Library Guide for Community Services
Contents

INTRODUCTION
DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR TOPIC?
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR BOOKS ON YOUR TOPIC?
USE THE CATALOGUE
BROWSE THE LIBRARY SHELVES
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR JOURNAL ARTICLES ON YOUR TOPIC?
BROWSING JOURNALS
USING DATABASES
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET?
INTRODUCING WEBLINKS

 
INTRODUCTION

This guide will help you locate information in the area of Community Services. You may need to use both print and electronic resources to obtain the information you need. The guide is an introduction only and students should ask Library staff for assistance if needed.

 
DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR TOPIC?

Dictionaries and encyclopaedias are a good starting point for research. They give definitions and provide background material that will assist you in understanding your topic.

Some useful reference books in the Community Services area are:

International encyclopedia of the social sciences
Penguin dictionary of sociology
Social science encyclopedia

 
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR BOOKS ON YOUR TOPIC?

Books provide detailed information on a subject. You can locate them by using the Library catalogue or browsing the shelves.

 
USE THE CATALOGUE

To locate material (including books, magazines and videos) use the terms from your topic in a general keyword search of the Library catalogue. For a more structured approach use the following headings for a subject search of the Library catalogue.

Aborigines, Australian
Aged - Care
Alzheimer's disease
Community development
Counseling
Drug abuse
Family violence
Grief
Homeless persons
Juvenile justice, Administration of
Mental health
Poverty
Public welfare - Australia
Social group work
Sociology
Suicide
Youth - Australia

BROWSE THE LIBRARY SHELVES

By browsing the Library shelves you can get an idea of what the Library has in your area. Dewey numbers that you may find useful in the Community Services area are:

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR JOURNAL ARTICLES ON YOUR TOPIC?

Journals are also known as magazines, serials and periodicals.

Journals provide up to date information and cover recent developments in that subject area. For some areas they are the best source of information.

To locate journal articles you can browse (look through whole issues), or search for journal articles in databases.

 
BROWSING JOURNALS

Some journals that may be useful in the Community Services area are:

Check the catalogue or with Library staff to see if these or other journals are held in your Campus Library.

USING DATABASES

Databases are electronic indexes to journals and other resources. Some databases offer the full text of the article whilst others will provide only information about articles.

An electronic database that may be useful in the Community Services area is:

Australia/NZ Reference Centre
Australian Public Affairs - Full Text

Information about database access is available from campus libraries.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET?

INTRODUCING WEBLINKS

The Internet provides access to a vast amount of information. Websites providing this information range from reliable and authoritative to less reputable sites. Weblinks is a collection of websites, covering a range of topics, selected by North Coast Institute library staff for their relevancy and reliability.

Some Weblinks topics that you may find useful are:

Case management
Counselling
Domestic violence
Homelessness
Welfare

Or you can select from the Weblinks for Community Services.

For further assistance in locating information, or using some of the sources listed in this guide, take a look at Searchpath an online research tutorial, or contact library staff.