Introduction to Geography

Introduction

Geography encompasses many different subjects and fields of study. Traditionally, it has been divided into two broad subdivisions:

Physical Geography

deals with land forms, topography, geological processes, weather, and other physical factors which influence the earth and its inhabitants

Human (or Social) Geography

deals with human cultures, ethnography, tribalism, social groups, and other anthropological factors affecting human life

Some authorities argue for a third subdivision dealing with political geography, dealing with issues of nations and states; others, however, consider these under human (or social) geography.

Depending on one's interests or research topic, the information sources needed will vary. One might consult any or all of the following:

Newspapers and popular magazines

There are often the best sources for current or very recent events, especially for news of state and regional interest.

Professional journals

Some of these offer bulletins for breaking news and events, but most contain only in-depth scholarly research articles.

Books

Subject oriented encyclopedias typically found in the library's reference section can provide context and an overview of broad topics, while other reference works provide capsule information. Books in the circulating collection can offer in-depth coverage, broad context for the average reader, or both.

Films and Videos

The library maintains an extensive collection of videotapes on a broad variety of topics.

Internet (World Wide Web)

The Web must be used with care, because while it is a rich and very timely source of information, much of what is found on it is false or at least misleading. Luckily, the quality of information on the Web is getting better, although finding the best sites is still challenging.

This guide offers suggestions for navigating among these various sources.

Even for assignments that don't involve extensive research, it's a good idea to start early. Most library work takes time. To complete some assignments, you may find it necessary to use interlibrary loan. If you do, please give us ten days to two weeks to fill your request.

Be sure to jot down as you go where you get your information–nothing is more frustrating than trying to compile a list of sources with incomplete citations!

Above all, if you have difficulty, don't hesitate to ask for help!

Suggested Print Resources

General interest magazines and scholarly journals will be essential in your research. To find articles you can browse current and back issues. It is, however, more efficient to use an index. Two general purpose ones which may be helpful are

ProQuest Direct
http://library.spokanefalls.edu/ProQuest/

This is the best general purpose index in the SFCC Library for a broad range of articles from 1980–present; the full text of some articles is provided online. This index is available from any campus computer; students who have Internet access from home can use this index with a current student ID number.

MagPortal
http://www.magportal.com/

MagPortal.com helps you find individual magazine articles on the web. You can use the search engine or browse through article listings by category. This index is available anywhere.

Although ProQuest is a fine index for most users, you should be aware there are many other highly specialized indexes available. If you decide to continue your education elsewhere, ask a librarian about indexes specific to your field.

An important point to remember is that different indexes rarely use the same terms or subject headings for the same concept. Even worse, most subject headings used in indexes are not the same headings assigned by the Library of Congress for use in card or computer book catalogs. Thus, words that successfully retrieve a book in the SFCC online catalog are usually not the same words you would use in an index such as ProQuest to find magazine or journal articles on the same subject.

The reference section in any library is a smaller version of the whole collection. If the library uses the Dewey Decimal system for organizing its books (like the SCC, SFCC, and most public libraries), then the reference collection will numbered 000 through 999. Reference items are usually distinguished by having an "R" or "REF" before the call number. Reference works are especially good for statistical data, information which must be up-to-date (e.g., addresses and phone numbers), and for quick overviews of a topic such as one finds in an encyclopedia.

Items in a reference collection usually cannot be checked out, but you can make photocopies if you like. You can also browse similar call numbers in the circulating stacks to find books which can be checked out.

For libraries using the Dewey system, books on geography are scattered widely. The principal section allocated to geography (in the sense of physical and political divisions, as well as works on travel and tourism) is from 910–919, but works on physical geography can also appear between 554–559. Human cultures and social groups are often found from 305–307. Try browsing these numbers in the Reference section as well as among the circulating books.

Finally, you may wish to consult these items in the Colville Reference section:

The SFCC Library shares a joint online catalog with SCC and the Colville center at http://ccs.wash-id.net/ The catalog lists books, videos, magazines, journals, and other items held by any of the libraries. It offers the usual author, title, and subject searches, and also several keyword options. The latter are particularly useful if you aren't exactly sure of a title or an exact Library of Congress subject heading.

If the subject you enter doesn't retrieve any information, try "Guided Keyword Search," which looks for key words throughout the cataloging records–more forgiving, but also likely to retrieve irrelevant titles.

If you plan to be at either SCC or SFCC and want to see what is available before you arrive, it is possible to limit your search to one campus or the other. However, if you plan to request items through interlibrary loan, you're better off not limiting your search.

