New for Sociology and Anthropology tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc/96 2009-10-12T12:31:23Z Movable Type 4.23-en Oxford Encyclopedia of Human Rights tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4743 2009-10-12T12:31:02Z 2009-10-12T12:31:23Z Dick Grefe Oxford University Press / Oxford Digital Reference Shelf.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
Five-volume set (2009) contains over 300 signed, alphabetically-arranged entries, providing "situation profiles and full coverage of the development of the movement, historical cases of abuse, the key figures, major organizations, and a range of other issues in economics, government, religion, and journalism that touch on human rights theory and practice."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> From the Strategic Studies Institute tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4722 2009-10-02T14:16:57Z 2009-10-02T14:17:27Z The SSI, a division of the U.S. Army War College, recently released two publications on current socio-political issues in Latin America. Dealing with Political Ferment in Latin America outlines a conflict between "radical populism" and "moderate, centrist governance" across the... Dick Grefe The SSI, a division of the U.S. Army War College, recently released two publications on current socio-political issues in Latin America.
Dealing with Political Ferment in Latin America outlines a conflict between "radical populism" and "moderate, centrist governance" across the region.
Another new release is A "New" Dyanmic in the Western Hemisphere Security Environment: The Mexican Zetas and Other Private Armies, discusses the private paramilitary organizations and their involvement in destabilization in Mexico.

Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing. The library also will receive a printed copy of each of these publications.

]]> Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4674 2009-09-17T16:17:57Z 2009-09-17T16:18:18Z Dick Grefe Sage / Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
2006 volume focuses "on the developmental process of religion and spirituality across the human life span." Alphabetically-arranged entries, with an interdisciplinary scope, cover such topics as leading religious and spiritual figures, traditions, texts, places, religious and spiritual practices and concepts, and more.
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> Economic Downturns and Crime tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4661 2009-09-15T14:23:21Z 2009-09-15T14:23:59Z U.S. Congressional Research Service. Available online. "The troubled state of the economy has revived the long- standing debate concerning whether economic factors can be linked to increases in the nation's crime rates. This report examines the available research on how... Dick Grefe U.S. Congressional Research Service.
Available online.
"The troubled state of the economy has revived the long- standing debate concerning whether economic factors can be linked to increases in the nation's crime rates. This report examines the available research on how selected economic variables may or may not be related to crime rates."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> Empirics on the Origins of Preferences: The Case of College Major and Religiosity tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4607 2009-08-12T11:36:46Z 2009-09-17T16:19:05Z Dick Grefe National Bureau of Economic Research.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
"This paper examines the effect of college major on religiosity, and the converse effect of religiosity on college major, using panel data from the Monitoring the Future survey as a way of gauging the extent to which various streams of thought, as taught in college, affect religiosity."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> JSTOR Data for Research tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4596 2009-08-10T17:11:24Z 2009-08-10T17:11:43Z Dick Grefe JSTOR.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
Still in beta testing (August 2009), this service enables researchers to analyze the content of the JSTOR database, including data on word frequencies, publication patterns, key terms, and more. The downloading of data sets is not yet available. Some interesting terms to try:

  • "soccer moms"

  • negroes

  • "afro americans"

  • "african americans"


Links may be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including here.

