Social Research for Social Change
Sociology/Anthropology 310

Convening the Community

Participatory Evaluation | Land Use Trends | Regional Information

Web Sites

• Participatory Evaluation
• Participatory Evaluation Within Action Research and Community-based Research
• What is Participatory Action Research?
• Action Research International, Paper 2., Wadsworth, Y. (1998)
• Guide to Project Evaluation: A Participatory Approach
• A Participatory Evaluation Handbook

LAND USE TRENDS

Guides, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

• Datapedia of the United States, 1790-2005: America year by year, edited by George Thomas Kurian, HA202 .K87 2001, Reference
• A Statistical Portrait of the United States: Social Conditions and Trends, HA 214 .S84 1998
• County and city extra: annual metro, city and county data book , HA 202 .U35 2001, Reference.
• Michigan Statistical Abstract, 1996, HA 441 .M53 1996, Reference.
• An American Profile - Opinions and Behavior, 1972-1989, HN 90 .P8 A53 1990, Reference
• Urban sprawl : a reference handbook, Donald C. Williams, HT384.U5 W55 2000, Reference

Circulating Collection

• The American city: what works, what doesn't, Alexander Garvin, NA9105 .G37 1996
• Inside game/outside game: winning strategies for saving urban America, David Rusk, HT 123 .R843 1999
• City making: building communities without building walls, Gerald E. Frug, HT167 .F78 1999
• Open space conservation: investing in your community's economic health, John Tibbetts, HD205 .T53 1998
• Better Not Bigger: How To Take Control Of Urban Growth And Improve Your Community, Eben Fodor, HT384.U5 F64 1999
• Open Space Conservation: Investing In Your Community's Economic Health, John Tibbetts, HD205 .T53 1998
• Planning America's communities: paradise found?: paradise lost?, Herbert H. Smith, HT 167 .S54 1991
• The new urban paradigm: critical perspectives on the city, Joe R. Feagin, HT 123 .F38 1998
• Land in America: its value, use, and control, Peter Wolf, HD 255 .W64
• The politics of land-use reform, Frank J. Popper, KF 5698 .P66
• Local government tax and land use policies in the United States: understanding the links, primary author, Helen F. Ladd, HD 205 .L62 1998

Indexes and Full Text Resources:

AGRICOLA < about > free version from the National Agricultural Library
AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) is a bibliographic database that indexes 5,000 journals and publications of the agricultural literature created by the National Agricultural Library and its cooperators. The records describe publications and resources encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines.
Coverage: 1970 to present.

EconLit < about >
EconLit contains subject indexing and citations with abstracts, to articles from economics journals, collective volumes, books, dissertations, and working papers. Subject coverage in EconLit includes all fields of economics, including economic theory, demography, urban economics, regional economics, law and economics, industrial relations, industry studies, government regulations, agricultural economics, natural resources, and economic development.
Coverage: 1969 to present.

Index to Legal Periodicals and Books < about >
The Index to Legal Periodicals & Books is a bibliographic database that cites articles from legal periodicals. The periodicals indexed include law reviews, bar association journals, legal journals, yearbooks, institutes, and university and government publications.
Coverage: 1981 to present.

PAIS International < about >
PAIS - Public Affairs Information Service indexes journal articles, books, book chapters, government documents, statistical compilations, committee reports, conference proceedings, directories, gray literature, research reports, microfiche, Internet material, publications of international agencies, and reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations from all over the world. Newspapers and newsletters are not indexed.
Coverage: 1972 to present.

Social Sciences Abstracts < about >
Social Sciences Abstracts is a bibliographic database that indexes and abstracts articles from English-language periodicals. Coverage includes a wide range of interdisciplinary fields covered in a broad array of social sciences journals. Coverage: 1983 to present.

OmniFile < about >
Contains indexed and abstracted articles from periodicals, all with ASCII full text online. The database is comprised of records from the following databases: Readers' Guide Abstracts, Social Sciences Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, General Science Abstracts and Business Abstracts.
(Please note that each periodical can begin on a different month and year.)
Coverage: 1994-Present.

Proquest < about >
Proquest Research Library is a database providing access to over 2,000 periodicals. Graphics are included with the fulltext in many cases. Users may search the entire database or select specific subject modules (examples include Health, Women's Studies and Education). Users also may select to search peer-reviewed journals only. Coverage: 1986-present.

Web Sites:

• Center for Urban Affairs Community Economic Development Program (Michigan State University)
• Urban Planning Web Resources from University of Michigan
• Organizational Behavior and Environment Real Estate and Land Use Links (CSUS)
• Internet Resources for City Planning Research (UC-Berkely)
• Farmland Information Library: Resources by State - Michigan
• Farmland Information Library
• Farmland Information Library's Farmland Protection Statute Database: Michigan
• Land Use Law: an Overview from Cornell
• Land Use Law from Washington University School of Law

REGIONAL INFORMATION

Web Sites:

• Michigan Electronic Library (MEL)
• Census Data & Demographics Reference
• Michigan Electronic Library's Michigan Law Page
• Michigan Compiled Laws
• Community Information System (from WMU)
• Southwest Michigan Regional Database
• Michigan Land Use Institute
• Great Lakes Sustainable Land Use

• Kalamazoo County Profile
• Kalamazoo County Government
• City of Kalamazoo
• Vision Council
• Local History Collections in Kalamazoo

Guide to the Western Michigan University Regional History Collections,
edited by Phyllis Burnham, CD 3309 .K3 G84 1998, Reference

Regional History Collections at Western Michigan University
The Regional History Collections is designated by the Michigan Historical Commission as a State Archives repository for the public records of twelve counties in southwest Michigan, including Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, St. Joseph and Van Buren. Various county, township, city and village materials including tax records, court records and minutes, as well as selected naturalization records, are on deposit through the State Archives. Some materials are located off-site and may require an appointment to access. Please verify the location of the materials prior to visiting the facility. In addition to repository records, the Regional History Collections contains manuscript materials, including letters, diaries, journals, photographs, minutes, and ephemeral materials reflecting the history and activities of the people, institutions, organizations, and businesses of southwest Michigan. Materials do not circulate. Photocopy and duplication services are available for most materials and staff will provide free information upon request. Copy cards may not be used at this site.

Use these points to evaluate the credibility of Websites:

1. Accuracy
How reliable is the information? Are there editors and fact checkers?
2. Authority
What are the author's qualifications? Is the publisher reputable?
3. Objectivity
Is the author trying to sway opinion? Is the information free from bias?
4. Currency
Is the publication date indicated? Is the source up to date?
5. Coverage
Does the site cover the topic comprehensively, or are there information gaps?

Sites that provide guidance on evaluating Websites:

• Evaluating Web Resources
  Widener University Library
• Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
  Johns Hopkins University Library
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Resources
  New Mexico State University Library
• Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
  UCLA College Library