Criminal Justice Research in Libraries and on the Internet - (Bibliographies & Indexes in Library & Information Science) by Bonnie Nelson

About the Book

Library research has changed dramatically since Marilyn Lutzker and Eleanor Ferrall's Criminal Justice Research in Libraries was published in 1986. In addition to covering the enduring elements of traditional research, this new edition provides full coverage of research using the World Wide Web, hypertext documents, computer indexes, and other online resources. It gives an in-depth explanation of such concepts as databases, networks, and full text, and the Internet gets a full chapter. The chapters on bibliographic searching, the library catalog, and comparative research are almost totally new, and chapters on indexes and abstracts, newsletters, newspapers and news broadcasts, documents, reports and conference proceedings, and statistics reflect the shift to computerized sources. The chapter on legal resources discusses the wealth of legal information available on the Internet. A new chapter on library research in forensic science corrects an omission from the first book.

With the growth of computerized indexes and the Internet, more and more researchers are admitting that they feel inadequate to the new tools. Librarians themselves are struggling to keep abreast of the new technology. This book will help students, practitioners, scholars, and librarians develop a sense of competency in doing criminal justice research.

Book Synopsis

Library research has changed dramatically since Marilyn Lutzker and Eleanor Ferrall's Criminal Justice Research in Libraries was published in 1986. In addition to covering the enduring elements of traditional research, this new edition provides full coverage of research using the World Wide Web, hypertext documents, computer indexes, and other online resources. It gives an in-depth explanation of such concepts as databases, networks, and full text, and the Internet gets a full chapter. The chapters on bibliographic searching, the library catalog, and comparative research are almost totally new, and chapters on indexes and abstracts, newsletters, newspapers and news broadcasts, documents, reports and conference proceedings, and statistics reflect the shift to computerized sources. The chapter on legal resources discusses the wealth of legal information available on the Internet. A new chapter on library research in forensic science corrects an omission from the first book.

With the growth of computerized indexes and the Internet, more and more researchers are admitting that they feel inadequate to the new tools. Librarians themselves are struggling to keep abreast of the new technology. This book will help students, practitioners, scholars, and librarians develop a sense of competency in doing criminal justice research.

Review Quotes

?A decade ago Nelson and her collaborator created the basic guide for students and researchers who need to master the criminal justice reference literature; this update and expansion of that guide renews its vitality and value.?-Rettig on Reference

?Professor Nelson has done an outstanding job of revising Lutzker and Ferrall's Criminal Justice Research in Libraries: Strategies and Resources to reflect the changes in research methods that have occurred over the past 11 years. She skillfully integrates online, CD-ROM, and Web resources into the original organizational structure, so that the reader truly understands that what is important is the content, not the format, of the information....Academic and special libraries that support criminal justice programs and research will find this book indispensable. Librarians charged with collection development responsibility for this area will consider it a "must" purchase.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

?The book does indeed offer a lot of information on criminal justice research and is highly recommended.?-ARBA

?This excellent guide on how to do criminal justice research has both extensive information on the research process and thorough coverage of reference sources in criminal justice and related fields.... While this guide is written for academic or professional use, the source lists will be beneficial for collection development as well.?-Library Journal

"A decade ago Nelson and her collaborator created the basic guide for students and researchers who need to master the criminal justice reference literature; this update and expansion of that guide renews its vitality and value."-Rettig on Reference

"The book does indeed offer a lot of information on criminal justice research and is highly recommended."-ARBA

"This excellent guide on how to do criminal justice research has both extensive information on the research process and thorough coverage of reference sources in criminal justice and related fields.... While this guide is written for academic or professional use, the source lists will be beneficial for collection development as well."-Library Journal

"Professor Nelson has done an outstanding job of revising Lutzker and Ferrall's Criminal Justice Research in Libraries: Strategies and Resources to reflect the changes in research methods that have occurred over the past 11 years. She skillfully integrates online, CD-ROM, and Web resources into the original organizational structure, so that the reader truly understands that what is important is the content, not the format, of the information....Academic and special libraries that support criminal justice programs and research will find this book indispensable. Librarians charged with collection development responsibility for this area will consider it a "must" purchase."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

About the Author

BONNIE R. NELSON is Associate Librarian for Information Systems at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice library. With expertise in both criminal justice and computer information systems, she is the author of several articles and books on library resources and library automation.