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Community Development Resources

Introduction

This guide has been created to help you find resources on Community Development that are either held in Murdoch University Library or are available electronically on the web. It is not an exhaustive guide, but rather a sample of the many kinds of information sources you can use for your research topics.

Use this guide to help you to:

  • find books on your topic
  • find journal articles both in print and electronic format
  • learn how to search the Internet effectively
  • cite your sources correctly using a specified citation style
  • manage your sources using a software package such as EndNote
  • take advantage of information skills training programs available through the Library

You might also like to look at the more general Library guide Beginning Your Research which goes into some detail on developing your research using relevant resources.

If you require further assistance to find subject-related resources enquire at the Reference Desk at the South Street Campus Library or the Help Desk at the Rockingham Campus Library. If you are unable to access the library contact the Sociology Subject Librarian by email (the Sociology Librarian is also responsible for Community Development)

Library Home Page

The Library Home Page offers a gateway to locating information sources that may prove valuable for your research topics. It gives access to the Library's Web Catalogue and to electronic resources such as Databases, past Exam Papers and Electronic Reference information. There are also Subject Guides to finding information, links to Citation Guides, as well as extensive details on the Services provided by the Library.

Library Catalogues

 Use the Library Catalogue to find books, journals and other resources that may be helpful in providing information about your topic. From here you will also be able to determine the availability and location of any resource that you are interested in. The Murdoch Library Web Catalogue is accessible from the Library Home Page. For assistance using the catalogue go the Help With Searching page which is found on the left hand side of the web catalogue search pages.
Access to the catalogues of Other Western Australian Libraries is also available from the Library's Home Page.

The Libraries Australia database is a very useful resource containing records from major databases world wide. Where an item is held in Australia details of each library's holdings are indicated in the record.

My Library

My Library is a service which allows you to stay informed about new materials added to the Library collection by setting up email alerts. Connect to My Library from the Library homepage or from the catalogue, using your Murdoch Username and Password. Once you are logged in, you can search the catalogue, save your searches for later use, and set up email alerts to receive automatic notification when new material matching your search arrives in the Library. You can also renew your loans and recall items on loan, all without having to login again.

Searching the Catalogue Using Subject and Word options
When searching for resources on a particular topic you can choose to search either by SUBJECT or by WORDS. When starting out with a new topic it is probably best to begin with a WORDS search as this is the more comprehensive option. WORDS will search for the term(s) you have entered in a number of fields, including title and subject heading. SUBJECT headings are fixed and you need to know the correct one(s) for your topic. If you do try a SUBJECT search and it doesn't find anything, repeat it as a word search. Then look at the records you find and you will be able to see the subject headings assigned to them. You can use these for further searching if necessary.

Some useful subject headings for Community Development are:

  • Aboriginal Australians
  • City planning
  • Community
  • Community development
  • Community education
  • Community health services
  • Community leadership
  • Community life
  • Community organization
  • Community psychology
  • Home
  • Identity(psychology)
  • Neighborhood
  • Public welfare
  • Social action
  • Social capital sociology
  • Social ethics
  • Social participation
  • Social planning
  • Social policy
  • Sociology urban
  • Sustainable development
  • Urban policy
  • Youth government policy

Some shelf location numbers for Community Development are:

  • 307 Communities
  • 307.12 Community planning
  • 307.14 Community development
  • 307.7 Specific kinds of communities
  • 323.042 Citizen participation
  • 361.25 Social planning/policy
  • 361.6 Public welfare
  • 362.3 Social problems and services

Finding Theses

During the course of your research on Community Development you may be required to locate relevant theses. To browse listings of theses completed at Murdoch University select the TITLE option in the Web Catalogue and then type the words murdoch university theses.
Select from the result by scrolling through the display to find Honours, Masters or PhD level theses in your chosen subject area.
You may wish to look at further information about Murdoch University theses.

Other universities also record theses in their library catalogues.

In recent years the Australasian Digital Theses Program has been developed to deliver Australian theses (PhD's or equivalent and Masters by research only) in digital full-text format. There were about 9782 full-text digital theses online in this database as at August 2006. Murdoch University is a contributor to this program.

Dissertations and Theses Abstracts (ProQuest)
Index to theses and dissertations from a wide range of countries and disciplines.

