Social Work

Subject Guide

Identifying Books
Biographical Sources
Encyclopedias And Dictionaries
Indexes and Abstracts
Ethics and Policy Statements
Representative Journals
Statistical Sources
Social Work Internet Resources

Social work professionals strive to “enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” (Code of Ethics, National Association of Social Workers, 1999). Due to its interdisciplinary nature, information from a number of other disciplines such as psychology and sociology may also be of interest to those doing research in the field of social work.

Identifying Books

Use UNISTAR, the online catalog, to identify books and other resources about social work. Subject searches should be done using appropriate subject terms identified in the Library of Congress Subject Headings books which are located at the UNI Reference Desk. Useful subject headings include those beginning with the words “Social work” or “Social service” and additional headings such as:

Child abuse
Child sexual abuse
Aged -- government policy
Human services
Child welfare
Public welfare
Family services
Social advocacy
Conflict management
Social policy
Homeless persons
Substance abuse

A Keyword search will allow you to search for specific words that appear within the title, subject, or notes fields of the online records. Keyword searching is a powerful feature of the UNISTAR system, but a thorough search for information on any subject should include searches using relevant subject headings.

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Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

The Encyclopedia of Social Work (20th ed.)
UNI Reference HV 35 S6 2008, 1995, and 1995 supplements (most recent 2 editions in UNI Reference; Earlier in UNI Stacks)
Scholarly essays written by top social work practitioners or professors analyzing 400 topics in social work theory, practice, and research. Co-published by The National Association of Social Workers, this encyclopedia covers social work practice and interventions and social conditions. Also includes 200 biographical entries. This title continues the Social Work Year Book (UNI Stacks HV 35S6) which was published in 14 editions between 1929 and 1960. Consulting the earlier volumes is a convenient way of exploring the evolution of social work.

Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America (2005)
UNI Reference HV 12 E497 2005
also available electronically through UNISTAR's link to Gale Virtual Reference Library
Explores the current and historic status of social welfare in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Events, developments, and the lives and work of some key contributors to social welfare are described. Sample topics examined in each of the countries include family violence, food assistance policy, poverty, and social reform.

The Social Work Dictionary (5th ed.)
UNI Reference HV 12 B37 2003; Earlier editions in UNI Stacks
Definitions of nearly 8,000 terms, concepts, organizations, and events Also includes brief biographical entries.

Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Social Work
UNI Reference HV 12 B53 2000
Defines 412 key terms in social work theory and practice. Entries range from 1,000-word essays to concise definitions, and reflect a British perspective.

Black's Law Dictionary (8th ed.)
UNI Ref Desk CBT KF 156 B53 2004
Authoritative definitions of legal terms and concepts.

Current Psychotherapies (8th ed.)
UNI Reference RC 480 C87 2008
A handbook of important psychotherapeutic approaches. Each chapter is devoted to one system of therapy and provides for each an overview; history; discussion of the theory, process, and mechanisms of the approach; applications; case example; summary; bibliography of relevant works; and citations to books or articles presenting case studies.

Child Victimization: Maltreatment, Bullying and Dating Violence, Prevention and Intervention
UNI Reference HV 6626.5 C52 2005
Provides recent research and insights from noted experts about the nature, scope, and impact of child and adolescent abuse and neglect; ways of recognizing, intervening, and preventing abuse; and systems and policies for addressing child abuse.

Encyclopedia of Behavior Modification and Cognitive Behavior Therapy
UNI Reference RC 489 B4E485 2005
Volume one of this three-volume set discusses behavior modification and cognitive behavior therapy with adults; volume 2, with children; and volume 3, in educational settings.

The Early Intervention Dictionary: A Multidisciplinary Guide to Terminology (2nded.)
UNI Reference HV 891 C63 1999
Defines terms used by those providing services for children from birth through age three. For more detailed discussion of psychological concepts, see the Handbook of Child Psychology (UNI Reference BF 721 H242 2006).

Encyclopedia of Child Abuse (3rd ed.)
UNI Reference HV 6626.5 C57 2007
An interdisciplinary resource with more than 500 entries covering a broad array of topics in child abuse and neglect. Although the statistical tables and legal charts focus on the United States, international information is presented under country names or included within topical definitions.

Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior (2nd ed.)
UNI Reference HV 5804 E53 2001 volumes 1-4
Provides essays written by experts in a range of disciplines dealing with substance use and abuse. Appendices include directories of state, federal, and private drug related agencies and programs.

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Ethics and Policy Statements

National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics
http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp
This professional code of ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. The Code is organized into four sections: the Preamble, summary of the profession’s mission and core values; the Purpose, an overview of the Code’s main functions and a guide for dealing with ethical issues; Ethical Principles, broad ethical guidelines that inform social work practice; and Ethical Standards, specific ethical standards to guide social workers' conduct and to provide a basis for adjudication. Consult the NASW Office of Ethics and Professional Review Website (http://www.socialworkers.org/nasw/ethics/default.asp) for additional information and links to each state’s licensure board.

Social Work Speaks
UNI Reference HV 88 N36 (most recent); earlier editions UNI Stacks
Contains the policy statements adopted by the most recent National Association of Social Workers Delegate Assembly. NASW policy statements on affirmative action, child abuse and neglect, cultural competence in the social work profession, end of life care, homelessness, youth suicide, and other issues are printed in full. Each entry includes background material, an issue statement, a policy statement, legislative history, and references. Brief summaries of these statements are available through the NASW Website at http://www.socialworkers.org/resources/abstracts/default.asp.

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Statistical Sources

Statistical Abstract of the United States
UNI Reference Desk HA 202 U58 (Most recent; earlier editions in UNI Reference)
Library has: 1878-1892, 1894-1926, 1928-
A convenient starting place when looking for statistics about life in the United States. Over 1,400 tables present statistics about the United States in 30 categories such as education, employment & earnings, health & nutrition, law enforcement, population, and social insurance & human services. Consult the index at the bottom of Web page or at the end of the book for detailed subject access.

LexisNexis Statistical Insight
Databases A-Z
Electronic access to statistical publications produced by the United States, state, and international governments; by intergovernmental agencies; and by commercial publishers. Search summaries of these statistical publications by subject, title, author, or in other ways. You may then link to the full-text of selected publications.

The State of America's Children
Most recent online http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-of-americas-children-highlights.html
UNI Stacks HV 741 C5375 1991-2004
Compiled by the Children's Defense Fund, a youth advocacy organization, this annual publication contains statistical tables, charts, and commentary about the status of children and adolescents in the United States. Topics include family income, child health, child care, children and families in crisis, and juvenile justice. Consult http://www.childrensdefense.org/ for additional information.

Crime in the United States
Most recent online http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm
UNI Reference HV 6787 A3 Library has: 1998-2004
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's compilation of criminal statistics reported by federal, state, and community authorities, includes murder, rape, robbery, burglary, arson, hate, and other crime data at the national, state, and community levels. For analytic comments consult the beginning page of each section. Formerly published as Uniform Crime Reports (UNI Reference HV 6787 A3 1946-1997)

World Development Indicators
UNI Reference HC 59.15 W656 2008; earlier editions in UNI Stacks
Compiled by the World Bank, contains statistical tables, graphs, and text depicting social conditions and development in countries throughout the world. Access the Data & Statistics section of the Web page (http://www.worldbank.org/) for additional data.

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Biographical Sources

If you know the names of social workers or social reformers and wish to identify books about them, do a subject search in UNISTAR and type in each person’s name (last name first). For help in identifying social reformers in the United States, consult the following books which contain brief biographies of noted reformers and provide subject access to areas of the reformers’ interests.

Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice
UNI Reference HM 671 E53 2007 volumes 1-3
also available electronically through UNISTAR
Biographical entries for over 300 social reformers as well as descriptions of social activist groups, social movements, and social action. Includes references to further readings.

Activists, Rebels, and Reformers
UNI Reference HN 17.5 E534 2001 volumes 1-3
Essays about 68 social reformers. International in scope.

