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Abstract:
In the last several years, many research studies have focused on how people use electronic
resources or on their feelings about electronic and print resources in the library. Libraries of all
sizes and types are embracing digital collections in order to provide speedy access to
information. Electronic resources were initially available only in the scientific field of studies but
with the tremendous information explosion and taking into consideration the benefits of e-
resources, there usage has also expanded into all the branches of Social Sciences field. The
present article attempts to list the important e-resources in all the branches of social sciences
along with a brief account of the collections and the types of sources covered by them.
Introduction:
Electronic resources are the online tools that index, abstract or provide electronic access to
articles, books dissertations and other types of content.
Electronic resources are defined as “online information resources including bibliographic
databases, electronic reference books, search engines for full-text collection, digital collections
of data and datasets.”
They can be classified into two major areas-
1) Online e-resources
2) Offline e-resources
1) ONLINE E-RESOURCES:
• e-books
• e-journals
• e-mail
• sms/mms
• e-library
• e-forum
• e-learning
• e-shops
• e-dictionaries
• search engines
• meta search engines
• websites etc.
2) OFFLINE E-RESOURCES
• CD-ROM based e-resources
• Offline e-books
• Offline e-dictionaries
• MS-Office applications( PowerPoint Presentations)
• Training Software
• E-prompter
• PDF Converter
• E-resources on mobile devices
Libraries being an agency that selects, collects, organises, preserves, conserves and provides
access to information on behalf of a user community have evolved over many hundreds of years
to serve the information needs of their communities.
Traditional libraries used to deal with paper based information-printed books, manuscripts,
journals, pamphlets, maps, newspapers and so on. Major amount of information previously
available only in paper format is now available in digital versions. The digital version may
sometimes exist in addition to the paper format and sometimes instead of the paper format.
Digital libraries are constructed, collected and organised by and for a community of users and
their functional capabilities support the information needs and users of that community.
Characteristics of E-Resources :
1) E-resources are potentially huge in number.
2) The resources are mostly unorganized.
3) E-resources do not require physical space for storage.
4) Constraints that are in physical libraries are barred in e-resources.
5) Time, space and cost constraints are not a problem in search strategies of e-resources.
6) Hyperlinks lead users quickly to the required information sources.
7) Accessing the back issues is possible in case of e-resources.
Advantages of E-Resources:
1) E-resources can be used efficiently and it saves a lot of time.
2) Reduces lot of paper work.
3) The information provided is up to date and of good quality.
4) Provides facility to search across a wide range of journal articles and other links.
5) E-resources can be easily transferred from one place to another.
Disadvantages of E-Resources:
1) The most common complaint found regarding e-resources is the discomfort of reading
from the screen or poor graphic quality.
2) Access to e-resources requires knowledge of computer and internet skills.
3) The rate of information download depends on the availability of internet speed.
Although, initially e-resources were extensively used in scientific field, later on the use of e-
resources also became one of the most important ways of accessing information even in the field
of social sciences.
E-Resources on the various branches of social sciences are listed in the following manner:
1) E-RESOURCES IN ANTHROPOLOGY:
Anthropology is the holistic discipline that deals with the integration of different aspects
of the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Human Biology. It includes Archaeology,
Prehistory, Physical or Biological Anthropology, Anthropological Linguistics, Social and
Cultural Anthropology, Ethnology and Ethnography. It is an area that is offered at most
undergraduate institutions. The word anthropos is from the Greek for "human being" or
"person."
2) E-RESOURCES IN ECONOMICS
Economics is a social science that seeks to analyze and describe the production,
distribution, and consumption of wealth. The word "economics" is from the Greek word
oikos meaning "family, household, estate," and nomos "custom, law," and hence means
"household management" or "management of the state."
a) http://www.rfe.org/
This guide is sponsored by the American Economic Association. It lists more than
2,000 resources in 97 sections and sub-sections available on the Internet of
interest to academic and practicing economists, and those interested in economics.
This guide, sponsored by the American Economic Association, lists more than
900 resources on the Internet of interest to academic and practicing economists,
and those interested in economics. Almost all resources are also described.
b.7 SourceOECD
OECD: SourceOECD, full text coverage beginning 1997, the online library of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, comprises
monographs, periodicals, and statistical databases. Subjects include agriculture
and food; education and skills; emerging economics; employment; energy;
enterprise, industry and trade; environment and sustainable development; finance
and investment; general economics and future studies; goverance; international
development; nuclear energy; science and information technology; social issues
and migration; statistics sources and methods; taxation; territorial economy;
transition economics; and transport. Major book and periodicals available in full-
text include OECD Factbook, Education at a Glance, OECD Economic Outlook
and OECD Economic Surveys.
VIBES provides over 1,500 links to Internet sources of international business and
economic information that are in English and available free of charge.
