Reference Sources for
AIDS: The Modern Plague
Catalogs and Databases / Reference Books and Web Sites/ Government Documents

This guide lists some databases, reference books and web sites that might be useful for your research. Don't hesitate to consult with a librarian if you aren't finding what you need.

The library catalog and other databases
 
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Web		 Library Catalog. Internet: Library Catalog Our online catalog lets you search for books both in our library and other libraries and for articles and government documents, among other things. The initial screen offers you choices of resources: the catalog, the General Magazine Index, etc. Once you make a choice, click on the submit button to search. In the case of the library catalog, you can also choose to search our library, another library in the system, or all PALS libraries. Choose a search type: keyword, author, title, etc. Then type in your search terms. 

Remember to try various terms if you aren't finding what you need. Subject headings in one record might suggest alternative terms to search by. Consider broadening or narrowing your topic as needed. Click on the limit button to add or delete additional terms, or limit by date, language, or format. 

Consider, too, that if you aren't finding what you need, you may simply be looking in the wrong place. Current information may be found only in articles, so that a search of our catalog may be fruitless. On the other hand, books sometimes can provide a solid overview of a subject in a way articles fail to do. If it's something that happened yesterday, it won't yet be in any of the databases on the system. You could find coverage of very current events through Lexis/Nexis, however. When in doubt, connect with a librarian for some ideas of where to look next. 
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Web		 Lexis/Nexis Universe. Internet: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe This collection of databases offers access to well over a billion references, most of which are in full text. The simple web interface makes it quick and easy to search for a wide variety of texts. To search, choose an area, then a database from a drop down list, and choose dates of coverage. Then type in a search term or terms and press "search." This service is strong in popular press coverage, legal and government information, business information, medical citations, and offers several reference options as well. There is a section for congressional information, offering full text of congressional hearings, reports, and other materials. And there is an index of references to statistical resources in federal government documents. It does not index scholarly publications other than medical and legal ones, so is not useful for every research need. Access is available through any computer with web access connected to the Gustavus computer network directly or by modem. 
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Web		 PubMed. Internet: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ A free, web version of Medline, the most comprehensive database of medical literature available, with over 9 million references to published research, most of them annotated, some now including links to full-text journal sites. Developed at the National Library of Medicine, the database uses specialized medical subject headings; use the "MeSH Browser" feature to determine the appropriate wording for a search. 

Reference books and web sites
 
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1998		 The AIDS Dictionary. New York: Facts on File, 1998. Defines and discusses a wealth of terms in language suitable for the layperson, including information on social issues, legal and financial implications of the disease, and resources, including many web sites. 
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1995		 AIDS Sourcebook. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1995. Covers information on the history of AIDS, how the medical establishment has dealt with the disease, its pathology, social issues, prevention, and treatment up to the date of publication. 
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1993		 Cambridge World History of Human Disease. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University, 1993. A guide to the history of specific diseases across time and in all parts of the world, scholarly and with excellent bibliographies. 
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1993		 Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine. New York: Routledge, 1993. A trove of information and insights into the history of the field. Includes essays on body systems and how they have been perceived through time, theories of illness, including history of specific diseases and their treatments, geographical essays, clinical history, and medicine in society and culture. 
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1993		 Disease and Medical Care in the United States: A Medical Atlas of the Twentieth Century. New York: Macmillan, 1993. A source for demographic information and information on the epidemiology and geography of disease in the US. 
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1995		 Encyclopedia of Bioethics. Revised edition. New York: Macmillan, 1995. Covers issues and controversies in bioethics in lengthy, scholarly articles, each one accompanied by a current bibliography of key sources. Newly revised to reflect the rapidly changing landscape of the field. 
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1999		 Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Offers medical information on nearly 1,500 medical disorders, conditions, tests and treatments. 
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1999		 HIV/AIDS: A Guide to Primary Care Management. 4th edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1999. Focusing on information for medical practitioners, this volume covers AIDs in special populations, culture and ethnicity, community-based and long-term care, legal and ethical issues for the caregiver, testing, and more. 
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Web		 National Center for Health Statistics. Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/nchshome.htm Offers access to a myriad of statistics collected by the arm of the federal government's Centers for Disease Control t hat tracks the nation's health. 
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Web		 National Institutes of Health [home page]. Internet: http://www.nih.gov The web site for the federal government's center for health research. Includes its own search engine for research reports, clinical guidelines, and patient information available through the Institutes. 
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1990		 Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1990. For brief definitions of medical terms. 

Finding Government Documents

This library is a partial depository for federal government documents.  We receive a large number of documents in exchange for making them freely available to the surrounding community.  They come in various formats: paper, microfiche, and CD-ROM. The University of Minnesota is a regional depository and if we don't have a particular government document we usually can borrow it from them through Interlibrary Loan within four days.  The Government Printing Office publishes an index to documents that we have available in print and online (for 1976--present).  This index will tell you which documents have been published, but doesn't indicate which ones are in our library.  To actually locate documents, bring citations to the reference desk and we will check our shelf list.
 
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and WebPals 		 United States.  Superintendent of Documents. Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1895--. Indexes government publications from federal agencies and Congress, arranged by issuing agencies and indexed by author, title, subject, and series or report number.  Entries include the Superintendent of Documents number, used to shelve most documents.  There is a computerized index to government documents available on the PALS system which covers federal government publications from 1976 to the present. 

There are other kinds of government documents indexes available online.  Through Lexis/Nexis, a vast index to congressional testimony, reports, and more is available through the Congressional Universe option.  There is also a collection of full-text hearings, committee prints, testimony, and so on, with links to bills and legislation.  The government itself is a major web presence; some useful resources are included below.
 
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and Web		 CIS Annual. Washington, DC: CIS, 1970--. A detailed index to the publications of the US Congress, including hearings, reports, committee prints, etc.  Includes a legislative histories index for bills that have been passed into law in each annual volume. Now available through Lexis/Nexis on the web at http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe, along with other congressional files.
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Web		 THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet. Internet: http://thomas.loc.gov This World Wide Web site offers full text of Congressional legislation searchable by key word or bill number as well as a full text version of the Congressional Record.  Coverage starts with the 103rd Congress and includes a discussion of how a bill becomes law. 
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Web		 U. S. Federal Government Agencies: A List of Federal Agencies on the Internet. Internet: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html A well-organized list of links to government agencies available through the net.  The list is arranged in hierarchical order, structured like the government, with agencies and subagencies listed as if in an organizational chart.  Maintained by David Wuolu at Louisiana State University and regularly updated. 

last updated 10/25/99