Databases

Anthropological Literature

• Provides access to citations for articles and essays in anthropology and archaeology, from the 19th century to present. Excellent historical and contemporary coverage of English and foreign language articles.
• SEARCHING HINTS: Subject searching in this database requires exact subjects. Instead, start with a keyword search, then click the best subject link to get others. The only difference between simple and advanced search is the ability to combine two searches with Boolean operators.
• LOCATING MATERIALS: Use the green “GET THIS ITEM” button to find journal articles. For books, you will have to search Blais.  

Human Relations Area Files—HRAF and eHRAF

• Provides access to ethnographic text information on cultural, ethnic, religious, and national groups around the world. Covers 360 cultural groups. Database covers 1994-present; earlier installments on microfiche. Facilitates cross-cultural study of culture, society, and behavior. Updated annually. 
• SEARCHING HINTS: There are multiple ways to search. You may need the online help to navigate effectively. 
• FINDING AIDS: Available online and in paper. Outline of Cultural Materials (OCM), HON REF Z 5111 M86 1982x, and Outline of World Cultures (OWC), HON REF  Z 5111 M87 1983x. will provide the key to the numerical and alpha-numeric codes needed to fully utilize HRAF.
• LOCATING MATERIALS: The full text of the ethnographic source is included in eHRAF and the microfiche HRAF, including some sources that are difficult or impossible to locate elsewhere.

Medline

• Provides access to citations for articles on all areas of medicine from 1965-present. Indexes articles in medical literature (3500 journals). Includes some regular biology not necessarily covered in Biosis.
• SEARCHING HINTS:  Use the Advanced Search option; it provides better results. Start with “Subject" or "Keyword,”  then use “Descriptor” when you find the exact subject heading.
• LOCATING MATERIALS: Use the green “GET THIS ITEM” button to find journal articles. For books, you will have to search Blais.  The “Source” section contains the name of the journal, volume, date, and page. The Libraries carry few medical journals, and you may need to use ILL in many cases. 
• MORE HELP: Jason Price, SGM Science Library, x18437

Melvyl

• Melvyl lists books at the campus libraries of the University of California system.
• SEARCHING HINTS: On the “Research” menu, pick “Library Catalogs,” then select Melvyl. Search as you would in Blais for books by author, title, or subject.
• LOCATING MATERIALS: If the book you need is not in LINK+, InterLibrary Loan will get the books you request for you. Use the ILL form, which is also on the “Research” menu.

Social Science Citation Index (In Web of Science)

• Provides access to scholarly citations for books and articles, and links to some fulltext articles in the social sciences. Electronic version of Social Sciences Citation Index, covers 1994-present.  Great for finding the most important (heavily cited) articles and books in the sciences and social sciences. Can also be used to find articles citing a known important work on your topic. Also provides a direct link to full-text articles from journals to which we subscribe electronically.
• SEARCHING HINTS: Enter “Web of Science” though the Database list, click “Full Search,” then select “Social Science Citation Index.” “Cited Reference Search” takes you to the special feature of SSCI. Be sure to follow the examples exactly for how authors are searched. Use the “Lookup” button to do your search. On the “Cited Reference Selection” page, select the citation you want. (“Hits” tells you how many articles cited your reference.) Click the “Search” button to see more information on the articles you select.
• LOCATING MATERIALS: Use the green “GET THIS ITEM” button to find journal articles.

Social Sciences Abstracts (OmniFile)

• Provides access to citations for articles and book reviews published in over 415 major international English-language scholarly journals in the social sciences 1984-present; (1974-present in print).  Not as specialized as others on this list, it is a good place for introductory research.
• SEARCHING HINTS: Be general. Citations vary in completeness, some have subjects, some do not, some have abstracts, some do not. Being too specific in your search will miss useful items.
• LOCATING MATERIALS: The fulltext symbol will indicate if there is full text available; click it to retrieve or email the fulltext.  For the others, use the green “GET THIS ITEM” button.

WorldCat

• WorldCat lists books owned by thousands of libraries worldwide.
• SEARCHING HINTS: Use advanced search and multiple search lines to create a focused search—it’s a huge database and general topics will often retrieve too many items.
• LOCATING MATERIALS: If the book you need is not in LINK+, InterLibrary Loan will get the books you request for you. Use the ILL form, which is also on the “Research” menu.  

Retrieving Books and Articles not at The Claremont Colleges

Books may be requested through LINK+ in Blais. You will need to pick it up at the Honnold Circulation Desk. This service is the fastest one for books. There is a fifteen-item limit.

Articles (and books not in LINK+) may be requested through InterLibrary Loan (ILL) either online from the Research menu, or via paper forms. The ILL staff will notify you when the materials arrive. Pick up at the Circulation Desk any time Honnold Library is open. There is no limit on requests. Articles are yours to keep. Books have a two-week check out.

Fees. The Library pays all fees involved for both services—it’s free to you.

More Help

Call or email to make an appointment with Meg Garrett, 607-7101 (on campus X77101) for anthropology research help. If your research involves medical, biological, and life sciences topics, call or email Jason Price, 621-8437 (on campus x18437) for help.