Collins Memorial Library: SPAN 205: Spanish Contemporary Issues: Getting Started

Getting Started With Subject Encyclopedias

Subject encyclopedias, handbooks and overviews are scholarly, tertiary works written by experts on a variety of topics. The articles are typically longer and more detailed than those found in general encyclopedias. These resources can help you with:

Understanding the scope of a topic
Suggesting ideas for narrowing a topic
Identifying key concepts, terms, dates and names
Listing subject areas related to a topic
Recommending sources for further exploration

In Collins Library, the print reference collection is located on the first floor, and most of the online reference collection is available in one of the database collections listed below. Use Primo to identify subject encyclopedias in either format; or ask a librarian for recommendations.

Online Reference Collections

Gale eBooks
Provides full text online access to Gale electronic books, including encyclopedias and other reference resources.
Oxford Reference
Contains the complete texts of many Oxford companions, encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference titles in a fully indexed, cross-searchable database. Included in addition to articles are images, maps, timelines, bibliographies, photographs and much more.
SAGE Knowledge
The social sciences platform for SAGE and CQ Press books, reference materials and other content.

Featured Subject Encyclopedias

Start with these subject encyclopedias and branch out as needed.

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture by Jay Kinsbruner
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
Publication Date: 2008
Provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of Latin American history and culture from prehistoric times to the present. Covers cultural issues and includes numerous biographical profiles of important figures in politics, letters and the arts.
An Atlas and Survey of Latin American History by Michael J. LaRosa
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
Publication Date: 2006
Presents the geography, the demography, and the political, social, and economic history of Latin America. Provides a topical overview of Latin American development from earliest times to the present day, bringing to light patterns of continuity and change.
Encyclopedia of Latin American Politics by Diana Kapiszewski; Alexander Kazan (Editor)
Call Number: F1410 .E56 2001 Print Books
Publication Date: 2002
Illustrated with maps and photographs, this encyclopedia covers the current and past political development of Puerto Rico and the 20 independent republics of Central and South America and the Caribbean.
The Borderlands by Andrew G. Wood (Editor)
Call Number: F786 .B74 2008 Reference
ISBN: 9780313339967
Publication Date: 2008
An A-to-Z encyclopedia providing an overview to the unique and vibrant elements that make up the borderlands. More than 150 essay entries provide a solid sense of the U.S.-Mexico border history, culture, and politics.
Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture & History by Don M. Coerver
Call Number: F1234 .C67 2004 Reference
Publication Date: 2004
A concise overview of 20th- and 21st-century Mexico, this volume explores the political, economic, social, and cultural history of the world's largest Spanish-speaking country.
Encyclopedia of Cuba by Luis Martínez-Fernández (Editor)
Call Number: F1754 .E53 2003 Reference
Publication Date: 2003
Presenting an objective, balanced view of Cuba, 80 distinguished scholars and researchers survey the country's tem pestuous history from past to present. This wonderfully comprehensive two-volume set also tells the stories of Cuban exiles in the United States and other countries.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States by Suzanne Oboler (Editor); Deena J. González (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780195156003
Publication Date: 2009
Draws together the diverse historical and contemporary experiences in the United States of Latinos and Latinas from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Entries address such broad topics as identity, art, politics, religion, education, health, and history. Each entry has its own bibliography and cross-references and is signed by its author.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in Contemporary Politics, Law, and Social Movements by Suzanne Oboler; Deena J. Gonzáles
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780199744619
Publication Date: 2015
Provides a comprehensive source of information on the diverse historical and contemporary experiences of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, with new andupdated scholarship on political movements and organizations, important legal cases, minority-rights laws, and immigration legislation.
Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women by Cheris Kramarae (Editor); Dale Spender (Editor)
Call Number: HQ1115 .R69 2000 v. 1-4 Reference
ISBN: 9780415920889
Publication Date: 2000
Features comprehensive global coverage of women's issues and concerns, from violence and sexuality to feminist theory. In over 900 entries from US and Europe, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and the Middle East, the women who pioneered the field collaborate with the new scholars who are shaping the future of women's studies to create the new standard work on women-related subjects.
Encyclopedia of Race and Racism by Angela Doolin (Editor)
Call Number: Click on the title above for online access
ISBN: 9780028661742
Publication Date: 2013
Examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, and scientific theories of race and racism in the modem era. Delves into the historic origins of ideas of race and racism and explores their social and scientific consequences. Includes several entries related to the U.S.-Mexico border issues as they intersect with racism and human rights.