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Reference Books

Encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference books can provide useful background and factual information. They can also provide bibliographies that lead you to relevant books and articles. The reference books in this list are available in the Barnard Library reference area on the second floor.

CLIO: the online catalog

CLIO (Columbia Libraries Information Online) is the on-line catalog for materials added to the Columbia University Libraries since 1981. Use the card catalogs for older materials. 

• CLIO (Columbia Libraries Information Online) is the on-line catalog for the Columbia University Libraries and includes Barnard Library's holdings.

• Title search: leave off the initial article (the, an, la, etc.)

• Author search: put last name, then first name

• Keyword search: use and, or or not between the terms, or quotes for a phrase, and use ? for truncation (to find variant endings of a word)

• Limiting to books in Barnard Library: use the More Limits or Post Limits option

• Finding a book about a person or a subject: start with a Keyword search using the most distinctive words associated with the topic. Then look for useful subject headings and do a Subject search.
• A subject search for "human rights" finds a list of nearly 1,000 subject headings that includes:
   Human rights
   Human rights advocacy
   Human rights Argentina
   Human rights Case studies
• Call numbers for some Human Rights materials start with JC, but note that information about various countries and subtopics are shelved within their own subject area. (Overview of the Library of Congress Classification Outline).
• Note that although the Barnard Library is in Lehman Hall, CLIO location Lehman means the Social Sciences library at Columbia; Barnard books have the location Barnard.

Databases: for locating periodical articles 

• Humanities Abstracts. 1984 to present. General humanities. Disciplines in the humanities, history, literature, religion and more.
• International Bibliography of the Social Sciences. 1951 to present. Includes international journals. General social sciences.
• International Political Science Abstracts. 1989 to present. Citations and abstracts for political science articles published world wide.
• JSTOR. Searchable collection of journals; full text; excludes current years. Includes World Politics, Political Science Quarterly and many other journals.
• PAIS: Public Affairs Information Service. 1972 to present. Political Science, Social Sciences.
• ProQuest Direct. 1986 to present. Interdisciplinary, includes some full text articles.
• Social Sciences Abstracts. 1983 to present. General social sciences. Includes political science.
• Women’s Studies International. 1972 to present. Women’s Studies, interdisciplinary.
• Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. 1976 to present. Citations to articles in political science. Includes international journals.
   

Additional Databases

• ABSEES American Bibliography of Slavic & East European Studies. 1990 to present.
• Access UN:Index to United Nations Documents and Publications. 1956 to present. Citations to U.N. publications including some full-text links.
• CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online. 1991 to present. Includes working papers, conference proceedings, journal articles and books. Full text.
• Contemporary Women’s Issues. 1992 to present. Full text articles. Women's Studies.
• GenderWatch. Feminist and gender studies. Full text.
• Handbook of Latin American Studies. 1935 to present. Major Latin American Studies database.
• Hispanic American Periodical Index Online. 1970 to present.
• Project Muse. Searchable collection of journals' full text; includes current years only. Includes Human Rights Quarterly.
• Sociological Abstracts. 1963 to present. Major sociology database.

News Sources

• CLIO. Check CLIO to locate newspapers and magazines owned by Columbia.
• CountryWatch. Up to date news, background briefings on all countries.
• Economist Intelligence Unit. Full-text country reports, regional newspapers and more.
• Lexis Nexis. Mid nineteen eighties to present. Full text articles from newspapers and news sources.
• News Collection from Dialog@Carl. Full text of approximately 100 newspapers both domestic & international.
• News Services from Journalism Library. Includes: Newslink, MEDIALink, Online Newspapers and more. 
• United Nations Treaty Collection. Contains full-text of the United Nations Treaty Series, the current status of the Multilateral Treaties deposited with the Secretary-General, and texts of recently deposited multilateral treaties.
• World News Connection. 1994 to present. Summaries and translations of news sources from around the world.

Subject Guides from Barnard & Columbia University Libraries

Barnard Subject Guides:

• Politics/Government
• Women's Studies

Columbia Subject Guides:

• African Studies Resources
• East Asian Studies
• Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs: Information Resources
• Latin American Studies
• Middle Eastern Studies 
• Political Science: Information Resources
• Russian and East European Studies
• South Asian Studies

CCNMTL: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The U.N. Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights

Libraries & Collections

Please note that Teachers’ College, Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Law Library’s holdings are not listed in CLIO and that they have their own online library catalogs.

• Columbia Law School Arthur W. Diamond Library Their catalog is Pegasus.
• Lehman Library Subject Guides Search CLIO.
• New York Public Library -- Research Libraries Their catalog is CATNYP.
• US Government Documents at Lehman Library

Union Catalogs & Interlibrary Loan

Useful for finding materials located at other libraries or locating items that are not at CUL/BC. Helpful for Interlibrary Loan. To order an item on Interlibrary Loan click on "Request It" on the BC Library home page or CULWeb. Then click on "Interlibrary Loan" and then you may then request an item electronically. You may also make a request in person at the Interlibrary Loan office in 307 Butler.

• Eureka. RLIN database. Can search for items located at other libraries or verify titles. Online catalog of the collections of major research libraries and other institutions. 
• WorldCat. OCLC database. Can search for items located at other libraries or verify titles. Online catalog of 24,000 member libraries.

Help from Reference Librarians

• Complete a form requesting a consultation on your research, or come to the Reference Desk on the second floor.

• E-mail the librarians refdesk@barnard.edu.

• Call the reference desk 212-854-3953.  

• Chat online with a reference librarian. Available M-F 1-5.

Focus your efforts using our Research Worksheet.

Created by Karen Dobrusky

Last Modified 3/31/04
Jenna Freedman
Reference Librarian
Barnard College Library