This guide highlights library resources for understanding and exploring the subject of racial inequality from a multidisciplinary perspective. The materials on this guide are available through the Libraries' digital and physical collections or freely available on the open web.
I'm happy to help you with any questions you might have regarding access to library materials and research.
See more images of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike in the University Libraries' Digital Repository Collection.
Digital Image (c) 2011, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved. Use of this image shall be governed by the University of Memphis Libraries "Duplication Agreement" http://www.memphis.edu/libraries/pdfs/duplication_agreement.pdf
Search article databases by keywords to find articles in scholarly journals and other scholarly publications.
THE DATABASE for sociological research. Just use it.
When the .pdf or link to full-text is unavailable, click "Search UM Libraries" to find a link to the full-text article.
Indexes periodicals in addiction studies, anthropology, area studies, communications & mass media, community health & medical care, corrections, criminal justice, criminology, economics, environmental studies, ethics, family studies, gender studies, geography, gerontology, international relations, law, minority studies, planning & public administration, policy sciences, political science, psychiatry, psychology, public welfare, social work, sociology, and urban studies. Coverage: citations & abstracts, 1983- ; full text, 1995-
Find articles about urban affairs & history, community development, community action, and more.
This database has lots of full-text content from 92 Sociology journals and many other sources in related disciplines. Click on ADVANCED SEARCH and then NARROW BY DISCIPLINE by selecting SOCIOLOGY.
This database contains full-text articles in the Social Sciences and Humanities. For targeted results, click the ARTICLE SEARCH tab and limit your search by selecting SOCIOLOGY in the "By Discipline" box.
An multidisciplinary database with full-text content. Type a keyword into the SUBJECT GUIDE SEARCH box to see a list of related terms before you start your search.
Indexes a wide variety of journals, dissertations, and government reports in many social sciences fields, including political science, human environment studies, sociology, criminology, women's studies, law, public affairs, and more.
Indexes and provides some full text to English-language scholarship in the field of Education.
Full-text database indexing a huge variety of Law-related publications.
Communication, rhetoric, mass media, and more. Lots of full text.
Click on any of these journal titles and then follow links to view their articles in a database.
Race/ethnicity: multidisciplinary global contexts
Civil Rights Journal (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights)
Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy
Meridians: Feminism, Race, & Transnationalism
U of M Libraries organizes materials on the shelf using the Library of Congress Classification.
Below are a sample of call number ranges that you can use to browse the shelves in McWherter Library for books on general topics.
E 184.5 - 185.98 African Americans (since Emancipation, biography, genealogy)
GN 269 - 279 Anthropology>>Race (General)
HN 1 - 995 Social history and conditions, social problems, social reform
HQ 1101 - 2030.7 Women, Feminism
HT 1501 - 1595 Races (including race as a social group and race relations in general)
Click the subject headings and keyword-phrases below to find books at McWherter Library.
Civil rights movements - United States - History - 20th century
Intersection of race and gender
Race discrimination - Law and legislation - United States
The African American Communities database offers a diverse range of primary source material on race relations across social, political, and cultural arenas. Focusing on Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and North Carolina, the collection explores racism, discrimination, desegregation, urban renewal and housing, civil rights movements and protests, community integration and expressions of unique African American culture conveyed through the work of artists, writers, actors, and musicians.
"The Civil Rights Digital Library promotes an enhanced understanding of the Movement by helping users discover primary sources and other educational materials from libraries, archives, museums, public broadcasters, and others on a national scale" (Welcome to the Civil Rights Digital Library).
"Documenting the American South (DocSouth) is a digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture" (Documenting the American South: Home).
"Educator, author, lecturer. Correspondence, diaries, printed material, clippings, speeches, and other writings, chiefly 1886-1954, focusing primarily on Mrs. Terrell's career as an advocate of both women's rights and equal treatment for blacks" (Catalog record: Notes).
"...a digital collection of some 52 published works by 19th-century black women writers. A part of the Digital Schomburg, this collection provides access to the thought, perspectives and creative abilities of black women as captured in books and pamphlets published prior to 1920" (African American Women Writers: Introduction).
Come to the McWherter Library to view archival documents of the NAACP. We have many records, including personal correspondence of members, meetings of the board of directors, campaign planning notes and documents, and other administrative papers.
Transcripts of interviews with former slaves, conducted between 1936 and 1938.
Documents various aspects of worldwide slavery, including the Americas.
In the left sidebar, click Landmark Cases to see critical legal decisions regarding civil rights in the United States.
Some of these DVDs are new acquisitions and are "being processed." This means you won't find them on the shelf yet. Send me an email if you need the DVD right away, and I can help get it to you in 1-2 business days.
To find more DVDs, use the advanced search screen in the library catalog. Enter a keyword and limit "material type" to DVD or to e-video.
