Sociology Research Resources: Reference Books

Reference Books are great for quick, summary information about a term, person, theory or other topic.

Reference books do not check-out but you usually only need to look up a term or photocopy a brief article.

At the EPCC libraries, books are arranged by the Library of Congress (LC) Classification System, a code system used for arranging books on the shelves.  The LC code for general sociology is HM.  Books in the reference collection that are dictionaries and encyclopedias of sociology will be in the REF HM section.  The Encyclopedia of Sociology, above, is just one example of a book you can find in the REF HM section.

REF HN: Incidentally, if you are doing research on a current issue/social problem, many books that deal with these issues are in the HN (social history and conditions, social problems, social reform) section.

Some other areas of reference that may be helpful:

REF HQ: Marriage, family, women

REF HS: Societies

REF HT: Races, classes, communities

REF HV: Crime, social and public welfare.

You might also be able to find reference books about sociology at your local public or school library.  Public and school libraries use the Dewey Decimal System to arrange books on the shelves.  The Dewey Decimal system codes for sociology (and also some anthropology) are 301-307. 

Some other areas of reference in public and school libraries that might be helpful:

361-365: Classes, social problems, social welfare.