Anthropology

a guide to library resources

Introduction

The nature of anthropology itself explains some of the information problems which currently plague its scholars. As the "science of man" anthropology is concerned with humankind in the dimensions of time and space, on every part of the globe and from the genesis of man into the future. Because of the breadth, depth, and comprehensiveness of its interests, it is a master science, a member of the physical sciences and the humanities as much as of the social sciences. This is demonstrated dramatically in any college library. Material of use to the anthropologist is scattered literally from one end of the system to the other, and the subject headings for anthropology frequently do not appear to be organized into a pattern designed to include all pertinent material in a logical system. It is not probable that these situations can be improved, for reasons which are to the credit of the discipline; it is so broad and so deep that it cannot be confined to a single corner of the library.

There are several other Crumb Library Guides closely related to this one. Check the web site or ask at the Information Desk for the guides on "Indians of North America", "Folklore", "Religion and Magic", and "Food, nutrition and culture".

THE SUBJECT APPROACH TO THE ONLINE CATALOG AND INDEXING AND ABSTRACTING JOURNALS

The online catalog is the key to the library collection. Various modes of searching may be used. A Title Search will look for the words entered anywhere in the titles of all the records. A Subject Keyword Search checks the subject headings of every record for the occurence of the word(s) entered. A Subject Heading Search will list the subject headings which include the word(s) entered, and any subject terms that are related.

For periodical material the indexing and abstracting journals (not part of the online catalog) are the basic tools which provide a subject approach to information contained in magazines. In periodical indexes the subject headings are similar to the subject headings used in the online catalog. See a section below about periodical indexes.

Subject headings used in the online catalog are given in the large red books near the Reference Desk, the Library of Congress Subject Headings. The "See also" cross references which follow many subject headings in the indexes and the online catalog are intended to guide the user to additional material under related subjects.

Listed here are some subject headings used in the online catalog. Be sure to use the cross references which lead to additional headings.

	Acculturation			Kinship
	Anthropo-geography		Language and languages-Classification
	Anthropology			Man, Prehistoric
	Archaeology			Social change
	Ethnology                       Society, Primitive
	Excavations (Archaeological)	Structural anthropology
 

Some subject headings are subdivided. e.g.. Ethnology--

• See especially the long "see also" notes when you enter the subject headings: ETHNOLOGY and ANTHROPOLOG 
• Use the subheading "--Antiquities" under the name of countries, cities, etc. to search for archaeological studies.  
• And note the subheading "--Cross-cultural studies" under many subject headings (Ex. Child development--cross-cultural studies).

Be sure to check for all relevant subdivisions of large subjects.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION OF ANTHROPOLOGY MATERIALS

Materials in Crumb Library which are arranged on the shelves by the Library of Congress classification system follow a standard pattern. Each subject is identified by a letter of the alphabet, subclasses by combinations of letters, and subtopics within classes and subclasses by a numerical notation. Due to the nature of anthropological information, data sought by the student of anthropology will be found classed under a wide variety of letters.

Following are suggested Library of Congress classification schedules for browsing in the book stacks in the subject area of anthropology. N.B.: these numbers are useful only for browsing. A great many classification numbers for more specific areas of anthropology are not listed here.

Anthropology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GN
Archaeology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GN700-875
	By geographical location . . . . . . . .GN803-875
	Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DT13-16
	The Americas--Pre-Columbian . . . . . . E61
          North America . . . . . . . . . . . . E78
          South America . . . . . . . . . . . . F2229
	Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .There is no general number for the 
                                                archaeology of all of Europe.  
                                                Consult the online catalog under 
                                                the name of a specific country
                                                subdivided by "Antiquities" 
                                                or "Ethnography".
        India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DS416-419
        Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DU28
        Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DS11-27
Archaeological theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . C C
Ethnology and Ethnography . . . . . . . . . . . GN307-686
        By race and by country . . . . . . . . .GN537-686
Ethnopsychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BF730-738
Anthropogeography, Human ecology . . . . . . . .GF
Anthropological sociology . . . . . . . . . . . HM
Art, Primitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N5310-7420
Ethnomusicology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ML3795-3800 (Crane)
Folklore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GR
Folklore, geographical . . . . . . . . . . . . .G
Language, linguistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . P
Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BL-BX

 

GENERAL REFERENCE AIDS FOR THE STUDY OF ANTHROPOLOGY

I. Guides to the Literature

• Ref GN 42.W43 1998 - Introduction to library research in anthropology.
• Ref H 61.A1 S666 1986 - Information sources in the social sciences. 1986. (See especially Chap. 6 "anthropology", p.332-402.)