World Wide Web Resources

The Internet, especially the part known as the World Wide Web, has become increasingly useful for scholarly research. For maximum benefit, however, you need to recognize it is useful in several distinct ways.

Online magazine and journal indexes such as ProQuest (cited above) use the Internet as a delivery medium; any articles you locate or retrieve through such indexes originated in print, and were subjected to traditional editorial oversight. These articles are as reliable and scholarly as the magazines and journals from which they came–no more, no less.

Some Web sites, such as The New York Times Online, are firmly grounded in print, even down to the look and feel of traditional sources, but with a speedier publication cycle allowing almost continuously updated content.

Still other Web pages and sites, including some you may eventually use for research, are unlike anything that ever appeared in print. Depending on the site and how it is set up, the "page" you retrieve might be created as a unique response to your query; no one else will ever see exactly the same set of data in the same way again.

Since the Web is a new medium, using it for scholarly research requires caution.

In the first place, try to identify stable, reputable sources. Search engines return too many hits more often than too few. This is mostly due to a lack of proper indexing on the Web, and inconsistency among search tools. An excellent site which recommends various search tools for different purposes is

Choose the Best Search Engine for Your Information Needs
http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

Students Guide to Research on the WWW
http://www.slu.edu/departments/english/research/

"Why Can't I Find Anything I Want on the Internet?"
http://GeorgeSuttle.com/teaching/websearching/

Look for sites that are kept up to date and which have an identifiable author or responsible party. You should be able to locate contact information easily (postal addresses, phone numbers, or at least an email address, ideally to someone more specific than "webmaster"). Individual or hobbyist sites found on free hosts like Geocities or Angelfire are often entertaining and even authoritative for some subjects, but probably should not be your primary source.

Last but not least, don't overlook government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and college and university schools or departments of business.

If you aren't sure what to look for in a reliable Web site, or would like more help in boosting your evaluation skills, take a look at

Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources

http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/index.htm

TeachingCritical Evaluation Skills for World Wide Web Resources

http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webeval.htm

As with any other source you use, information found on Web sites must be cited and attributed. No one really agrees yet on the best method for citing electronic and Internet sources. The two most common citation styles--the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA)--have been modified and adapted to keep track of Internet sources:

MLA Style

Citing Sources

A collection of links, handouts, and class guides dealing with citing print and online sources in MLA style

Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format

A good general purpose handout from Purdue's Online Writing Center (OWL)

APA Style

Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the APA

http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

Using American Psychological Association (APA) Format

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html

Suggested Site for GEOG 101

About: Geography
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/

A page from About.Com, a comprehensive directory of organized links and articles

Country Information Links
http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/

Another subdirectory from Yahoo, this leads to web sites on all manner of subjects, usually within the country itself

Country Profiles and Information
http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/Geography/Country_Profiles/

A brief directory of other sites dealing with countries and political entities

Geography (Virtual Library)
http://geography.pinetree.org/

Similar to Yahoo, the Virtual Library is an organized collection of links on various topics; not as comprehensive as a search engine, but much, much more focused

Geography Sites (Yahoo)
http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/Geography/

This is a directory of sites on geography, defined broadly as an academic subject

Sources for Geographical Information

Background Notes
http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/

Background Notes are produced by the U.S. Dept. of State. The information in these notes does not always reflect the most current political situation

Country Profiles
http://abcnews.go.com/reference/countryprofiles/countryprofiles_index.html

This site is part of the news division of the ABC network; it appears reasonably current and unbiased, but the country information is bracketed by other parts of the ABC News site, including advertisements and television promotions.

Country Watch
http://www.countrywatch.com/

Comprehensive, country specific information about political, economic, cultural, business and environmental information can be found in the Country Reviews®. Current news wire reports can be located for each country via the Country Wire®. Contact the SFCC Reference Desk for off campus access to this database.

Global Statistics
http://www.xist.org/

"Welcome to the site dealing with statistics on the human population. The main kind of data you can find here is on the population of regions, countries, provinces and cities. Next to that there are some statistics on wealth, manmade objects, nature's extremities and more."

Library of Congress Country Studies
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

The LoC Country Studies series is ongoing; the volumes which appear at this site "were published between 1988 and 1998 [and] may no longer be up to date." Still, these are among the most thorough and comprehensive guides available to the countries covered.

National Geographic's Map Machine
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/

Country facts and geographical resources, plus political and physical maps you can download.

World Factbook 2000
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

The World Factbook, compiled and published by the CIA, includes compact but helpful entries on all the countries of the world.

Xpeditions
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/xpeditions/main.html

From the National Geographic Society, this site promises "more than 1,800 ways to see–and print–the world.