The following printed index may also be of assistance:

Index to theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by the universities of Great Britain and Ireland, 1986-1999 London, ASLIB. (Murdoch University Library no longer has a current subscription to this title)

Link Level 3 R 013.370941 I38 I

Reference Resources

 For background information on aspects of Community Development, there are a selection of reference books available, some of which are listed below. Use these resources to clarify the meaning of your topic and to check for synonyms (similar words) for your topic words. The following reference materials include both printed and electronic encyclopaedias, dictionaries and other items that may be useful for your research. To find other reference material held in the library choose Words search in the Library Catalogue, then type the particular aspect that you are interested in, together with the term dictionaries or, alternatively, encyclopedias.

The Library's web page listing Electronic Reference resources could also be of value, especially the Electronic Subject Dictionaries and Encyclopedias relating to the Social Sciences and Humanities to Sustainability and Technology Policy and to Australian Indigenous Studies.

The reference resources listed below are divided into the following three categories:

Dictionaries

Blackwell Dictionary of Social Policy

on order

Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: a User's Guide to Sociological Language - Electronic resource

Link Level 3 R 301.03 JOH 1995

Rockingham R 301.03 JOH 2000

Dictionary of Sociology/Tony Lawson And Joan Garrod

Link Level 3 R 301.03 LAW 2001
Rockingham R 301.03 LAW 2001

Dictionary of Sociology (Oxford)/ edited by Gordon Marshall - Electronic resource

Link Level 3 R 301.03 DIC 1998

Rockingham R 301.03 DIC 1998

New Dictionary of the History of Ideas 6v.

Link Level 3 R 903 NEW 2005

Rockingham R 903 NEW 2005

Penguin Dictionary of Sociology 4th ed.

Link Level 3 R 301.03 DIC 2000

Rockingham R 301.03 DIC 2000

Encyclopaedias

International Encyclopedia of Sociology 2 v.

Link Level 3 R 301.03 INT

Rockingham R 301.03 INT 1995

Encyclopedia of Social Theory / editor George Ritzer 2v.

Link Level 3 R 301.01 ENC 2005

Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS - Unesco) - A collection of sixteen science, technology and social sciences encyclopedias. This is an excellent resource to explore on a wide range of topics. Please try it!

Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women 4v.

Link Level 3 R 305.403 ROU 2000

Rockingham R 305.403 ROU 2000

Encyclopedia of Sociology. Selections

Link Level 3 R 301.03 ENC 1998

Rockingham R 301.03 ENC 1998

General Reference

Electronic Reference - This list of ready reference sites is maintained by Murdoch University Library staff.

AusStats - Australian Bureau of Statistics
Year book Australia

Journals

The library has journals available in print and electronic format. In some cases both the paper and electronic versions of titles are held. To find out what journals the library holds, where they are located, and in what format they are available, use the library's Web Catalogue.

New Journal Display
Print copies of the latest issues of selected journals received in the Library are kept in the New Journal Display areas. Social Sciences, Humanities, Education and Science journals are displayed in Link Level 3.
Latest issues of selected journal titles are arranged by Dewey number and shelved on the outside tray of the display shelves.

Finding a Specific Journal Title

The Library holds many journals that relate to Community Development courses. Use these to find specific articles on current research. If you have a citation for a journal article, or have been asked to research from a particular journal, you can check to see if it is held in the library by doing a TITLE search in the Web Catalogue. Click on Title on the Web Catalogue screen and type all or part of the journal title in the search box.

One journal the library subscribes to is Australian Journal of Social Issues. A Title search for this item will display a result screen that provides a summary of the library's holdings. The details described indicate that the library holds this journal in print format from Vol. 1, no. 1 (Spring. 1961)- The call number for the item is given, as well as the location within the library. From the information provided we are able to determine that the library is still receiving print copies of the journal. By clicking on Latest Received you are able to find out the latest issue held by the library. The catalogue entry also indicates that this particular journal is available electronically and in full-text from a number of database providers

Finding Other Relevant Journals

When you need to broaden your search from a specific journal title to a general search for other relevant journals relating to your course, you can choose the WORDS search option in the Library Web Catalogue to perform a keyword search. Then type a term to describe the aspect you are interested in, followed by the term periodicals.

    For example type: community development periodicals to find journals about some aspect of community development......or
    community development australia periodicals for Australian community development journals.

Remember: The library catalogue records the titles of journals held in the library but does not index all the articles in each of the journals. To find individual articles on a particular topic access the Library's Databases. Instructions on when and how to use these will be covered in more detail below.

Databases

Databases are a collection of data which can be searched for a particular piece of information. The Library's databases include indexes to journal articles and full text collections of materials such as journals, newspapers, statistical publications, encyclopaedias and legal materials. Databases are accessible from the Library Home Page. You can search the databases for information on specific subjects, using key words or concepts relevant to your research topic.