II. Encyclopedias, Handbooks and Annual Reviews

Designed to provide background information, encyclopedias or handbooks are a starting point for any topic. In addition to setting forth a basic outline, they often give references to key materials on a subject. A few of the reference works of this type are:

• Ref GN 11 .E63 2006 - Encyclopedia of anthropology. 5 vols.
• Ref GN 307 .C68 2001 - Countries and their cultures. 4 vols.
• Ref CC 70.M45 1993 - Dictionary of concepts in archaeology. Essays, with bibliographies, on major concepts.
• Ref GN 307.E52 1996 - Encyclopedia of cultural anthropology
• Ref BL 31.F4 1976 - An encyclopedia of religion.
• Ref CC 165.C3 1980 - The Cambridge encyclopedia of archaeology. With maps, illustrations and bibliographies.
• Ref CB 311.H35 1976 - The Atlas of early man. A chronological outline of early history.
• Ref GN 11.E52 - Encyclopedia of anthropology. For quick information, definitions, etc.
• Ref GR 35.F8 - Funk and Wagnall's standard dictionary of folklore, mythology and legend. - 2 vols. - 1949-50.
• Ref GN 307.I44 - The illustrated encyclopedia of mankind. 20 vols.
• Ref GN 378.A84 - Atlas of man. Illustrated. Peoples of the world today.
• Ref E 184.A1E58 1994- Encyclopedia of multiculturalism. 6 vols. focus on U.S.society, history, ethnicity. With bibliographies.
• GN 1.A623 - Annual review of anthropology. 1972-date (earlier called Biennial review of anthropology-GN1.B5). These volumes are excellent syntheses of thought on selected major topics in anthropology, each essay with many references.
• Ref E 77.H692 - Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico- 2 vols.-1960. (A reprint of a classical work of 1905)
• Ref E 56.F64 1983 - America's ancient treasures-a guide to archaeological sites and museums
• Ref G 1046.E15P3 - Past Worlds: The Times atlas of archaeology 1988
• Ref E 61.C66 1986 - Atlas of ancient America - includes Central and South America.
• Ref E 77.W195 1985 - Atlas of the North American Indian - some maps, much text.
• Ref E 77.9.H57 1988 - Historical dictionary of North American archaeology.
• Ref GN 495.4.E53 1993 - The Encyclopedia of the Peoples of the World. bibl. on p.676-682.
• Ref GN 307.E53 1991 - Encyclopedia of World Cultures. a large set.

III. Dictionaries

An anthropologist will need to deal with materials in the related fields of history, geography, biology, psychology, folk literature, sociology, zoology, etc. Dictionaries, though designed primarily to give definitions of words and phrases, often give substantial background material and bibliographic citations as well. One can find dictionaries of special terms by looking in the online catalog under the subject followed by the subheading "--DICTIONARIES". For example, under "DANCE--DICTIONAIRES", or "GEOGRAPHY--DICTIONARIES". Of special note are:

• Ref GN 307.D485 1997- The dictionary of anthropology
• Ref GF4.D52 1981 - Dictionary of human geography - lengthy definitions
• Ref GN 307.W56 1991 - Dictionary of concepts in cultural anthropology

IV. Tools for Classification and Comparative Research

See also the section on the Human Resources Area Files.

• Ref G 1046.E1S7 1968 - Atlas for anthropology. 1960
• Ref GN 405.M8 - Ethnographic atlas. 1967 A compilation of comparative ethnic facts. No maps.

V. Books on Methodology

Theoretical and practical principles for anthropological research are provided by books on methodology. Some of the main subject headings leading to these types of books are:

• Ethnology--Methodology
• Anthropology--Methodology
• Social Science--Field work

VI. Human Relations Area Files

The HRAF is a collection of materials on human behavior, social life and culture organized in categories to facilitate comparative, cross-cultural and multidisciplinary research. The files include published and unpublished sources, many primary documents from field observation, and a great deal of materials translated from foreign languages by the HRAF staff. In the past, the files have been especially useful to SUNY Potsdam students in anthropology.

While we do not have the actual HRAF files here, the microfiche can be obtained on Interlibrary loan. Access to the files is through the indexes, listed below:

• Ref GN 345.3.M87 1983 - Outline of World Cultures
• Ref GN 345.O95 1982 - Outline of Cultural Materials
• Ref GN 307.S59 - Part A Sixty Cultures. (This includes short descriptions of some of the files.)

VII. Bibliographies

Bibliographies on a subject are useful in the selection of relevant material and for the provision of details necessary for the identification of a work which, if not in our library, may be acquired through interlibrary loan. Bibliographies can be found by using the online catalog and other special tools as described in Library Leaflet # 13 - "Bibliographies".

