Scope

This Research Guide introduces some of College Library's resources on family studies. It includes current perspectives on the economic, legal and social changes in American family life. Possible areas of investigation are: dual-career families, two-income families, alternative families, extended families, working mothers and child care, child-rearing practices, marriage, divorce, living together, single-parent families, and family policies.

Overview

The Encyclopedia of Marriage, Divorce and the Family
College Library Reference Collection: HQ 9 D38 2000

Encyclopedia Americana
College Library Reference Collection: AE 5 E333 2001
Refer to "Family" in volume 11

Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics
College Library Reference Collection: BJ 63 A66 1998
Refer to "Family" in volume 2

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 1992 (updated daily)
Britannica Online is a searchable collection of authoritative references, including Britannica's latest encyclopedia articles. Basic instructions for Encyclopædia Britannica Online

Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology
College Library Reference Collection: GN 307 E53 1996
Refer to "Family and Household Structure" in volume 2

Encyclopedia of Psychology
College Library Reference Collection: BF 31 E52 2000
Refer to "Family Psychology" in volume 3

Encyclopedia of Sociology
College Library Reference Collection: HM 425 E52 2000
Refer to "Family and Household Structure" in volume 2

Encyclopedia of Social Work
College Library Reference Collection: HV 35 S6 1995
Refer to "Families" in volume 2

Encyclopedia of World Cultures
College Library Reference Collection: GV 307 E53 1991
Refer to "family" in the index

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

children and parent* and famil*
children and divorce* and parent*
fatherhood and parenting
fathers and financial support
working mothers and child care
children and gay parent*
mass media and famil*
television and famil*
nuclear family
single parent families
dual-career families
african-american and famil*
family services
family policy
family violence

Recommended Databases:

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

CQ Researcher November 1991 - to date (updated weekly)
Contains weekly reports from Congressional Quarterly that cover the most current and controversial issues. Basic instructions for CQ Researcher

Ethnic NewsWatch 1960 - to date (updated monthly)
A full-text collection of more than 200 newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Basic instructions for Ethnic Newswatch

GenderWatch 1980 - to date (updated quarterly)
A women's and gender issues database with full-text coverage of most journals. Basic instructions for GenderWatch

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

Social Sciences Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 415 scholarly journals in economics, politics, public administration, public health, sociology, criminology, environmental and urban studies, psychology and anthropology. Basic instructions for Social Sciences Full Text

More Databases:

Global NewsBank 1996 - to date (updated monthly)
Global NewsBank covers issues and events in Africa, Asia, Europe, the former Soviet Union, Pacific Rim, Central and South America and the Middle East. It is ideal for researching a wide variety of international developments related to politics, economics, science and business. The full-text news articles are from more than 1,500 international sources. Basic instructions for Global NewsBank

Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) 1972 - to date (updated quarterly)
Indexes journal articles, books, government documents, statistical compilations, committee reports, directories, serials, reports of public, intergovernmental and private organizations, and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world. The full-text of the articles is not available in the database. Basic instructions for PAIS

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on family studies can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

"dual-career families" and "united states"
"work and family" and "united states"
"family policy" and "united states"
"single parents"
"gay parents"
"adoptive parents"
"working mothers" and "child care"
http and "working mothers"

Searches can be limited to recent publications and English language.

Internet Sites

Child & Family Web Guide
http://www.cfw.tufts.edu/
Gateway to the best sites about children from Tufts University.

Librarians' Index to the Internet: Family
http://www.lii.org/pub/topic/families
The Librarians' Index to the Internet is a reliable guide to Internet resources.

SOSIG: Families
http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/subject-listing/World-cat/fam.html
Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG) is a UK-based source of information about sociology for researchers and practitioners in the social sciences, business and law. Their "Families" page includes links to a variety of websites, reports, organizations, and other online materials dealing with families and children.

Statistics

Statistical Handbook on the American Family
College Library Reference Collection: HQ 536 S727 1999

Statistical Universe 1973 - to date (updated monthly)
Contains the full text of more than 800 U.S. government statistical publications. Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe is available to UW-Madison registered users.

ChildStats.gov
http://www.childstats.gov/
The official Web site of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

Organizations

The Administration for Children and Families
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/

Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/