Research Guides : Aging and the Aged

This guide lists basic English language reference sources both in print and electronic formats available in North Carolina Central University libraries.

• Books
• Printed Reference Sources
• Print Indexes
• Databases
• Web databases/sites
• Journals
• Additional Help

Books

Look at the Library of Congress Subject Headings books at the Reference Desk for exact subject headings and try a subject search. Examples of LCSH:

Aged                          Aged -Care
     UF   Elderly persons          -Diseases
          Senior Citizens          -Health and hygiene
     RT   Old Age                  -Medical Care
     NT   Abused Age               -government policy
          Centarians          Aged Women
          Frail Elderly       Aged Men
          Minority Aged       Aging Parents

Gerontology                   Geriatric pain
     NT   Aged                     Use: Pain in Old Age     
     RT   Geriatrics     

Print Reference Sources:

The black aged in the United States: a selectively annotated bibliography. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.
REF Z1361 .N39 D354 1989

The encyclopedia of aging. New York: Springer Pub. Co., 1987.
REF HQ1061 .E53 1987

Encyclopedia of gerontology:age, aging, and the aged. San Diego: Academic Press, 1996.
REF RC952.5 .E58 1996

Factbook on aging. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1990.
REF HQ1064 .U5 V494 1990

Older American almanac: a reference work on seniors in the United States. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.
REF HQ1064 .U5 O416 1994

Statistical abstract of the United States.
REF HA202 .U5

Statistical record of older Americans. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994
REF HQ1064 .U5 S694

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Print Indexes

Index Medicus (medicine)
Index to Periodicals by and about Blacks
International Nursing Index
Nutrition Abstracts & Rev.
Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS)
Psychological Abstracts
Readers Guide to Periodical Literature
Social Sciences Index

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Databaes and other electronic resources

NC LIVE is a series of databases on many subjects; may be searched at home as well as on campus-- ask at the Reference desk for the password.

Please note: Most databases, especially those used for specific subjects, will NOT contain full text articles. What these databases do contain are the citation for the article (meaning: article title, authors, journal source, date, pages), subject headings assigned to the article, and often an abstract (or brief overview) of what the article is about. You need to then find out if we have the journal or not. Refer to the handout "Finding journal articles in the Shepard Library."

Search tip: When you have found an abstract for an article that you like, and want to find more on that subject, take a look at what Subject Headings (or "Descriptors" or "MESH Subject Headings", etc) have been assigned to it. If the subject heading (SH) is and underlined link you can simply click on it to retrieve all of the citations for that SH. If not, then you can go back and do a search by typing in the SH (or combining it with another SH or phrase). Some databases have an option to "Find related articles" -- by clicking on that link you will find more on your topic.

Keywords to try: Aged, Aged Patients, Aging, Alzheimer's Disease, Elder care, Elderly Patients, Geriatrics, Gerontology, Health Services for the Aged/economics, Nursing homes

Expanded Academic Index via Infotrac Campus use only.

Coverage: Abstracts and full text database covering general scholarly journals.
Years: 1980 - current
Scope: General academic database for social sciences and humanities. Contains some full text.
Searching:You can search by subject heading-- and then see narrower subjects and/or related subjects. You can also search by keyword as well.

Sociological Abstracts Campus use only.

Coverage: Abstracts of all major and minor journals relating to Sociology.
Years:1963-1983; 1984-2000
Scope: 2500 major and minor journals and dissertation abstracts relating to Sociology. Includes Canadian Journal on Aging, Generations, Journal of Aging Studies, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Journal of Woman and Aging, Research on Aging, etc.
Searching:You can chose to enter your terms in the Thesaurus search, and see how and if this database uses your term as a Subject Heading. You can then search the subject heading.

NC LIVE DATABASES

(Search either by alphabet or by subject "Health and Medicine" to find these)

American Medical Association via NC LIVE. Bell & Howell ProQuest

Coverage Indexes the publications of the American Medical Association which include JAMA; The Journal of the American Medical Association, American Medical News, and the Archives sources.
Years: 1986-1997 (citation only), 1998-2000 (abstract, some full text)
Scope: Publications of the AMA, including JAMA.
Searching:Enter your keywords, or search the subject lists for related or closer matches.

CINAHL (Nursing) via OCLC FirstSearch via NC LIVE

Coverage: Indexes articles appearing in 900 journals in 13 allied health disciplines, including nursing. Covers 1982 to present
Years: 1982--
Scope: 900 Nursing and Allied health journals indexed and abstracted.
Searching:Enter your keywords. Tip: often the abstract found in CINAHL will be accompanied by the list of references cited in the article-- use these! It's like having an instant bibliography!

Medline via OCLC FirstSeach via NC LIVE

Coverage: Indexes articles from more than 3200 journals chosen for their importance to doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. Covers 1965 to present.
Searching: Enter your keywords.

PsychINFO (Psychology) via SilverPlatter via NC LIVE

Coverage: Indexes and abstracts over 1300 journals in psychology and related disciplines from 1887 to present.
Searching:This database is similar to Sociofile. Search by thesaurus.

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Web Databases

Grateful Med

Years: varies, but mostly 1966--
Scope: Journals relating to medicine. Contains complete versions of MEDLINE, AIDSLINE, HEALTH STAR, and other databases.

PUBMED

Years: varies but mostly 1966 --
Scope: Journals relating to medicine. Contains MEDLINE and other databases.
ALSO:contains links (sometimes) to full text journals. Can also do specific drug and medical research searching

Note:Both of the above databases are produced by the National Library of Medicine. You can access these anywhere for free.

GPO Access: Pathway on Aging

Contains official governmental web sites for departments relating to Aging.

SocioSite: Sociology of Aging -Age Inequality, Ageism, Gerontology

Hosted by the University of Amsterdam, has annotated list of websites, discussion groups, and reference sources related to aging.

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Related Journals in the Shepard Library

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Additional Help

Two things can be done if we don't have the journal/book you need:

1) You can check the catalogs of Duke, UNC and NCSU. If they have it-- you can go over there and photocopy the article. If it is a book you want, you can sign up for the TRLN Library card at the circulation desk here at the Shepard Library at NCCU. This card will allow you to take out books from the other libraries. You must return these items yourself to the libraries. The card must be updated every semester at the circulation desk.

2) You can request the article/book to be sent to this library through interlibrary loan. All you need to do is fill out the interlibrary loan form at the Reference Desk and one of the librarians here will get the item for you. Keep in mind that it may take up to 2 weeks to retrieve the item from another library and that some libraries charge a fee for books and articles to be sent.

This guide was compiled and coded by Rebecca Olson, Research Help Librarian. Spring 2000

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