A few of the major retrospective bibliographies in anthropology are:

General - Retrospective

• Ref HM 101.A1 B7 1969 - The process of modernization: an annotated bibliography on the sociocultural aspects of development. 1969
• Ref GN 517.A1 T54 1971 - Bibliography for cross-cultural workers.
• Ref GN 42.A1 M3 1963 - Resources for the teaching of anthropology.1963
• Ref U 21.A1 F47 1988 - The Anthropology of war
• Ref GT 2855.A1 F73 1981 - Human food uses: a cross-cultural comprehensive annotated bibliography
• Ref RC 455.4.E8 F38 - Anthropological and cross-cultural themes in mental health: an annotated bibliography, 1925-74.
• Ref GN 42.A1 M5 - An author, title and subject checklist of Smithsonian Institution publications relating to anthropology. - 1946.
• Ref GN 378.A1 B66 1993 - Peaceful peoples: an annotated bibliography

General - Current

• Am. Univ. Field Staff - See BearCat for the various reports issued by this group.
• GN 1.B5 - Biennial review of anthropology. 1959 - 1971. There are excellent synthesis of thought on selected major topics in anthropology, with many references
• GN 1.A623 - Annual review of anthropology. 1972-date. Continues the above title.
• Ref QE 841.A1 R6 - Bibliography of fossil vertebrates. 1928-date.
• Ref GN 1 .A15 - Abstracts in anthropology-covers books, journal articles and papers on ethnology, linguistics, archaeology and physical anthropology. 1970-
• Ref GN 1.A1 - International bibliography of social and cultural anthropology. 1955- date. An index to books and articles.

North America - Central America

See the Crumb Library Guide to Indians of North America - ask at the Information Desk.

• Ref E 77.A1 M87 1975 - Ethnographic bibliography of North America. 4th ed 1975. - a major work in 5 vols. with supplement 1990
• Ref E 51.U6 no. 178 - Index to Bulletins 1-100 of the Bureau of American Ethnology; with index to Contributions to North American ethnology, introductions and miscellaneous publications. 1963.
• Ref. E 51.U65 - List of publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology with index to authors and titles. 1971.
• Ref F 1219.A1 B45 - Bibliografia de arqueologia of etnografia; mesoamerica norte de Mexico.
• Ref F 1219.3.A7 K45 1977 - The Art and archaeology of pre-Columbian middle America 1977.
• Ref E 98.F6 C57 1984 - Native American Folklore, 1879-1979, an annotated bibliography.
• Ref E 77.A1 H57 1983 - Guide to research on North American Indians.
• Ref. E 51.E212 no. 1-2 - An anthropological bibliography of the eastern seaboard. 2 vols 1948-63. Bibliographical Series (Newberry Library Center for the history of the American Indian) 1976-A series all classed in Ref. Z 1208-1210.

South America

• Ref F 1401 .H23 - Handbook of Latin American Studies - a selective guide to the material published on anthropology, folklore, history language, literature, and philosophy. 1936-date. Recent years are also online.
• Ref GN 562.A1 O4 1963 - Ethnographic bibliography of South America.

Africa

Check the online catalog by series entry, "Ethnographic Survey of Africa: . . ." for regional studies which include bibliographies.

See the name International African Institute.in the online catalog for a variety of regional publications.

• Ref DT 3.A1 A73 1975 - Index Africanus - a bibliography of articles 1885-1965
• Ref DT 1.A1 C97 - Current bibliography on African affairs. 1965 - date. Includes coverage of African archaeology and ethnology.

Oceania

• Ref DS 665.A1 S23 1972 - Philippine ethnography.
• Ref DS 615.A1 L53 1996 - Unveiling Indonesia : Indonesian holdings in the Library of Congress : a bibliography
• Ref GN 669.A1 M37 1975 - Micronesia, 1944-1974.
• Ref DU 17.A1 T3 1965 - A Pacific bibliography; printed matter relating to the native peoples of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. 1965.

Eurasia

• Ref Z3013 .F5 - Bibliography on Southwestern Asia. 7 vols and indexes 1953-64.
• Ref DS 5.A1 B5 - Bibliography of Asian studies, an annual bibliography 1956-1991
• Ref GN 575.A1 T5 1969 - Europe: a selected ethnographic bibliography

Films

• Ref. GN 33.H4 1983 - Films for anthropological teaching.

Periodicals: and Indexing an Abstracting Services

Given the wide range of interest of anthropology, periodicals from nearly every discipline may be useful to anthropologists. Some periodicals are, however, central to the literature of anthropology. The indexes that cover these periodicals are listed on the library web page for Anthropology. (http://wwwx.potsdam.edu/library/home/Subjects/Anthropology.php)

An attempt to produce a comprehensive list of periodicals in anthropology is:

• Ref GN 1.A1 L53 1982 - Serial publications in anthropology.