Geography
This guide includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes, web sites,
and other reference works and resources useful for research in geography
and related topics. This guide is arranged in the following sections:
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Subject
Librarian: David Killian
Location: Gelman Library
E-mail: dkillian@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-242-6623
Updated: October 2006
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The URL for this page is http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/social/geography.html
Companion Encyclopedia Of Geography. London, Routledge,
2002.
Location: REF G 116 .C645 2002
Dictionary of Human Geography. Oxford, Blackwell, 2000.
Location: REF GF 4 .D52 2000
Dictionary of Physical Geography. Oxford, Blackwell, 2000.
Location: REF GB 10 .D53 2000
Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. New York, Oxford University
Press, 1996.
Location: REF QC 854 .E523 1996
Dictionary of Demography. New York, Greenwood, 1986.
Location: REF HB 849.2 .P47 1986
The HarperCollins Dictionary of Environmental Science. New
York, Harper, 1992.
Location: REF GF 11 .H37 1992
Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburbs. Santa
Barbara, Calif., ABC-CLIO, 1998.
Location: REF HT 123 .E5 1998
Earth Almanac: An Annual Geophysical Review of the State of the Planet.
Oryx, annual.
Location: REF QB 631 .E27
This is an annual report. Contains good summaries in subject areas such as
air pollution, land use, global warming, and so forth.
Index to International Statistics.
Location: REF HA 17 .I535
Index to statistics from international organizations such as the World Bank,
the UN, the OECD, the European Community, and so forth. Microfiche of all
indexed documents is available in the Reference microfiche cabinets.
American Statistics Index.
Location: REF Z 7554 .U5 A46
Index to statistics compiled by the federal government. Check in the ALADIN
Catalog for availability of the individual documents. Also check online
at FedStats or on ALADIN at StatUSA.
ALADIN databases are available for use only by current GW students, staff,
and faculty. If you are accessing them from off-campus, you will be prompted
to log in.
U.S.
Census Bureau: Population and Household Economic Topics.
Location: http://www.census.gov/population/www/index.html
Look here for demographic data for the U.S. (see particularly the County
and City Data Book 2000) and from worldwide sources.
U.S. Census
Bureau: Geography.
Location: http://www.census.gov/geo/www/index.html
Maps, TIGER/Line data, and other resources from the Census Bureau. Also
see the Census Bureau's Geography
Division Map Gallery for online map resources.
Research
Guide: U.S. Census.
Location: http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/general/census.html
Gelman Library's Research Guide for census material.
CIA
World Factbook.
Location: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
Summary data for each country.
Population Reference Bureau.
Location: http://www.prb.org/
Full text articles, reports, and datasheets. Searchable.
World
Development Indicators Online.
Location: ALADIN
From the World Bank. Use this database to develop and then download
customized time series. Gelman Library also has the most recent print
version in the Reference collection at call number HC 59.15 .W656.
Human Development Report.
Location: http://hdr.undp.org/
Full text access to the most current Report, from the United Nations
Development Programme. Gelman Library also has the most recent print
version in the Reference collection at call number HD 72 .H85.
Library of
Congress Country Studies
Location: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
Full text. Description and analysis of the historical setting and the
social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions
of countries throughout the world.
Lexis-Nexis
Academic Universe: Reference.
Location: ALADIN
Full text country profiles, full text state profiles, and the World
Alamnac are in the Reference Section of Lexis-Nexis.
Dissertations
& Theses Online.
Location: ALADIN
Use this database to find and download disserations. For more information,
refer to the Gelman Library Research
Guide for Dissertations.
Resources
for Geographers. University of Colorado at Boulder, Geography
Department.
Location: http://www.colorado.edu/geography/virtdept/resources/contents.htm
Links to a multitude of online resources, including online map collections
and datasets.
GEOSOURCE.
Utrecht Unversity, Netherlands.
Location: http://www.library.uu.nl/geosource/
Geosource is a collection of links to webpages with information in Cartography,
Environmental Science and Policy Studies, Human Geography, Physical
Geography, and Planning Science.
To find books, do a Subject search in the ALADIN Catalog. The following are
sample subject headings:
cartography
cities and towns
city planning
climatology
demography
economic geography
geography methods
geostatistics
human ecology
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human geography
immigration
natural resources
physical geography
regional planning
remote sensing
spatial analysis
urbanization
water resources
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To find book about the geography of a particular region or country, use the term 'geography' with the name of
the region or country. Search them in the 'Subject' field.
To find an atlas in the ALADIN Catalog, use the 'Guided Keyword' tab. Use
the term 'maps' (and also try the word 'atlases') and the term for the kind
of map you seek. Examples are:
maps france
maps water
maps agriculture
The atlas case in Gelman Library is located behind the Reference & Information
Desk on the 1st floor. In it are all the oversized atlases. There are many
other atlases in the Reference Collection and in the Stacks that are not in
the atlas case. Use the ALADIN Catalog to find them.
Atlas of North America. New York, Oxford University Press,
2005.