Encyclopedia of Women Social Reformers
UNI Reference HQ 1236 R29 2001 volumes 1-2
Biographies of more than 400 women from 64 countries who have been activists in areas such as social welfare/poverty, children's rights, immigrant rights, and political/legal reform. Includes references to further readings.

Marquis Who’s Who on the Web
Profiles over 1.4 million accomplished individuals from all fields of endeavor including government, business, science and technology, the arts, entertainment, and sports. This full-text database may be searched using 15 criteria such as name, gender, occupation, education and degrees, geography, religion, and interests.

American Reform and Reformers: A Biographical Dictionary
UNI Reference HQ 1412 A46 1996
Essays profiling the life-and-times of 38 major American reformers and the reforms they most directly affected.

Biographical Dictionary of Social Welfare in America
UNI Reference HV 27 B57 1986
Biographies of 300 "doers and activists" with a select bibliography of sources by and about the individual.

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Indexes and Abstracts

To identify articles in social work, consult the following indexes and abstracts. To search those available through the Rod Library home page, select the desired index or abstract title from the Databases A-Z listing under the Articles tab.

Social Work Abstracts Coverage: 1977-
Databases A-Z
UNI Index/Abstract HV 1 A2 Library has: 1965-1993
Indexes and summarizes articles about social work theory, research, and practice appearing in over 400 social work and social welfare journals. International in scope; published by the National Association of Social Workers. If using the print version, identify relevant material by consulting the subject and author indexes.

Social Services Abstracts Coverage: 1979-
Databases A-Z
Indexes and abstracts articles from 1,300 journals on human services, social work, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development. Also included are abstracts of dissertations and citations to book reviews.

Academic OneFile Coverage: 1980-
Databases A-Z
Citations, abstracts, and full-text articles from social work, psychology, sociology, and related social science journals as well as from popular magazines. Use the Subject search to browse subject headings or select Keyword for more search options.

Abstracts in Social Gerontology
UNI Index/Abstract HQ 1060 A18 Library has: 1991-2007
Provides subject and author indexing and abstracts of journal articles on aging and the elderly.

Family and Society Studies Worldwide Coverage: 1970-
Databases A-Z
Indexes and summarizes journal articles, books, government reports, and other publications in family science, domestic violence, human ecology, and human development; Covers research, policy, and practice.

Gender Studies Database Coverage: generally 1972-
Databases A-Z
Indexes and abstracts journal articles, books, and other publications in gender and sexual diversity studies, including women’s, men’s, and GLBT studies. Topics in social welfare, family, divorce, child custody, prejudice, reproduction, sex roles, violence and abusive relationships, and political/social activism are included. Also provides links to relevant documents on the Web.

PAIS International Coverage: 1972-
Databases A-Z
UNI Index/Abstract H 96 P89 Library has: 1915-1996
Indexes journal articles, books, government documents, and other publications relating to business, economic and social conditions, public policy and administration, and international relations.

PsycINFO (EBSCO) Coverage: 1806-
Databases A-Z
UNI Index/Abstract BF 1 P65 Library has: 1927-2002
Indexes and abstracts journal articles from 1,300 journals in psychology and related behavioral and social sciences, including social work. Use the Thesaurus or Suggest Terms features for assistance in identifying appropriate subject headings.

PubMed Coverage: 1960s -
Databases A-Z
The PubMed bibliographic database produced by the National Library of Medicine indexes journal articles in medicine, psychiatry, nursing, dentistry, and the health care system. PubMed contains bibliographic citations and author abstracts from more than 4,800 biomedical journals published in the United States and 70 other countries. Coverage is worldwide, but most records are from English-language sources or have English abstracts

Sociological Abstracts Coverage: 1963-
Databases A-Z
Provides subject and author indexing and abstracts of journal articles and books in sociology and related disciplines.

The following two databases index and abstract criminology and criminal justice theory, research, and practice appearing in journals, books, governmental reports, dissertations, and other publications. Although there is overlap between the two databases, for criminology topics both databases should be searched because each database indexes unique journals.

Criminal Justice Abstracts Coverage: 1968-
Databases A-Z

Criminal Justice Periodicals Coverage: 1981-
Databases A-Z