Off and Running: An American Coming of Age Story
Babyland: Infant Mortality in Memphis
Black is - Black ain't: A Personal Journey through Black Identity
Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement
Race: The Power of an Illusion
Cultural Identity vs. Acculturation: Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice
A Class Divided (streaming)
Birth Struggle of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (streaming)
Looking for video clips?
Search by keyword in the "I'd like to watch" search box.
Browse the list of topics and tags to find short videos on a huge variety of subjects.
Hans Rosling makes beautiful statistical presentations related to world health and development issues. Follow this link to watch them.
Selected government research reports and congressional hearings about race and racial inequality are below.
To find more, use the advanced search screen of the library catalog. Enter a keyword then limit "Location" to McWherter Government Publications Department.
An assessment of racial discrimination in the military : a global perspective
Death penalty legislation and the Racial Justice Act
Facts about race/color discrimination
Fair housing : hearing before the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights
Encyclopedias are excellent sources to consult as you develop a research question.
Look up terms to find succinct explanations and definitions, to find references to essential texts and prominent scholars, and to understand theoretical and methodological stances in fields and disciplines.
Race Relations in the United States, 1900 - 2000
Encyclopedia of American Race Riots
Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion
Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies
Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, and Society in the United States
Encyclopedia of African American Society
Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Civil Rights
Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
Routledge Atlas of African American History
Blackwell's Dictionary of Sociology: A User's Guide to Sociological Language
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Summary from Science Daily: "Significant State-By-State Differences in Black, White Life Expectancy"
Need authoritative statistics? The sources below provide statistical reports, as well as access to some datasets.
Provides all kinds of data on justice-related topics: incarceration rates and other prisoner statistics, census of jails, crime, and more.
Stats on enforcement and litigation, job patterns for 'minorities and women', private and public sectors, glass ceiling, & more.
Stats on employment, union membership, layoffs, jobless rate, compensation/salary/earnings, occupation details, and more.
Datasets and analysis of longitudinal studies on students, info on educators, public policy, libraries, and more. Click "fast facts" or "data tools" to see some of the options.
Read reports on environmental problems and questions (water, lead cleanup, acid rain, mercury, greenhouse gas emissions recycling, radon...)
Use this tool to create reports using the data from U.S. Census data (decennial census, American Community Survey, Puerto Rico Community Service, Economic Census, Population Estimates).
From the Univ of Virginia, an enormous amount of data from historical U.S. censuses. Create reports and tables and find details on U.S. population, human geography, and more.
Recidivism, population statistics, law enforcement, probation, & much more.
This is a tool that requires some advanced searching skills. Please make an appointment with a librarian for help.
"The GSS contains a standard 'core' of demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest. Many of the core questions have remained unchanged since 1972 to facilitate time-trend studies as well as replication of earlier findings. The GSS...has tracked the opinions of Americans over the last four decades" (GSS: Home).
Find stats on aging, alcohol, birth defects, diabetes, life expectancy, reproductive health, STIs, immunizations, injuries & violence, and more
Stats for education, industry, labor force, public attitudes...
Provides "...comprehensive accounts of trends and findings about artistic disciplines, arts employment, arts participation, and the arts’ value and impact in American life. These reports typically contain original research and detailed statistical analyses" (Research Publications: Research Reports).
Want to find authoritative statistics but aren't sure which agency would provide them?
In a google search box, enter a keyword(s) and site:.gov. This will limit your search results to government information.
While it is always important to think critically and logically about information, the info you find on government websites is generally credible, authoritative, and cite-worthy.
Memphis infant mortality statistics site:.gov
housing segregation statistics site:.gov
race discrimination employment statistics site:.gov
Free writing assistance is available at the Center for Writing and Communication. Stop by to get feedback on any writing assignment for any class. Be sure to bring a research paper, essay, or essay exam *and* the original assignment sheet with you. Schedule an appointment or just come on by (Library Learning Commons).
The links below provide examples of citation formats for a variety of resources in the major bibliographic styles.
The Online Writing Lab from Purdue provides quick access to the fundamentals of APA Style/Formatting with lots of examples.
The Online Writing Lab from Purdue provides quick access to the fundamentals of MLA Style/Formatting with lots of examples.
Need more than quick examples? Consult the most recent edition of APA Style at McWherter Library, 1st floor RIS Desk.
Need more than quick examples? Consult the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook at McWherter Library, 1st floor RIS Desk.
Quick guide to formatting citations using Chicago Manual of Style.
Consult the most recent edition of Turabian at McWherter Library, 1st floor RIS Desk.
Provides quick help for formatting individual citations in a variety of styles and for a variety of formats.
RefWorks is a tool available to students, faculty, and staff at the U of M. Use it to store a list of references and sources for your papers and projects--it even includes links to articles and full-text content available through the Libraries. Its "write-n-cite" feature helps you to format both in-text and reference list citations.
Set up a free account, view online tutorials, or come to McWherter for a free instruction session.