Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia articles, written by subject authorities, provide information useful for gaining a basic understanding of a topic, getting started with a research project, finding a bibliography of "classic" books and articles for further research, or for brushing up on topics tangential but relevant to the central area of investigation.

PLEASE NOTE: In the Schaffer Library Reference Collection, encyclopedias relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean are scattered throughout the Ref F shelves.  Below are listed only selected titles; browsing through the rest is encouraged.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean. Cambridge, England; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Covers the Latin American and Caribbean environment, economy, people, history, politics and society, language and culture.

CALL NUMBER: Ref F 1406 .C36

Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Art. London: Macmillan Reference Ltd.; New York: Grove Dictionaries, 2000.

The fine and decorative arts, architecture, and artists of Latin America and the Caribbean are examined in this alphabetically-arranged volume.

CALL NUMBER: Ref N 6502 .E53

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures. London; New York: Routledge, 2000.

Produced by the estimable Routledge, this three-volume set provides alphabetically-listed thematic material on Latin American and Caribbean countries, such as education, food, fashion, language, literature, as well as an overview of the decades, and noted individuals.

CALL NUMBER: Ref F 1406 .E515 -- vol. 1 - 3

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture.  New York: C. Scribner's Sons; London: Simon & Schuster: Prentice Hall International, 1996.

This five-volume set includes entries on countries, noted people, places, and other topics.

CALL NUMBER: Ref F 1406 .E53 -- vol. 1 - 5

Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature. London; Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.

This volume "contains entries on writers, works, and topics relating to the literature of Latin America, including survey articles on individual countries."

CALL NUMBER: Ref PQ 7081 .A1 E56

Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life, Volume 2 - Americas. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.

Provides information on approximately 500 cultures of the world, including those from Latin America and the Caribbean, covering twenty different areas of daily life, including clothing, food, language, and religion.

CALL NUMBER: Ref GN 333 .W67 -- vol. 2

Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Detroit: Gale Research, 2007.

Also available online at Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations (restricted to Union College use), includes chapters on Mexico, Central America, South America, and Caribbean countries, each 10-20 pages in length, with substantial writing on population, land, history, political system, economic conditions, and more.

CALL NUMBER: Ref G 63 .W67 -- vol. 3 (Americas)

 

Guides and Handbooks

These specialized subject-specific volumes perform various functions: overview, chronology, survey, definition of terms, and biography.

The Cambridge Economic History of Latin America. Cambridge; NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

CALL NUMBER: HC 125 .C29 -- vol. 1 - 2

Caribbean Islands Handbook. Bath, England: Trade & Travel Publications, 1989.

This comprehensive handbook provides information on travel and tourism in each Caribbean country.

CALL NUMBER: Ref F 2171 .3 .C365

Countries and Their Cultures, edited by Melvin and Carol R. Ember. New York, Macmillan, 2001.

Contains essays of about 20 pages in length on countries' customs and society as well as public social policies and programs.  Latin American and Caribbean nations are of course included.

CALL NUMBER: Ref GN307 .C68 -- vol. 1 - 4

Country Forecasts. Syracuse, N.Y., Political Risk Services, Frost & Sullivan, Inc., updated biennially.

For each country (including nine Latin American and Caribbean ones), this annually updated volume presents political and economic factors and ratings intended to measure risk of instability and uncertainty for investors.  Discussion is provided as well as a five-year "databank" of economic and social indicators.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HC 10 .C66

Craighead's International Business, Travel, and Relocation Guide to 90 Countries. Detroit, Gale Research, 2004 - 2005.

Craighead's specializes in preparing the traveler or immigrant about what to expect "on the ground" in a country, including Latin American states.  About 50 pages are allotted to an orientation to each country and a discussion of unspoken cultural cues, etiquette, greeting customs, business practices, and particulars of eating, sleeping, and getting around as a visitor.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HF 5549.5 .E45 D56 -- vol. 1 - 2

CultureGrams World Edition 2007, Vol. 1, The Americas.  Provo, Utah: ProQuest Information and Learning Company and Brigham Young University, 2006.

Contains reports on 37 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean on 25 categories, including land and climate, history, population, language, economy, arts, holidays, among many other cultural facets.

CALL NUMBER: Ref GT 150 .C85-- vol. 1

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York, Garland Publishing, 1998-2002.

See Volume Two, entitled "South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean."  This reference book of well over 1,000 pages provides extensive treatment of the musical genres of Latin America and the Caribbean, the cultural and social influences upon their music, and the music of minorities and regions of each country.

