Belzberg Library welcomes students in the Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue to SFU Vancouver. This guide will help you to use our library to find and evaluate research material for your projects.

If you need help, please contact Jorge Cárdenas, Head, Belzberg Library at 778.782.5054 or jorgec@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.

Research Sources for Being Canadian: Explorations in Citizenship and Identity

Library research involves selecting your topic, identifying the best sources and appropriate research tools, accessing the items found and evaluating your results. Start Your Research Here is a brief guide that will help you with this process.

Start your hunt for information "at home" by visiting the SFU Library home page. This gathers all the best research tools, guides and research help in one place.

Books, articles and websites on your course reading list or course outline can also provide a good starting point, particularly if the items include bibliographies, references or links to related material.

Books, Ebooks, Films, Music, Sound, Slides

Search the catalogue to find all books, reports and media materials in the SFU Library at all three campuses (Belzberg - Vancouver; Bennett - Burnaby; Surrey - SFU Surrey).

• Searching by KEYWORD is generally the best way to start. Once you have found some good results with your keyword searches, use the subjects on those items to focus your search.
• Try the following SUBJECT headings:
• To search for books by subject heading, use the Browse Search option in the SFU Library Catalogue, then select Subject browse from the drop-down menu.
  • Canada -- Cultural Policy
  • Canada -- Politics and Government
  • Canada -- Social Policy
  • Civil Rights -- Canada
  • Citizenship -- Canada
  • Group Identity -- Canada
  • Indians of North America -- Canada
  • Minorities -- Canada
  • Multiculturalism -- Canada
  • National Characteristics -- Canadian
  • Political Participation -- Canada
  • Social Participation -- Canada
  
  Limit your search to items at Belzberg Library by selecting Belzberg Collection from the main search screen. You can also use ADVANCED KEYWORD search. Select Belzberg Library in the COLLECTION field to include online resources. Select Belzberg Library (Downtown/Harbour Centre) in the LOCATION field for items physically at Belzberg Library.

• If the item is not available at Belzberg Library, or is out on loan, please request it!
• Find electronic books, films, dvds, cds or slides on your topic by searching specific collections or by using ADVANCED KEYWORD search and selecting the appropriate format in the FORMAT field.
• For a step-by-step interactive guide to searching the SFU catalogue, see the SFU Library Catalogue Search Guide.

Journal and Newspaper Articles

• All print and electronic journals subscribed to by the SFU Library are listed in the catalogue. Electronic journals are also listed in the Electronic Journals Database by title, subject and by the association/organization who publishes the journal.
• Connect to Journal Articles and Databases to find articles in academic journals, trade magazines and newspapers, as well as financial and statistical data. Many indexes provide online access to the full text of the articles or allow you to directly request photocopies of articles through the "Where Can I Get This?" link. Use the appropriate subject lists to identify the most useful databases for your topic.
• Suggested article databases for Being Canadian:
  • Alternative Press Index - Index to alternative and radical media.
  • America: History and Life - Indexes literature on all aspects of U. S. and Canadian history, culture and current affairs.
  • Academic Search Premier - Multidisciplinary index to academic and popular journals.
  • Canadian Newsstream - Full text of major Canadian newspapers. Includes local community papers.
  • Canadian Encyclopedia Online - web version of the year 2000 edition of the Canadian Encyclopedia.
  • Canadian Poetry - Full text database of 19,000 poetic works by 179 Canadian authors as well as author biographies.
  • Canadian Public Policy Collection - Full text of public policy documents from Canadian institutes, think-tanks and research groups.
  • Canadian Research Index - Canadian government publications.
  • CBCA Complete - Multidisciplinary index to Canadian journals and magazines.
  • Early Canadiana Online - Books and pamphlets on Canada from first contact to late 19th century.
  • Encyclopedia of B.C. - Interactive version of the encyclopedia.
  • LawSource - Current Canadian legal information.
  • Sociological Abstracts -Theoretical and applied sociology, social science, and policy science.
  • Statistics Canada, Canadian Census, CANSIM
  • Theses Canada Portal - Central access point for Canadian theses (Masters and PhD), including free full text of theses since 1998.
• Try the same subject terms as suggested for books, or check the thesaurus or list of subject terms within the database.
• For help with searching databases, check Finding Journal Articles and/or Moving From Citation to Article.
• For books and articles not online or at SFU, request an Interlibrary Loan.

Statistics and Government Websites

• Canadian Citizenship Act - The complete act from 1985 on the Department of Justice website.
• Canadian Constitution Act - Acts from 1867 and 1982 on the Department of Justice website.
• Canadian Multiculturalism Act - The complete act from 1985 on the Department of Justice website.
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Government of Canada Website.
• Culture and Leisure - Provides articles and other features based on the surveys of cultural industries, institutions and activities available through the Culture Statistics Program.
• Government of Canada - Canadian government information - federal, provincial and links to other government sites.
• 2006 Census: Immigration and Citizenship - December 4, 2007 release of the 2006 Census covers tables and community profiles with topics on immigration and citizenship.

Selected Internet Sources

In addition to the library catalogue and databases, you will find a lot of good information on the web. Governments, research institutes, non-profit organizations, industry and other associations and companies all have web sites - many with publications freely available. Use one of the web search engines such as Google or Ask.com to find additional information, including the web sites of interest groups and other organizations. Check the library's World Wide Web Research guide for additional help in finding and evaluating web sites.

• Aboriginal Canada Portal - Canadian Aboriginal on-line resources, contacts, information, and government programs and services.
• Canadian Citizenship Practice Test - Richmond Public Library's award winning practice test.
• Canadian Information by Subject - Information service developed by the Library and Archives Canada to provide links to information about Canada from Internet resources around the world.
• Historica - A bilingual educational website developed to promote the teaching and learning of Canadian history, stories and heritage.
• Institute for Canadian Citizenship - Promotes an active and engaged concept of Canadian citizenship.
• International Council for Canadian Studies - An international federation of Canadian Studies associations.
• Library and Archives Canada - Canada's national collection of books, historical documents, government records, photos, film, maps, music and more.
• Librarian's Internet Index: Canada - Search results of selected Internet resources for Canada.
• Metropolis - An international network for comparative research and public policy development on migration, diversity, and immigrant integration in cities in Canada and around the world.
• Open Directory Project: Canada - Selected Internet resources on Canada.

Research guides for related subjects

• Subject Research guides are produced by SFU liaison librarians to point you to the best external sources as well as providing information about publications available in the library. Try these guides for further suggestions.

Ask Us!

• If you would like any further assistance or information about the library or your research, don't hesitate to Ask a Librarian in person, by phone, email or interactive reference.