Location: REF Oversize G1105 .A8 2005
Atlas of the World. New York, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Location: REF Atlas Case G 1021 .A7545 2004
Atlas of World Development. New York, Wiley, 1994.
Location: REF G 1046 .E1 U5 1994
Atlas of the World's Languages. New York, Routledge, 1994.
Location: REF Atlas Case P 375 .A84 1994
Atlas of World History. London, DK, 2000.
Location: REF Atlas Case G 1030 .A875 2000
ALADIN databases are available for use only by current GW students, staff, and faculty. If you are accessing them from off-campus,
you will be prompted to log in.
GEOBASE.
1980 to present
Location: ALADIN
Index to worldwide literature on geography, geology, and ecology. A search
will return only citations and abstracts. The database includes journals,
books, monographs, conference proceedings, and reports. Sample subject headings:
cartography, climatology, meteorology, paleontology, environment, geochemistry,
photogrammetry, geomorphology, geophysics, and volcanology.
GeoRef.
1785 to present for N. America (1933 to present for international)
Location: ALADIN
Index to geology and earth science literature worldwide. A search will return
citations and abstracts only. Includes journal articles, books, maps, conference
papers, reports, and theses. Subjects include economic geology, environmental
geology, marine geology, geochemistry, oceanography, geophysics, and paleontology.
Web
of Science.1999 to present.
Location: ALADIN
Index to approximately 8,500 of the most prestigious, high impact research
journals in the world. A search returns citations only.
Population
Index. 1986-2000
Location: ALADIN
A searchable annotated bibliography of books, journal articles, working papers,
and other materials on population topics.
Cambridge
Scientific Abstracts: Environmental Sciences Cluster. Latest
five years plus current year.
Location: ALADIN
Use this index to find citations for journal articles and conference papers.
Includes Pollution Abstracts, Risk Abstracts, and TOXLINE.
Environmental
Universe Dates vary.
Location: ALADIN
Mostly full text. Includes articles in journals and from wire services, commentary,
codes and regulations, case law and agency actions, and data on waste and
hazardous materials.
Science
Direct. Most recent 12 months
Location: ALADIN
Full text access to the most recent 12 months of hundreds of scientific journals.
Among the journal titles that are covered are Political Geography,
Paleogeography, and Applied Geography.
Academic
Search Premier. 1984 to present
Location: ALADIN
Includes coverage of academic journals in the social sciences and general
science. For many journals, full text backfiles go back to January 1990 and
indexing and abstract backfiles go back to January 1984. Use the 'Subject
Search' button to explore the subject headings pertinent to geography. Use
the 'Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals' button to limit your search to academic
journals.
ProQuest
Research Library Plus. Dates vary.
Location: ALADIN
Much full text. Check the box labeled 'Show articles from peer reviewed publications
only' to limit your search to academic journals. Refer to the ProQuest
Research Library Plus Database Guide for more assistance.
JSTOR.
Dates vary.
Location: ALADIN
Full text of archived scholarly journal articles. Covers the titles Annals
of the Association of American Geographers (1911-1996), Economic Geography
(1925-1996), and Geographical Review (1916-1996). Refer to the JSTOR
Database Guide for more asssitance.
PsycINFO.1987
to present
Location: ALADIN
Use this index to find citations for journal articles on the psychological
aspects of geography and related topics. Sample subject terms are: geography,
cognitive maps, environmental psychology, urban environments, urban planning,
and immigration.
Sociological
Abstracts. 1963 to present
Location: ALADIN
Use this index to find citations for journal articles on the sociological
aspects of geography and realted topics. Sample subject terms are: geography,
demography, geographic mobility, topography, urban areas, rural to urban migration,
environmental sociology.
America:
History & Life.1964 to present
Location: ALADIN
Geography and related topics in the context North American history. A search
here returns only citations and abstracts. Sample subject terms are: demography,
climate, urban history, migration, immigration.
Historical
Abstracts.1964 to present
Location: ALADIN
Geography and related topics in the context world history. A search here returns
only citations and abstracts. Sample subject terms are: urban development,
urban history, immigration, migration, demography.
Association of American Geographers.
Website: http://www.aag.org
Professional issues, teaching pages, publications, and events.
Geography and Map Reading Room, Library of Congress.
Web site: http://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/
"The largest and most comprehensive cartographic collection in the world." The Reading Room is open to the public and
provides in-person, telephone, and written reference assistance. Check the website for hours and location.
National Geographic Society.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
See especially the Maps and Geography page.
United Nations Information Centre.
Website: http://www.unicwash.org/
The collection includes, among other things, statistical references in the areas of international trade,
industrial commodities, energy, national accounts, demographics, economic development, and housing. Check the website
for hours and location.
U.S. Geological Survey Library, Reston VA.
Website: http://library.usgs.gov/reslib.html
The Main Library at Reston VA is nearby. Use the online
library catalog to search the collection.
For more information, call the Reference Desk at 202-994-6048 or use
the Ask A Librarian e-mail reference form. This page is maintained
by David Killian.
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