CALL NUMBER: Ref ML 100 .G16 1998  -- vol. 2 

Historical Dictionary of ...

The Library's Reference Collection can boast of a fine series of volumes, published by the Scarecrow Press or by Greenwood Press, consolidating the historical background of countries, religions, and major events.  Applicable titles are:

Historical Dictionary of:
Argentina (1978)	Ref 982 .03 W949h
Brazil (1979)	Ref 981 .3 L665h
Chile (2005)	Ref F3054 .B5 2005
Colombia (1977)	Ref 986 .103 D263h
Costa Rica (1991)	Ref F 1542 .C7
Guatemala (1967)	Ref F1462 .M6
Honduras (1976)	Ref 972.83 M612h
Mexico  (1981)	Ref 972 .03 B854h
Panama (1970)	Ref 986.2 H456h
Paraguay (1973)	Ref 989 .2 K81h
Peru (1979)	Ref 985 .03 A398h

Lonely Planet Guides to...

The Library's Reference Collection offers recent travel guides to relevant countries, and this series contains culture and customs briefings as well:

Brazil	Ref F 2157 .B728
Caribbean	Ref F 2165 .F63
Colombia	Ref F 2259.5 .D93
Costa Rica	Ref F 1543.5 .R33
Dominican Republic	Ref F 1934.5 .C43
Mexico	Ref F 1209 .M4866
South America	Ref F 2211 .F65

The South American Handbook. Bath, Eng. [etc.] Trade & Travel Publications Ltd. [etc.] [Chicago, Distributed in the United States of America by Rand McNally, 2007.

This book provides advice on planning a trip in each country in South America, practical input, maps, and background insights into the people and history.

CALL NUMBER: Ref F 1401 .S71

Women's Roles and Statuses the World Over. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006.

This work includes women's rights and women's history in Latin America.

CALL NUMBER Ref HQ 1236 .H46

 

Atlases

Besides the Library's general world and historical atlases, there are subject-specific atlases such as the following.

Atlas of the World.  Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2005. 

CALL NUMBER: Ref Atlas G 1021 .N38 2005

Digital Atlas of Central and South America, [electronic resource]. Global GIS database. Reston, VA: United States Geological Survey, 2000.

CALL NUMBER: Gov. Docs [CDROM] I 19.121:62-A

Historical Atlas of Central America.. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003.

CALL NUMBER: Ref Atlas G2305 .H84

 

Sources of Statistics

First: Start with the Library's Statistical Data page, where you will find a categorized listing of MANY titles, some in the Library's Reference Collection and some available on the Internet.

Need more? ... The library subscribes to the "statistical" component of Lexis-Nexis.  This link takes you to the Library's Databases & Indexes page where you will see the Lexis-Nexis link on the left.  This resource gives Union users access online to three large databases of data: the American Statistics Index, the Statistical Reference Index, and the Index to International Statistics. These contain, respectively, data of the U.S. federal government, of states and commercial bodies, and of international organizations.  Much--not all--of what Lexis-Nexis cites is available in full text online.  For the rest, Schaffer Library also subscribes to microfiche copies of all the statistics cited in the above (with certain exceptions). Tip: Assistance with data retrieval is available at the Library's Reference Desk.

Further: Below are listed some particularly relevant titles in the Reference Collection, selected from the Library's Statistical Data page:

Europa World Year Book. London, Europa Publications Limited. (Library owns volumes at regular intervals since 1962)

Europa remains today the valuable source of comparative international economic, political, and social statistics that it has been for over 40 years;  Latin American and Caribbean states are included in its coverage.  (Besides statistics, covers historical and current national developments.)  Latest editions are on Europa World online. This link takes you to the Library's Databases & Indexes page where you may click on the letter "E" and find the link to Europa World.

CALL NUMBER: Ref JN1 .E85

International Financial Statistics Yearbook.   Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund, 1963-

Exchange and interest rates, banking and monetary data, investment and national accounts figures, by nation.  Each successive yearbook covers a rolling 20-year period.

CALL NUMBER: qHG 61 .I57
(Latest year shelved in the Reference Collection, 1st floor)

 International Marketing Data and Statistics.  London, Euromonitor Publications, Ltd., (Library owns volumes at regular intervals since 2001.)