]]> Encyclopedia of United States Indian Policy and Law tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4594 2009-07-31T15:02:40Z 2009-07-31T15:03:07Z Dick Grefe CQ Press.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
Published as a two-volume set in 2008, this resources contains signed entries by about 200 scholars and experts on "tatutes, rules, regulations, tribal laws, treaties, and agency and judicial decisions that make up Indian law and federal Indian relations," as well as key individuals, concepts such as sovereignty and assimilation, military policy and wars, and the impact of U.S. policies on Native culture and society.
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S. tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4585 2009-07-28T18:35:18Z 2009-07-28T18:39:46Z Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Available online. New analysis reveals that "as a group Mormons are among the most devout and conservative religious people in the country. The Mormon community is also internally diverse, with differences according to... Dick Grefe Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Available online.
New analysis reveals that "as a group Mormons are among the most devout and conservative religious people in the country. The Mormon community is also internally diverse, with differences according to levels of religious commitment and educational attainment, regions of the country where Mormons live and between lifelong Mormons and those who have converted to the faith."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> Created Equal: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the US Criminal Justice System tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4578 2009-07-28T16:52:47Z 2009-07-28T16:55:26Z National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Available online. "State-by-state review of racial and ethnic disparities in the adult criminal justice system." Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.... Dick Grefe National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
Available online.
"State-by-state review of racial and ethnic disparities in the adult criminal justice system."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> Governance Matters: Governance Indicators for 1996-2008 tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4577 2009-07-28T16:20:52Z 2009-07-28T16:21:10Z World Bank. Available online. Latest update of this database of "aggregate and individual governance indicators for 212 countries and territories over the period 1996-2008, for six dimensions of governance." ("Governance consists of the traditions and institutions by which authority in... Dick Grefe World Bank.
Available online.
Latest update of this database of "aggregate and individual governance indicators for 212 countries and territories over the period 1996-2008, for six dimensions of governance." ("Governance consists of the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> More W&L Library Cuts tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4572 2009-07-24T15:56:01Z 2009-07-24T15:57:08Z You may recall an earlier post about the effects of 2009-10 budget cuts for the Washington and Lee University Library. We must reduce library acquisitions of all types, including books, but the greatest impact is going to be on subscription... Dick Grefe You may recall an earlier post about the effects of 2009-10 budget cuts for the Washington and Lee University Library.
We must reduce library acquisitions of all types, including books, but the greatest impact is going to be on subscription services -- those items which require year-to-year financial commitments (usually with ever-rising costs).
We have continued to work on ways to reduce our costs while minimally affecting the work of our students and faculty. The latest round of decision-making includes plans to drop our microfilm subscriptions to the following newspapers:
  • Washington Post ($ 5,228.16/year)

  • Richmond Times Dispatch ($ 4,396.35/year)

  • Roanoke Times ($ 3,564.75)/year

Obviously, these titles are significant research and regional information tools, but the microfilm format is very seldom used and we have multiple online resources which can retrieve nearly all the content. If need be, upon demand, we could purchase an individual reel of microfilm, and interlibrary loan usually is an option.
The $13,189.26 we will save through these three cancellations should mean that very few additional cuts will need to be made.

If you have comments or concerns about this situation, I would be glad to discuss them with you.

]]> Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4563 2009-07-08T13:56:45Z 2009-07-08T13:57:29Z Dick Grefe Academic Press / Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
Published as a three-volume set in 2008 (second edition), containing about 200 authoritative, signed articles "about antagonism and reconciliation in all contexts of public and personal life," including "topics as diverse as Arms Control, Peace Movements, Child Abuse, Folklore, Terrorism, and Political Assassinations."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.

]]> Historical Dictionary of Native American Movements tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4555 2009-07-08T13:01:46Z 2009-07-08T13:02:11Z Dick Grefe Scarecrow / Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
2008 volume includes "a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects" of Native Americans in the U.S.
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including here.

]]> American Generations: Who They Are and How They Live tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4531 2009-06-25T18:37:30Z 2009-06-25T18:38:32Z Dick Grefe New Strategist / NetLibrary.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
2008 data compilation "for researchers who want to quickly and easily compare and contrast the five living generations -- Millennial, Generation X, Baby Boom, Swing, and World War II."
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including here.

]]> Encyclopedia of Jewish American Popular Culture tag:bloggery.wlu.edu,2009:/soc//96.4528 2009-06-25T17:46:55Z 2009-06-25T17:49:03Z Dick Grefe Greenwood.
Available online.   (W&L subscription)
2008 volume contains over 150 entries (most of them biographical) on Jewish-American music, art, food, religion, literature, and more.
Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including here.

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