Finding Journal Articles

The library catalogue records the titles of journals held in the library but does not index all the articles in each of the journals. To find individual articles on a particular topic use the Databases. From here you can choose a specific database from the Browse by Database Title alphabetic list at the bottom of the screen, Browse by Subject Area to find journals in a specific discipline, or use the Quick Links to Major Databases list for the more popular databases. These databases collectively index the article contents of thousands of journals. Some provide only a citation with an abstract (summary of the article), while others provide the whole article (full text) as well. To find out information on older research you may have to refer to the printed abstracting and indexing journals, which are available in the library.

All of the databases are accessible from the eLibraries on North Wing Level 3, South Wing Level 3 and the workstations around the Library. You are also able to get remote access by using your Murdoch Username and Password for authentication. For further information on how to do this see the Off Campus Access web page. Some databases require password access

Alerting Services

A number of databases allow you to save your searches in your area of interest, and set up an email 'alert' for new articles that are being published. This allows you to keep up to date with the latest research in your field without having to regularly repeat your search. For a list of the databases with this service available, and instructions on how to create your alert see the Alerting Services page.

Creating a Search Strategy

Before you can find information on a topic you need to have a clear idea of what it is you are trying to find. To help you to do this you can develop a search strategy, which enables you to focus on your topic and then refer back to and adapt as needed. A number of steps are necessary in order to create a specific and successful search strategy. The steps described here are useful for all information retrieval, not just in searching electronic databases and journals.

  • Analyse the topic
  • Identify topic keywords
  • Use appropriate dictionaries and encyclopaedias to help clarify terms and identify synonyms
  • Combine keywords and synonyms in a search statement
  • Identify appropriate search operators to create the most useful relationships between keywords
  • Read through the HELP option in the database/s you intend searching for searching hints
  • Review the search results and modify the search statement if necessary

Once you have understood these concepts you can apply them when searching in a variety of databases. Most databases have HELP buttons linked to detailed descriptions of successful searching tips. Always check this option when you are searching a new database.

Databases available through Murdoch University Library

Databases relevant to Commmunity Development can be found on the Databases page under the Browse by Subject Area listing for Community Development

Australian Databases

Articles about Australian issues can be found in international databases, for example Expanded Academic ASAP, but not to the same extent as information about other regions of the world. If you need information that is specifically about Australian issues you should look at the following Australian databases.

APA-FT - APA-Full Text is based on the journal indexing of the database Australian Public Affairs Information Service (APAIS)

APAIS - Australian Public Affairs Information Service 1978-
A wide ranging index of Australian sources in the social sciences and humanities. There is good coverage on issues such as the environment and on government policy.

ATI - Australian Tourism Index - An index to tourism and related fields including leisure, recreation, sports and travel.

AusStats (Australian Bureau of Statistics), 1998-
AusStats provides full text access to all ABS publications from 1998 onwards, as well as time series spreadsheets, multidimensional datasets and census basic community profiles. Coverage includes social, economic, demographic, environmental, labour, finance, and other statistics.
(FULL TEXT)

CINCH - Australian Criminology Database 1968-
Australian Institute of Criminology database which indexes material on all aspects of crime and the criminal justice system.

Factiva - Provides fulltext access to significant news items from over 6000 international sources, including more than 100 Australasian sources. Coverage includes articles from newspapers, news wires, press releases, company announcements and journals.

Family: Australian Family & Society Abstracts 1980 -
An index related to Australian writing and research on all aspects of the family including the law and legal issues, psychology, sociology, economics and demographics.

MAIS Multicultural Australia and Immigration Studies 1988-
Indexes all aspects of Australian immigration and multicultural issues. Subject coverage includes multiculturalism, ethnicity, racism, migrant health, welfare and social services, access and equity, settlement services, refugees and population studies.

Major International Databases

Sociological Abstracts
Indexes and abstracts scholarly literature in sociology and related disciplines. It provides abstracts from approximately 2500 journals, book chapters, conference papers, relevant dissertation citations from book reviews. Sociological Abstracts covers publications in sociology, anthropology, community development, economics, medicine, philosophy, demography, political science and social psychology.

Expanded Academic Index
A multi-disciplinary database. Information on Astronomy, Religion, Law, History, Psychology, Humanities, Current Events, Sociology, Communications and the General Sciences.

Factiva.com
Provides fulltext access to significant news items from over 6000 international sources, including more than 100 Australasian sources. Coverage includes articles from newspapers, news wires, press releases, company announcements and journals. Also provides information on companies and industries.