Covers a variety of parameters in Latin America and other countries: advertising, agriculture, transport, finance, consumer prices and expenditures, economic indicators, energy, publishing, environment, international trade, health, demographics, telecomms, labor, education, and tourism.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HA42 .I56

Statistical Abstract of Latin America. Los Angeles: The University of California, 1956 -

An important resource providing tables and charts on topics such as geography, transportation, communication, population, health, education, societal institutions, politics, working conditions and migration, finance and trade.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HA 935 .S790

Statistical Yearbook. United Nations.  (Library owns annuals since 1949.)

The premier international statistical source, published for 48 annual editions, including (for Latin America and other countries) population, social, economic, scientific, technical, trade, finance, development and tourism measures.

CALL NUMBER: Ref HA 12.5  .U63
(Latest year shelved at the Reference Desk)

World Development Indicators.  Washington, D.C., World Bank, 1998-

Also available online at WDI Online. This link takes you to the Library's Databases & Indexes page where you may click on the letter "W" and find the link labeled World Development Indicators Database Online.
For all nations, publishes comparative data on demography, environment, and economics.  Current and previous issues are all kept in the Reference Collection.  

CALL NUMBER: Ref HC 59.15 .W656

Directories

Directories serve to identify relevant professionals, institutions, organizations, and associations.  The first is the most recent edition of a classic among academic reference books.  The other is an online source.

Directory of American Scholars. ; 10th ed. ; Detroit, Michigan, Gale Group, 2002

CALL NUMBER: Ref LA 2311 .C32

ACLS Constituent Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) places the names of its highly regarded constituent bodies on its Web-site, including certain names relevant to Latin American Studies.
[http://www.acls.org/ls-cao.htm]

Citation Guides and Style Manuals

Style manuals and citations guides illustrate how to cite book, journal, and other research sources, including materials found in online databases and on the Web according to the conventional format of a particular discipline. Subject specific citation guides are listed below, and a complete listing appears at Reference Sites: Citation Guides and Style Manuals.

Bucknell University Style Guides

Bucknell's page gives very convenient access to all the major style guides and examples.

Available: http://www.bucknell.edu/x11812.xml

Chicago Manual of Style ; Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Available online (at http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html)

Also available online through Bucknell University Style Guides (above)

CALL NUMBER: Ref Z253 .C57 (kept at the Reference Desk)

Columbia Guide to Online Style, edited by Janice R. Walker.  New York, Columbia University Press, 2nd edition, 2006.

This volume is a leader in establishing standard methods of citing electronic sources.

CALL NUMBER: Ref PN171.F56 W35 1998 (kept at the Reference Desk)

Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources.  Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger.

Available: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/

Publication Manual of the APA. Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association, 2001.

The "APA guide" sets the standard for much social-science writing. Also available online through Bucknell University Style Guides (above)

CALL NUMBER: Ref BF76.7 .P83 2001  (kept at the Reference Desk)

Library Materials > Books: LC Class Number Guide

Books in Schaffer Library are arranged by Library of Congress Class number. Class numbers are searchable in the Web Catalog and browseable in the Stacks and Reference Collection.

F 1409 - 1419	History: Latin America
HX	Socialism. Cuban Communism. Anarchism
JQ	Political institutions and public administration: Latin America
JZ	International relations
KG	Law: Latin America
PQ 6001	Spanish Languages and Literature
PC 5000	Portugese Languages and Literature

Browse the Shelves by LC Class Number

Library Materials > New Acquisitions

The New Acquisitions List  (residing on the Library Catalogs page) is generated on the 10th of each month and includes items added to the library's collections for the previous calendar month.  Below link to sections of the list that may be useful or just scroll through using the above call numbers.

History

Social Sciences including Economics

Political Science

Law

Language and Literature

Library Materials > Primary Sources

Offered below is a mix of print, online, and microform sources, available in and through Schaffer Library, in which a researcher may discover "primary source" material connected to Latin America and the Caribbean.  Some but not all are in English.  Some of the sources are U.S.-published, but because of international relations, diplomacy, and immigration, they may prove fruitful to explore.

Tip: To find other examples of primary sources besides those below, try searching for those published in books, sometimes held by Schaffer Library and listed in the online catalog.  Use the advanced keyword approach, at this link.  Example: On the first line of the search enter your topic, e.g., land reform.  On the second line, enter (diaries or personal narratives or archiv* or correspondence).  The parentheses are required; the asterisk enables a single search for archive, archives, and archival.

 

Alexander Street Press

Enter separately any of these "Alexander Street" databases:

Early Encounters in North America: People, Cultures and the Environment
Includes primary documents involving the Caribbean, Central America, and even some from South America (despite the title).  This link takes you to the Library's Databases & Indexes page where you may click on the letter "E" and find the database.

