NCJ Number
82727
Date Published
1982
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper lists and offers guidelines on using criminal justice reference tools since no current library guide to criminal justice exists.
Abstract
The discussion encompasses guides, the card catalog, book catalogs, research annuals, periodical literature, data base searching, and documents. NCJRS has issued some useful guides, including 'Basic Sources in Criminal Justice,' 'The Directory of Criminal Justice Information Sources,' and 'Bibliographies in Criminal Justice.' Research strategies typically used in relation to the card catalog are noted, and printed book catalogs of other libraries are mentioned as being useful. Annuals which attempt to summarize the state-of-the-art for a particular discipline are excellent sources for current research. In addition, major indexes or abstracting services specifically devoted to criminal justice are listed. A section on data base searching notes that computer searching is valuable for the speed of a search and the quick retrieval of citations, often with lengthy abstracts and descriptors. Finally, a prime source of information is the U.S. Government, the most prolific publisher in the country. Government documents have become quite accessible with the advent of a much improved 'Monthly Catalog to U.S. Government Publications.' Two notes are provided.