JSTOR
An archive of back issues of about 350 full text journals in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Coverage is from the first volume in most cases. Current content, usually the latest 3-5 years, is not available, but is added from time to time.

ProQuest
Abstracting, full-text and image database which includes telecommunications, accounting & tax, applied cience & technology, Asian business, computing, education and religions.

Social Services Abstracts Database (CSA)
Bibliographic coverage of social work, social welfare, human services, social policy, and community development.

Journal Title Abbreviations

In many information sources the abbreviated form of the journal title is used in the citation and you will need to know the full title of the journal in order to check it in a library catalogue, or to cite it correctly. Some sources will have a separate listing of the full journal titles indexed but others may not. The following title may be used to check abbreviated journal titles:

Periodical Titles Abbreviations

NW Level 3 Reference Desk, South Street campus

There are also a number of online resources that can be useful in providing the full title of journal abbreviations. These include the following:

All that JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources

Ulrich's Periodicals Directory

Document Delivery

As part of the Library support to staff and research students, the Document Delivery service will request copies of documents, theses and other materials which are not held in the Murdoch collection. Requests are supplied from a number of sources including other libraries and commercial Document Supply services. For information on using this service including how to register, and details of the fees involved, look at the Library's Document Delivery web site.

Subject Guides

In addition to the online guide you are now reading, the library has developed other online Subject Guides.
Researchers and students in the area of Community Development may also be interested in the following guides:

Australian Indigenous Studies Resources
Politics & International Studies Resources
Sociology Resources
Law Resources
Sustainability & Technology Policy Resources
Tourism Resources

The Internet

There are many varied sites and resources on the Internet, some more useful than others. Though you may have fun surfing the net, remember that it should not be seen as the only, or even first resource for information gathering. Evaluate the web sources carefully before including them in your repertoire of research materials.

Selected Internet Resources

Subject specialists in Murdoch University Library have selected web sites in a number of different subject areas. Some that may be relevant to Community Development include:

Aged and Community Services Australia
AusStats - Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australia's Health 2006 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)
Australia's Welfare 2005 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS)
Australian Institute of Criminology
Australian Institute of Family Studies
Australian Social Trends 2006 (ABS)
community.gov.au - Information and Services for Australians
A Guide to Community Grants - Commonwealth Parliamentary Library. A collection of funding organisations for community related projects.
Human development reports - 1990-
OECD statistics
Social Policy Research Paper Series - Produced by the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
The Source - a gateway to youth information, programmes, services, resources and entertainment for young people between the ages of 12 and 25.

Sociology Internet Resources
Australian Indigenous Studies Internet Resources
Politics & International Studies Internet Resources
Sustainability & Technology Policy Internet Resources
Tourism Internet Resources

The Government Information site provides links to some of the world's government agencies. Many government publications are now published on the internet and are freely available to the public. Look for the Publications link on these websites to see a list of the available fulltext resources.

Search Engines

You could use a search engine to help find information on the internet. Murdoch University's web site provides a list of search engines which you may like to explore.

Email Lists

There are many email lists you could subscribe to in order to keep abreast of new developments. Some are discussion lists and some merely informative. For further information on lists, what they are and how to subscribe to them, look at the University's Discussion List web page.

Citing References

It is essential that any references used in your research projects are cited correctly. A comprehensive bibliography is an indication of how widely you have read for the topic. This record also allows any relevant papers to be found at a later date. The most important aspect of citing is to be consistent.

The Library's publication, How to cite references, which discusses various citation systems, is available for consultation online.

Please remember that there are specific citation rules for electronic resources. The guide give examples of these materials.

Managing References : EndNote

EndNote for Windows is a software package that allows you to manage your references electronically. You can search databases, organise your references in a single database and create bibliographies and reference lists automatically in your word processor. For Honours and Postgraduate students it is considered a particularly valuable tool. Look at the Library's Endnote site for further information about the software and details on how to get access to it.

The library holds introductory training sessions aimed at users new to the Endnote software. The Library's Information Skills Training page provides details of classes that are available.

Information Skills Programmes

During the year the Murdoch Library regularly offers training in how to use the resources it provides, such as Databases and Endnote, as well as how to research using the web. These classes are available to all University staff and students. Details are posted on the Library's Training Notice Board, North Wing Level 3 and on the Information Skills Training page.

The Library has also developed the LITE programme. It is an innovative, interactive, self-paced online program that will introduce you to the Murdoch Libraries, their resources and collections, to library research skills, and to skills in searching the World wide Web effectively for the information you require. Why not see what it has to offer!

Postgraduate students should also refer to their Generic Skills Programme for details of Library related workshops.

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