In The First Person
Consult this database for individuals' papers, hundreds of whom have South American connections. This link takes you to the Library's Databases & Indexes page where you may click on the letter "I" and find the database.

American State Papers : Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States. Washington : Gales and Seaton, 1832-61.  

This set contains the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838. Several topics may prove helpful to Latin American and Caribbean Studies: foreign relations, Indian affairs, commerce, military and naval affairs.  Full text of the American State Papers is found online at the Library of Congress's American Memory Web-site.

CALL NUMBER: Special collections, Rare Books, [f] J33 .A48

 

Clase/Periodica

 The above title--an index to Latin American periodicals in the sciences and humanities--can be accessed through the Library's Databases and Indexes page.  From there, click on the letter "C" and choose the title.

Congressional Record. U.S. Congress. Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office.  1873-

The Congressional Record publishes floor remarks of senators and representatives, as well as what they choose to "read into the record".  Such material has often pertained to international relations of the U.S.

The predecessor titles for the Congressional Record (1873-present) were the Congressional Globe, Debates and Proceedings, and the Register of Debates and Proceedings (together appearing from 1833 to 1872), also in Union's collection as follows.

CALL NUMBER: The full Congressional Record including the predecessor titles
is held on microfiche, filed by title U.S. Congress.

The Congressional Record is available online in full-text through the U.S. government's Web-site GPO Access for volumes covering 1994-present.

 Full-text, online access for the Congressional Record and its predecessors, 1789 to 1875, is available at the Library of Congress's American Memory Web-site. To access these years, click on the titles Annals of Congress, Register of Debates, and Congressional Globe as well as Congressional Record.

Congressional Record Index. U.S. Congress. Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office.

Print indexes to the Record are shelved in the Reference Collection at the number below.  They are very slow to come out, currently covering from 1920 to about eight years before the present time. 

CALL NUMBER: Ref Bibliog KF35 .C660 Index

Indexes of the Record are also available online for the years 1983-present.

Electronic Briefing Books

The National Security Archive of George Washington University has made available selected declassified documents pertaining to U.S. relations with Latin America (and other) nations.
[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/index.html]

Foreign Relations of the United States. U.S. Department of State. Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office.

This series, in existence--and held at Schaffer Library--since 1861, comprises "the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity," as the State Department itself describes it.

CALL NUMBER: JX233 .A3 

Selected volumes, from the Truman to the Ford administrations, are available in full-text online from the State Department's Web-site.

Hearings of House and Senate Committees. U.S. Congress. Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office.

Schaffer Library benefits from a long-lived collection of hearings held by the major committees of Congress, thanks to our depository library status. 
Hearings since 1970 are best accessed by subject searches in CIS Index, found online in Lexis-Nexis.  This link takes you to the Library's Databases & Indexes page where you will see the Lexis-Nexis link on the left.  Use its Congressional category, choose "advanced" search, designate "hearings", then search your topic.  

CIS Index is held in paper format for the years 1970-2001 and is shelved at Ref Bibliog KF49 .C62. 

A separate index to the hearings of 1965-1969 is published by CIS and shelved at Ref Bibliog KF49 .C650. 

Earlier hearings are harder to identify, but some success for 1937 through 1965 (prior to the above) may come through the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, shelved at Ref Bibliog Z1223 .A18.

LOCATION: Paper copies of the actual hearings are in the Government Documents Collection.  Some hearings are available online in full-text through the Library's catalog and some through Lexis-Nexis as described above. In most cases, consulting a reference librarian is advisable.

Informe

This database on the Library's Databases and Indexes page, where it is found by clicking on the letter "I", is a collection of full-text articles from popular Spanish language and bilingual periodicals.

Journals, Magazines, Newspapers, and Periodicals (various)

These may of course be browsed productively, but searching for specific subjects may be more effective through using an index.  Several forms of indexing are available, such as the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, the Nineteenth-Century Reader's Guide, Poole's Index (all in paper in the Reference Collection), Periodicals Archive (online through our Databases and Indexes page, click on "P"), and others. Access and coverage vary, so please ask at the Reference Desk for us to assist you.

Atlantic Monthly
For this seminal source of American opinion and reportage including international topics, Schaffer Library has microfilm holdings for 1857-1932, 1971-1978;
paper holdings for 1979-1981, 1992-present (with certain gaps);
and online full-text access for 1857-1901 and for 1995-present.

