IIPS 43101: Peace Studies Senior Seminar

Reference tools provide background information, the who, what, where and when -- and a bit of the how and why -- for any topic. They include subject and biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias, almanacs, chronologies, directories and atlases. Many, especially dictionaries and encyclopedias, are now available online. Many others, especially historical atlases and chronologies are still only available in print.

ONLINE

• Encyclopaedia Britannica online
• Oxford international encyclopedia of peace
• Oxford reference online Premium
• Blackwell reference online
• Gale virtual reference library
• Wikipedia
  • Wikipedia can be a great quick help in identifying the "who, what, when and where" of any given issue -- subject to later verification. Librarians use it all the time. However, it can be very suspect when it comes to "how and why" questions especially those involving conflict situations. Use it but use it with caution!

PAPER

Selected examples of print reference sources.  All titles are located in the General Reference Collection (1st floor, Hesburgh Library).

• Encyclopedia of the stateless nations: ethnic and national groups around the world.  D 860 .M56 2002
• Conflict in Northern Ireland: an encyclopedia.  DA 990 .U46 E44 1999
• Conflict in Afghanistan: a historical encyclopedia.  DS 351 .C54 2003
• Conflict in Korea: an encyclopedia.  DS 916 .H62 1999
• Encyclopedia of conflict resolution.  HM 136 .B783 1997
• Encyclopedia of violence, peace, & conflict.  HM 291 .E625 2008
• Peace movement directory: North American organizations...  JZ 5514 .B46 2001
• Handbook of peace and conflict studies.  JZ 5538 .H36 2007
• Encyclopaedia of war, peace and global security.  JZ 5588 .E53 2005
• Historical dictionary of multinational peacekeeping.  JZ 6374 .M38 2004
• Religion and violence: an encyclopedia of faith and conflict.  BL 65 .V55 R45555 2011
• Global directory of peace studies and conflict resolution programs.  JZ 5534 .G58
• SIPRI yearbook: world armaments and disarmament.  UA 10 .I55

Print

Examples of specialized atlases available in the Hesburgh Library Reference Collection.

• Historical dictionary of the Arab-Israeli conflict.  DS 119.7 .K85 2006
• The state of the Middle East: an atlas of conflict and resolution.  G 2205 .S6 2008
• The Routledge atlas of the Arab-Israeli conflict.  G 2236 .S1 G52 2008
• The Penguin atlas of diasporas.  GN 370 .C43 1995
• Global geopolitical flashpoints: an atlas of conflict.  JC 319 .A52 2000

Online

• A to Z maps online (political, physical, outline & others)
• United Nations Cartographic Section (all regions but not all countries)
• All the Worlds Maps (detail and type vary)
• Atlapedia Online (regional)
• Blank & Outline Maps (outline only)
• Google Earth (no printing)

• Statistical Abstract (U.S. Census Bureau)
• LexisNexis Statistical Datasets (data sets & graphs)
• LexisNexis Statistical (charts & tables)
• Polling the Nations (public opinion)
• United Nations Statistics Division (demongraphics)
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics (cultural)
• International Financial Statistics Online Srvice (IMF financial)
• World Development Indicators (economic)
• Infonation Advanced (graphs)
• OECD iLibrary (economic)
• Finding data & statistics (Subject Guide)