Subject Guides: Representation of Disabilities in America: Home

Reference works

American Decades
Offers snapshots of major events/trends in a given decade. Located in Trexler Library at call #973.92 A512d
Credo Reference
Hundreds of authoritative dictionaries, encyclopedias, fact books, guides, companions and more from respected publishers across dozens of major subject areas.

How do I locate scholarly books?

Encompass Search
Encompass Search searches for books and other resources, first in our own library, and then beyond, in other research libraries.
Google Books
To peak inside books before requesting on interlibrary loan.

How do I locate scholarly journal articles?

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A database of both scholarly and popular publications in a wide variety of disciplines and subject areas, including psychology. Most full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
The definitive database of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. With selective indexing for 1,700 journals from 1964 to present, this database is without question the most important bibliographic reference tool for students and scholars of U.S. and Canadian history.
Full text journals include American Historical Review, American 19th Century History, American Studies, Early American Studies, Journal of American Culture, Journal of American History, Journal of Early American History, and Journal of Military History.
Communication and Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
Premier database of scholarly and trade journals and books in media and communication and related areas. Some full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise, use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
Premier database of scholarly and professional journals, books, documents, and more in education and related areas. Some full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise, use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
Film and Television Literature Index with Full Text This link opens in a new window
A database of scholarly journals, trade journals, books, and more in the areas of television and film. Most full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.

Google Scholar
May be used in conjunction with interlibrary loan. Access to full text is maximized by searching from the Muhlenberg network.

PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
Premier database of scholarly and professional journals and books in psychology and related areas. Some full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise, use the Check for Full Text buttons to check for full text online or in the library.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed includes over 19 million citations for biomedical articles back to 1948 and links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

How do I locate media/popular representations of disabilities?

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A database of both scholarly and popular publications in a wide variety of disciplines and subject areas. TO LIMIT TO MEDIA SOURCES, choose newspapers and/or magazines on the left sidebar of a search results page under source types. Most full text is linked directly in the database; otherwise use the Get It links to check for full text online or in the library. Generally covers 1980s to present.

Disability History Museum: Library
"Our collections - Documents and Visual Stills - are associated with the cultural and social history of people with disabilities across the lifespan and diagnosis categories. The records here illuminate everyday practices, dominant ideologies, and alternative perspectives. You will find individual voices as well as the opinions and rhetoric of groups.... Most, but not all, of the Collections' records were produced in the United States from 1800 to the present."
Encompass Search
Encompass Search finds information by searching through a massive collection of books and scholarly journals, as well as newspapers and magazines, dissertations, conference proceedings, music, video, maps, and more.
Films - Portrayals of People with Disabilities (The Iris Center, Vanderbilt University and Claremont Graduate University)
"This tool represents an attempt to catalogue the representation of people with disabilities in motion pictures." To check if Trexler Library has access to a particular film of interest, search Encompass Search on the library homepage for the film title.
Google
Search the web to explore discussion of media representations re. the disability you're researching in articles, blogs, websites, discussion boards, and more.
New York Times
New York Times website covers 1851-present - Get access by activating your Muhlenberg pass. See pass instructions.

New York Times archive via Proquest covers 1857-1922.

New York Times archive via Proquest covers 1923-2013.

Social and Cultural History: Letters and Diaries Online This link opens in a new window
" The resource is a unique forum that brings together the voices of ordinary men and women from all walks of life with the personal accounts of well-known historical figures. In their own words, people from diverse ethnic and social groups bring vividly to life hundreds of years of history through their perspectives on life, love, faith, politics, business, and countless personal events."

Citing sources

For tips on citing print and electronic sources, visit Trexler Library's Citation Guides for Print and Electronic Resources.

Or visit the Online Writing Lab at Purdue.

For automated citation, try the shareware Zotero. Directions for installing Zotero here.

For help with annotated bibliographies, visit Purdue's Online Writing Lab for definitions and format of an annotation.

Articles and books via interlibrary loan

Articles and books not found in Trexler Library can be ordered on interlibrary loan.