Make an appointment
Make a virtual appointment with the subject librarian, Kat Nelsen.
You will receive a Zoom link shortly after scheduling.
Journal article databases
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Anthropology PlusAnthropology Plus provides extensive worldwide indexing of journal articles, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies.. Coverage is from the late 19th century to the present.
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AnthroSourceSearch or browse major journals from the American Anthropological Association (AAA) including American Anthropologist, American Ethnologist, Anthropology and Education Quarterly, and Medical Anthropology Quarterly.
Reference sources
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The SAGE Handbook of Cultural Anthropology
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ISBN: 9781529703870Publication Date: 2021-05-25This handbook provides a rich overview of the discipline and has a future focus whilst using international theories and examples throughout. The book is divided into four parts: Part 1: Foundations Part 2: Focal Areas Part 3: Urgent IssuesPart 4: Short Essays: Contemporary Critical Dynamics -
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life
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ISBN: 9781410338969Publication Date: 2016-12-22Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures And Daily Life, 3rd Edition, covers cultural groups in Asia and Oceania, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Five volumes, organized for quick reference by continent, cover history, politics, customs, religion, education, human rights issues, rites of passage, and much more for culture groups such as Kurds, Amish, Germans and more than 530 others.
Finding books
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Libraries SearchSearch the University of Minnesota Libraries to find books, scholarly journal articles, news, magazines, media, and other items in the University's collection. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
To find books:
- Use Libraries Search (linked above) to find materials across University of Minnesota library collections and databases.
- Enter your search terms into the large search box. If you know the title of the book enter it with quotation marks, e.g. "Braiding Sweetgrass"
- Use filters to limit your results by material type to books.
- Select the link for the title to see more information.
- For e-books, select the link under View It.
- For print books, you can:
- Find it on the shelf: Go to the appropriate library with the call number (e.g. PR6068.O93 Z73 2009).
- Have it delivered to the front desk of a convenient library, your home, or residence hall (learn more about Get It): Under Get It sign in and click the Get It button.
- Request a book the library does not own: Use the request form for the digital delivery and interlibrary loan services.
Search better: Using keywords and creating a search string
Whether you are searching in the library catalog, databases, Google Scholar, or even Google, creating a good search query will help you to find relevant information.
Keywords
Keywords are single words and phrases that describe your topic. Before and during the search process make a list of keywords. Write them down. In anthropology names of cultural and ethnic groups, sub-cultures, methodologies, sub-fields, and geographic locations can provide useful keywords. Refine the list of keywords as you go.
It may be necessary to use terms that are more or less broad depending on the type of information you are seeking. Books and reference materials tend to use broader terms for easier browsing. Journal articles and archives tend to be more specific in scope.
Creating a search query
Taking the time to create a search query with your keywords will help you get better results whether searching a library database or even Google. Below are some tips and examples to help you create a useful search string.
- Use quotation marks to search words as a phrase, ex. "cave art"
- Use the word AND to link together concepts, ex. "cave art" AND neanderthals
- Use the word OR to search for synonyms, ex. "cave art" OR "paleolithic art"
Subject headings
Each item on the bulleted list below links to the UMN library search by subject heading. Subject links appear in the catalog record for most items and can be helpful in narrowing a search.
You can pair subject searches with keywords to get even more precision. Try it! Click one of the links above and adding a keyword in the second line of the search section at the top of the page.