3) E-RESOURCES IN GEOGRAPHY
Geography is that branch of social science that attempts to understand the earth in terms
of physical and spatial relationships.
Collection of historical, social, economic and political world maps and timelines.
National Geographic Society: Access to map making tools to create online maps,
as well as geographical and mapping information.
a.5 SAGE: Science and Geography Education
4) E-RESOURCES IN HISTORY
History is the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to
the human species; as well as the study of all events in time, in relation to humanity.
b) RENFRO Library
http://www.library.mhc.edu/e-resources/history.htm
b) RENFRO Library
http://www.library.mhc.edu/e-resources/politicalscience.htm
b) http://library.syr.edu/research/internet/public_administration/er.html
Provides links to online databases of public administration.
7) E-RESOURCES IN PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of behavior and mental
processes. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres
of human activity, including problems of individuals' daily lives and the treatment of
mental illness.
a) Psychology Virtual Library
http://www.vl-site.org/psychology/index.html
Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of behavior and
mental processes. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to
various spheres of human activity, including problems of individuals' daily lives
and the treatment of mental illness.
b) http://www.ulib.csuohio.edu/research/portals/psy-m.html
8) E-RESOURCES IN SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is the study of society and human social action. It generally concerns itself
with the social rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals,
but as members of associations, groups, communities and institutions, and includes the
examination of the organization and development of human social life.
c) http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/
Intute is a free online service which provides access to the very best Web
resources for education and research, evaluated and selected by a network of
subject specialists.
9) E-RESOURCES IN LIBRARY SCIENCE
Library Science comprises study of all branches of universe of knowledge.
a) Directory of Open Access Journals (www.doaj.org)
b) www.dlib.org
c) Emerald Databases (www.emeraldinsight.com)
d) Library & Information Science Abstracts (www.csa2.com)
e) www.hwwilson.com
f) DOIS: Documents in Information Science (http://dois.mimas.ac.uk)
Articles and conference proceedings published in electronic format in the area of
library and information science.
g) Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science
The second edition of this online encyclopaedia provides an overview of the
library and information science field. New topics in this edition include
competitive intelligence; decision support systems; digital library projects;
electronic records preservation; ethical issues in information; online library
instruction; telecommuting; software reliability; and the user-centered revolution.
c) GenderWatch (http://libezproxy.syr.edu/)
Provides full-text, international coverage of women's and gender issues, including
family, childbirth, childcare, sexual harassment, aging, body image, eating
disorders, and social roles. It also includes content on the impact of gender and
gender roles on areas such as the arts, popular culture and media, business and
work, crime, education, research and scholarship, family, health care, politics,
religion, and sports. Covers 1970 to the present.
b) http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/Services/lis/resources/socialwork.aspx
This website provides information for studies and research, in both print
and electronic resources on social work.
Some other websites providing information regarding e-resources in social sciences are:
1) Intute (http://www.intute.ac.uk)
2) Social Sciences Virtual library
(http://www.vl-site.org/sciences/index.html)
3) e-SocialSciences (http://www.esocialsciences.com)
4) www.doaj.org
5) SOSIG (Social Sciences Information Gateway) www.sosig.ac.uk
The availability of e-resources although is beneficial to the user to access and retrieve variety of
information but it is very important to evaluate these resources and to select the most useful one.
Evaluating resources is a crucial step in the research process. Whether in print or in electronic
form, resources should be scrutinized and evaluated using a standard set of criteria such as the
ones listed below:
1) Coverage
2) Scope
3) Currency
4) Audience & Purpose
5) Authority
6) Objectivity
CONCLUSION:
E-resources with the help of its online and offline forms are available in the various branches of
social sciences like anthropology, economics, political science, history, geography, education,
social work, sociology, library science etc. Some of these e-resources are available free of cost
while some require subscription. Due to the tremendous availability of e-resources, it becomes
essential for the user to evaluate these resources before using them. Librarians conserve
collections for the present and the future, acquiring, maintaining, and preserving items physically
and making them available. Librarians with the decreasing library budget, limited staff and
resources must get trained and re-trained to adapt to new challenges in providing information to
users using e-resources.
REFERENCES:
1) Agarwal, V. ( 2006). Virtual Collections in Digital Libraries. New Delhi: Rajat
Publications.
2) Miller, Ruth. (2000). Electronic Resources and Academic Libraries:1980-2000 A
Historical Perspective. Library Trends. 48(4):645-670.
3) http://www.lectureinfo.sekars.net/eers.pdf. (Accessed on 20/05/2009)
4) Tenopir, Carol. (2003) Use and Users of Electronic Library Resources
(www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub120) Accessed on 20/05/2009
5) www.nla.gov.au
6) http://en.wikipedia.org (Accessed on 21/05/2009)
7) http://www.vl-site.org/sciences/index.html (Accessed on 21/05/2009)
8) www.sosig.ac.uk (Accessed on 21/05/2009)