World Cultures

Welcome to the Hoffman Family Library Libguide for the World Cultures!  Please use the tabs above to find resources in this area. If you have any questions or comments about this guide please contact one of your librarians.

If you need to locate circulating books that will give you historical, political, cultural, or other background information about a country, here are some helpful tips for searching the Hoffman Family Library Online Catalog (KOHA)

You can use the Subject Search option in the online catalog to pinpoint books about the country you are researching. Using subdivisions will help you narrow down your subject, so you can browse appropriate titles. See, for example, Italy -- History -- 19th century, or Chile -- Economic conditions. Here are a list of common subheadings you can use when researching a country:

--Description and travel

--Economic conditions

--Foreign relations

--History

--Politics and government

--Social conditions

--Social life and customs

For many of these subheadings, there may be further subdivisions by range of years or century, i.e., "19th century"

Also, the library has a number of Specialized Encyclopedias and Historical Dictionaries on countries and regions of the world.

1. Brainstorm search terms.
2. Find background information about your country or culture in an Encyclopedia.
3. Find a book to broaden your knowledge on the country or culture.
4. Get more focused information from a periodical article.
5. Find recent developments about your topic in websites.
6. Avoid Plagiarism! Cite your sources.