Harper's (Monthly)
A long-lived popular periodical, Harper's Monthly can be accessed at Schaffer Library in paper for the years 1850-present (with certain gaps);
on microfilm for the years 1953-1969;
and online full-text from 1850-1899, as well as from 1850-1964 in Periodicals Archive (online through our Databases and Indexes page, click on "P") and from 1992-present in EBSCOhost's Academic Search Elite database (online through our Databases and Indexes page, click on "A").

Harper's Weekly
Online, full-text access is available for the years 1857-1912.

Living Age (also known as Littell's Living Age)
Schaffer Library offers full-text online access for the years 1844-1900.
Paper holdings for 1900-1941 (with certain gaps) are also available.

Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review
Print copies are held for the years 1839-1860.

(The) Nation
For this important record of liberal journalism and commentary, Schaffer Library has microfilm holdings for 1865-1996; paper holdings for 1866-1997 (with certain gaps), and online access since 1985 through EBSCOhost's Academic Search Elite database, found at our Databases and Indexes page.

New York Times
This nearly century-and-a-half collection of the U.S.A.'s flagship newspaper is a rich resource for all sorts of international and other research.  The New York Times: Historical Newspapers [1851-2003] file is now available by clicking "N" on the Library's Databases and Indexes page.

Current issues in paper are found in the Library's Newspaper Reading Area.
Microfilm for all previous issues, 1857 onwards, is in the Microforms Area.
Full-text, online access available via Lexis-Nexis (1980-) and Proquest (1980- ) may be accessed through the Library's Databases and Indexes page.

NewspaperDirect PressDisplay
This database of facsimile issues of current newspapers from around the world is accessible through the Library's Databases & Indexes page by clicking on the letter "N" and selecting this title.  Once in the database, use "Select Title" link to choose by country or language.  Although not all the region's countries are yet represented, currently one finds newspapers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.  Issues are available for two months.

North American Review
Schaffer Library offers full-text online access for the years 1815-1900, as well as microfilm for 1821-1940.

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. Washington : Federal Register Division, National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration.

The Library's collection of the Public Papers of the Presidents... volumes covers every presidency since (and including) Herbert Hoover's, with the exception of the FDR years.  Each volume includes the year's public words, written or spoken, of the President of the U.S., and many relate to international subjects.

CALL NUMBER: J80 .A283 

Full-text, online access is available through the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to the public papers of every administration from Herbert Hoover, beginning in 1929, through the George H. W. Bush presidency. The database also provides messages and papers of  Presidents Washington through Taft (1789-1913) and the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents for Presidents Clinton through G.W. Bush (1993-2007).
 

Full-text, online access is also available through the U.S. government's
Web-site GPO Access for the Bill Clinton (1992-2000) and the early George W. Bush years.

Serial Set.

The Serial Set is the traditional name for that collection of Congressional reports and documents that have long illuminated the histories of specific pieces of legislation (some affecting international affairs) moving through the House and the Senate. 

LOCATION: Volumes from 1937 onwards reside in the U.S. Government Document Depository Collection; only scattered earlier volumes are held.

Identifying and locating them requires an index, and one option is CIS's U.S. Serial Set Index (shelved at Ref Bibliog Z1223.Z9 C65), which covers the years from 1789 to 1969. 

The Serial Set since 1970 is best accessed by subject searches in CIS Index, found online in Lexis-Nexis.  This link takes you to the Library's Databases & Indexes page where you will see the Lexis-Nexis link on the left.  Use its Congressional category, choose "advanced" search, designate "House and Senate Reports" or "House and Senate Documents" or both, then search your topic.  

CIS Index is held in paper format as well, covering 1970-2001, shelved at Ref Bibliog KF49 .C62.

Because of its anomalous numbering system, potential users of the Serial Set are strongly encouraged to consult a reference librarian!

Full-text, online access is available through the U.S. government's Web-site GPO Access for volumes from the 104th Congress, 1995-1996, and onwards.

Full-text, online access for selected volumes, 1833-1917 is available at the Library of Congress's American Memory Web-site.

Here are many scholarly journals owned by or accessed through Schaffer Library and whose central role is the publication of research in the field of Latin American & Caribbean Studies.  Sometimes journal browsing can lead to results, as a complement to subject searching through the method (below) using Databases & Indexes > Latin American & Caribbean Studies.  The years of coverage and formats of each journal vary.  You can search for them at the Find Journal Titles link on Schaffer Library's web page.  Or ask at the Reference Desk for us to assist you.