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Individual Course Research Guides
MSSW 612: Social Welfare Policy & Services II (Dr. Linda Anderson Smith)
MSSW 613: Social Activism & The Internet (Policy 3; Dr. Joseph Wronka)
Finding Journal Articles
Start with one or more of these databases to find journal articles--including peer-reviewed articles--on social work and related topics. A full listing of Babson Library's databases is available on the library's Databases A-Z page. For help using the databases or locating articles, please contact us.
Social Work Abstracts
The premier social work research database. Find citations to journals and dissertations in social work and social issues related to casework. The Clinical Register provides a listing of registered social workers. Does not include full text; look in Journals A-Z to see whether Babson Library owns the journal you need.
Academic Search Premier
A general academic database with strong social work coverage. Contains the full text of over 4000 journals; among these are many important social work journals, including Social Work (1975-present).
AgeLine
Abstracts the literature of social gerontology as well as aging-related research from psychology, sociology, social work, economics, public policy, and the health sciences. This free, online database does not have the "Track It Down" feature. If you want to track down an article you find in AgeLine, try looking up the journal name in Journals A-Z.
Expanded Academic ASAP
Another general academic database with good social work coverage. Contains the full text of several important social work journals, including Families in Society (1998-present).
Criminal Justice Periodical Index
A good source for information on virtually any criminal justice topic, including corrections administration, law enforcement, social work, industrial security, drug rehabilitation, and criminal and family law. Includes some full text.
ERIC
This database covers journal and report literature in disciplines related to education. A good source for information on school social work, as well as topics dealing with children in general. Includes some full text; in addition, Babson Library owns the ERIC Document Collection on microfiche.
GrantSelect
Over 10,000 funding opportunities from over 4,000 federal agencies, foundations, and research institutes. Contact information, deadline, amount of the grant, and more.
PsycINFO
Citations and summaries of journal articles, books chapters, books, technical reports; citations to dissertations, for psychology and related disciplines. Some full text available.
SocINDEX with Full Text
An excellent source of information on sociology and the social sciences. Indexing, abstracts, and a good deal of full text for thousands of journals, books, monographs, conference papers, and other sources. Over 1.3 million records.
Finding Books, Videos, DVDs, and Journal Holdings
Voyager Online Catalog
Search Voyager to find books, videos, DVDs, theses, dissertations, and other materials owned by Babson Library, as well as Babson's journal, newspaper, and magazine holdings (note: to find articles, use one of the databases listed under "Finding Journal Articles," above).
Journals A-Z
Use the A-Z list to quickly find out whether Springfield College owns a journal in any format (electronic, print, microform, etc.). Link directly to the full text of online journals, where available.
ebrary
ebrary is a collection of thousands of academic ebooks (i.e., books that can be read entirely online). Included are titles from very respected academic publishers. Excellent content for social work researchers. You will need to download the free ebrary reader (available on the opening page) in order to view ebooks through ebrary. Individual ebrary titles are also cataloged in Voyager.
netLibrary
netLibrary is a provider of electronic books, or ebooks. Through the netLibrary link, you can read online versions of thousands of titles purchased by Springfield College, as well as titles available through the free netLibrary collection. You can also search the full text of ebooks to actually "see inside" the books and find information that might otherwise be hidden. Individual netLibrary titles are also cataloged in Voyager. For help using netLibrary, please contact us.
Other Library Catalogs
Links to local academic and public library catalogs, including Massachusetts and Connecticut academic and public libraries. Please note that Springfield College students do not automatically have borrowing privileges at all libraries listed here. Of special interest to social work students are the CLGS Union List of Serials, which lists the journal holdings of Springfield area libraries, and the Four Colleges library catalog, which includes the library holdings of Smith College in Northampton (home to excellent social work library resources).
Interlibrary Loan
Materials not owned by Babson Library can be requested via Interlibrary Loan. Please note: this process can take one to three weeks. Fill out the appropriate form (Book/Thesis or Article) for each item you wish to request. You will be notified when materials arrive. Books can be picked up at Babson Library; copies of journal articles will be mailed directly to the address you specify on the Interlibrary Loan form. For questions about Interlibrary Loan, please call (413) 748-3559.
