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Spring 2010 - Prof. Kaufman
Outline of this guide:
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Other useful links:
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Questions? Contact Sara Swanson (704-894-2157).
- Office Hours:
- Wednesday, 3:00-5:00 pm
- Thursday, 12:30-3:00 pm
- Also available by appointment.
Finding Demographic Data
International | United States
There are many online sources (some free and some subscription-based) for demographic information. Helpful ones include:
- International
- Background Notes
(Current edition) Provides concise political, demographic, economic, and social information about more than 170 countries, geographic entities, and international organizations. From the U.S. Department of State.
- CIA World Factbook
(Current edition) Provides concise information, including geographic, demographic, and economic data, for over 250 countries. Prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Some earlier editions are also archived online from the US GPO.
- Europa World Year Book
Contains the fully-searchable text of the current edition of the Europa World Year Book, which provides information about over 250 countries and territories and over 1650 international organizations. Includes basic statistical data (which can be used for country-to-country comparisons) as well as information about economic affairs, education, defense, government, and recent history. Also includes directories.
Note: The Little Library also has print copies of the Europa World Year Book from 1959 to the present (Reference R 341.1 E89).
- International Financial Statistics
(1945 to present) The online version of the International Monetary Fund's International Financial Statistics. Includes statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance for more than 200 countries; contains over 34,000 annual, quarterly, and monthly time series of financial and economic data. Topics covered include exchange rates, IMF position, international liquidity, money and banking accounts, interest rates, prices, production, international transactions, government accounts, national accounts, and population.
- ipl2: Regional and Country Information
Provides links to over 500 government and information websites.
Results can be refined by region and country.
- Population Reference Bureau Data Finder
From the Population Reference Bureau, use this tool to browse for data by geography (country and/or region) or topic. Data may be displayed as rankings, maps, or bar graphs.
- UNICEF Statistics
From the UNICEF website; find country-specific statistics related to children and women.
- United Nations Population Information Network
From the UN Population Division, find demographic statistics from many UN departments.
- United Nations Statistics Division
From the UN Statistical Commission, this site provides data (including economic, demographic, and environment statistics) by country. The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online can also be accessed here.
- U.S. Census Bureau: International Programs
Provides worldwide population information, along with census information for 227 countries and regions of the world.
Included is the International Database, which allows you to find demographic indicators (including birth, death, and growth rates; migration rates, infant mortality; life expectency; and fertility rates) for countries with a population of 5,000 or more.
- WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS)
From the World Heath Organization, use this interactive database to find health statistics, including mortality, health service coverage, and risk factors, for the 193 WHO Member States.
- World Bank
Demographic information can be viewed through many topical data sets; data on the country-level can also be analyzed.
- United States
- FedStats
Find statistical information from many U.S. government agencies; from the Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States
(Volumes for the years 1995 to present) Provides the full text of this important title, which includes economic and social statistics on the United States. The Statistical Abstracts of the United States is particularly useful as a guide to statistical data generated and published by U.S. Government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Use the index to locate relevant data in each volume.
- U.S. Bureau of the Census
Main website for the U.S. Census Bureau. For international census information, see the
Census Bureau International Programs.
- Vital Statistics of the United States
From the National Center for Health Statistics; find data on U.S. births, deaths, and life expectancy.
Finding Articles
To find journals owned by the library, go to the Library Catalog, do a subject keyword search for your topic and limit your search by format to newspapers and periodicals. Clicking on the Periodicals link in the red bar on the library catalog search page will also allow you to browse journals by subject category. Some useful titles include:
- Demographic Research
- Demography
- Population
- Population Review
- Population Studies: A Journal of Demography
Use the Library’s online indexes and databases to find articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. Here are suggested databases:
- AP Images
(1826 to present [photographs]; 1920 to present [audio clips]; 1990 to present [charts and maps]; 1997 to present [text]) A collection of over 2 million photographs, 1 million audio clips, 48,000 diagrams, charts, maps, and timelines, and 2.8 million news briefs from the Associated Press (AP). Updated daily.
- ASSIA: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts
(1987 to present) Indexes articles on topics related to health, economics, education, psychology, race relations, social services, and sociology. International in scope.
- LexisNexis Academic
(c. 1980 to present) Provides the full text of articles from local, national, and international newspapers, magazines, and trade journals as well as newswires, business information, patents, legal documents, and transcripts of radio and television broadcasts.
- Social Sciences Abstracts
(1907 to present) Indexes articles in over 500 English-language periodicals in the fields of anthropology, communication, corrections, economics, environmental studies, ethics, gender studies, geography, international relations, law, political science, psychology, sociology, and related subjects. Includes the full text of selected articles from 1995 to the present.
- Sociological Abstracts
(1963 to present) Provides indexing and abstracting for articles in 1,500 journals and serial publications in the field of sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Also provides coverage of reviews, monographs, and conference reports in these areas.
- Web of Knowledge
(c. 1900 to present) A multidisciplinary resource that provides citations to articles in over 10,000 journals in the social sciences, humanities, and sciences.
Finding Books
Use library catalogs to find books, videos, government documents, journals, magazines, and newspapers. The Davidson College Library Catalog contains information about materials owned by Davidson. WorldCat lists materials held in libraries around the world. If Davidson does not have a copy of what you need, use Interlibrary Loan to request it.
Although books will not have the most recent demographic information, you may be able to find analysis of historical trends and forecasts. When searching for demographic information in books and other materials, try doing a keyword search by country or topic ("China" or "population"). You may also do a subject search for:
- Demography - [Country or region name]
- Population statistics
- Vital statistics
To see electronic books held by Davidson, see ebrary, a collection of over 38,000 e-books published by over 220 academic, trade, and professional publishers. It covers all subject areas and includes tools that allow you to create your own virtual bookshelf, bookmark pages, and add and save notes and highlights.
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