame and T. Denean Sharply-Whiting   Black Feminist Reader
Irma McClaurin   Black Feminist Anthropology
Jean V. Carew and Sara Lawrence Lightfoot   Beyond bias: perspectives on classrooms
Sara Lawrence Lightfoot   The good high school: portraits of character and culture
Maxine Baca Zinn and Bonnie Thornton Dill   Women of color in U.S. society
Reeve Vanneman, Lynn Weber Cannon   The American perception of class
Patricia Hill Collins   Black feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment
Angela Y. Davis   If they come in the morning : voices of resistance
Elizabeth Higginbotham, Mary Romero   Women and work : exploring race, ethnicity, and class

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)

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.
CSUS Women's Studies Resource Guide http://library.csus.edu/guides/robertsl/wsguide2.html
CSUS Ethnic Studies: African American Studies Guide http://library.csus.edu/guides/blackmer/AfrAmguide1.html
Black American Feminism http://www.library.ucsb.edu/blackfeminism
Black Girl International http://www.blackgirl.org/

Other Library Women Studies Resources
Women's Studies Library Guide

Created and maintained by Kathryn Blackmer Reyes, Ethnic Studies & Multicultural Librarian. Univ. Library Rm. 3032, 3rd floor. 916.278.7784. Last Modified: October 2, 2003