Important Reference Books for Social Work
Reference books are a valuable source of overviews of topics; bibliographies pointing to additional resources; definitions; statistics; and much more. These titles do not circulate; they must be used in Babson Library.
Social Work Dictionary. HV 12 .B37 2003 REF
Encyclopedia of Social Work. HV 35 .E52 REF
The 19th (1995) edition of this essential title, plus the 2003 supplement, is available in Reference.
Handbook of Social Work Direct Practice. HV 40 .H2827 2000 REF
Social Worker's Desk Reference. HV 40 .S6464 2002 REF
Handbook of Empirical Social Work Practice. HV 43 .H316 1998 REF
Social Work Almanac. HV 90 .G53 1995 REF
Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior. HV 5804 .E53 2001 REF
Encyclopedia of Marriage and the Family. HQ 9 .E52 2003 REF
Encyclopedia of Aging. HQ 1061 .E534 2002 REF
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. H 41 .I58 2001 REF
(Click here to browse or search for articles in this title and read abstracts; come to the library to access the full articles in the print version of this work.)
Social Work Exam Preparation
The following exam preparation manual is on reserve in Babson Library. To borrow it, just bring the call number and your Springfield College ID to the library's Information Desk. This item cannot leave the library, so please plan to use it in the building.
Social Work Examination Services, Inc. comprehensive review for state social work license and certification examinations : intermediate, advanced, clinical.
Brookline, MA : Social Work Examination Services, Inc., c2004.
Call No. HV 40.52 .S93 2004 (Reserve)
Finding Websites and Internet Resources
If you have questions concerning the suitability of a particular Web page as a scholarly resource, please consult Babson Library's guide to evaluating information on Web pages. You can also contact us.
Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG)
An outstanding source of quality, freely available information in the social sciences. You may browse the subject areas or search the site. Retrieves online journal articles, books, and book chapters as well as websites.
Information for Practice
Information for Practice (IP) is a free monthly service designed to alert subscribers to Internet based resources that have potential utility for practice. Check here for new Web resources of interest to social workers. IP is a partner service to World Wide Web Resources for Social Workers (above); both are hosted by New York University.
Social Sciences, Social Issues & Social Services from the Michigan Electronic Library
This directory provides lists of social issues and social service web sites by topic. Within each topic there is a fairly extensive list of resources, most of which have a phrase or sentence describing them. Check out "Resources for Social Workers" under Social Work.
Grassroots: Social Science Web Directory
Search the whole site or scroll down and search/browse through only the sites which have been reviewed and categorized. The website emphasizes social work areas including Social Work Practice and Human Behavior in the Social Environment. (Note: review criteria not provided)
PRAXIS: Resources of Social and Economic Development
The focus here is on "international and comparative development" targeted at 1) social work educators and students with international interests 2) other educators and students who require assistance in locating useful national and international resources on social and economic development. Contains lists of useful websites arranged by topic.
Social Work Search
From the website description: "This former tiny personal website [has become] a major portal for the online Social Work community in providing Internet related services to social workers and other helping professionals. Socialworksearch.com has grown to over 500 different webpages of services and Internet links offering the largest online database of services devoted solely to the Social Work profession."
Association of Social Work Boards
The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is the association of boards that regulate social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country, and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. ASWB's website contains links to exam information, licensing requirements, continuing education, and much more.
Social Sciences Electronic Journals
Part of the Social Sciences Virtual Library, this site contains an alphabetical list of online journals in the social sciences. The full text of many of these journals can be read online for free; others require a subscription.
How Do I Cite That?
When it's time to write your paper and bibliography, our How Do I Cite That? page can help you format your citations and references correctly. If you are not sure which citation style your class is using, ask your professor.
 RefWorks
The library now subscribes to an online bibliographic management tool called RefWorks. RefWorks allows you to enter bibliographic citations by hand or import them directly from library databases. You can then organize and automatically format your references according to one of hundreds of different citation styles, including APA, MLA, AMA, and most other styles currently used at Springfield College.
Related Topic Guides
The following Babson Library Topic Guides may be useful to those conducting research in social work:
Criminal Justice
Government
Grants
Human Rights
Law and Legal Resources
Psychology
Statistics
Tests & Measurement Instruments
Social Work Liaison Librarian
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