Reference Books: Print & Online
Finding Information from a Reference
Reference materials are compilations; a "reference" connects a researcher to background information in a way that is intended to be found quickly when needed. Reference materials can be dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, handbooks and guides, catalogs, atlases and maps, directories, almanacs – even the internet.
Using OU Libraries' Catalog
Although the library guide you currently read is considered a reference material, the following lists are not comprehensive. Check the OU Libraries Discover catalog to connect to even more resources. Think about the keywords you would use to search the catalog; for general books containing definitions of terms or overviews of a subject, search for your keywords plus "encyclopedia" or "dictionary." Want reference assistance? Reach out to the STEM Services team at libstem@ou.edu.
Looking for a reference on citation style? Visit the Citations page of the guide.
Finding Books in the Library by Call Number
Books are located in Bizzell Memorial Library in the following call number locations.
Library of Congress Call Numbers for Environmental Sustainability:
| Call Number Range | Topic |
|---|---|
| GE | Environmental Sciences |
| GF | Human Ecology |
| QH 540s | Ecology (Biology) |
| G | General, Atlases, Maps |
| GA | Cartography |
| GB | Physical Geography |
| GN | Anthropology |
| HC | Economics |
| HF 1000s | Economic Geography |
| J | Politics |
| JC 300s | Political Geography |
| K 3500 | Public Health & Environmental Law |
| Q | Science |
| QH 84 | Biogeography |
| R | Medicine |
| S | Agriculture |
| TD | Environmental Engineering |
What's new about the catalog? See if the library has a copy of your class's textbook!
Textbooks on Reserve and course reserve materials are now searchable by course code (ex. HIST 3403), course name (ex. Modern Israel), title (ex. Quiet Street), or author. Some materials are searchable by professor last name (ex. Seidelman). Students can search the catalog or the new Textbook Search Scope (located under the Search Scope drop-down menu).
Environmental Sustainability
- ENVIROnetBASEProvides access to a range of online environment resources covering topics such as earth science, environmental engineering, environmental modeling and analysis, geology, landscape ecology and water science, technology and engineering.
- Encyclopedia of Environmental Science and Engineering; 5th ed. byPublication Date: 2006"Spans the entire spectrum of environmental science and engineering. [...] 87 articles on topics ranging from acid rain, air pollution, and community health, to environmental law, instrumentation, modeling, alternative energy, toxicology, radioactive waste, and water treatment. [...] necessary to understand, manage, and respond to threats to the human environment."
Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology by ISBN: 9781441908513Publication Date: 2013"Peer-reviewed coverage in more than 550 separate entries comprising 38 topical sections. ESST establishes a foundation for the many sustainability and policy evaluations being performed in institutions worldwide. An indispensable resource for scientists and engineers in developing new technologies and for applying existing technologies to sustainability"
The Green House by ISBN: 1568984812Publication Date: 2005"Six different climactic zones are presented in The Green House -- waterfront, forest and mountain, tropical, desert, suburban, and urban; there is also a section on mobile dwellings. Each chapter features a series of homes that show the diversity and possibility of sustainable design."
Handbook of Sustainable Development by Call Number: HC 79 .E5 H3186 2007ISBN: 1843765772Publication Date: 2007"Discussion encompasses the fundamentals of sustainable development and intergenerational equity, and covers issues such as: the capital approach, ecological resilience, population growth and safe minimum standards; intra-generational equity; resources, the environment and economic progress; urban and corporate sustainability; green accounting and sustainability indicators."
Handbook of Sustainable EngineeringISBN: 1402089392Publication Date: 2013"Equips readers with the context and the best practices derived from both academic research and practical examples of successful implementations of sustainable technical solutions."- Native power : a handbook on renewable energy and energy efficiency for Native American communities byCall Number: E 1.8:N 21/2Publication Date: 1998
Environment and Society
The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Justice by ISBN: 9781315678986Publication Date: 2017"Wide-ranging discussion of current debates, controversies, and questions in the history, theory, and methods of environmental justice research, contributed by over 90 leading social scientists, natural scientists, humanists, and scholars from professional disciplines from six continents."
Traditional Ecological Knowledge by Call Number: GN 476.7 .T73 2018ISBN: 9781108428569Publication Date: 2018-10-11This book examines the importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and how it can provide models for a time-tested form of sustainability needed in the world today.
Black Faces, White Spaces by Call Number: E 185.86 .F525 2014ISBN: 9781469614489Publication Date: 2014"In this thought-provoking study, Carolyn Finney looks beyond the discourse of the environmental justice movement to examine how the natural environment has been understood, commodified, and represented by both white and black Americans. Bridging the fields of environmental history, cultural studies, critical race studies, and geography, Finney argues that the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, and racial violence have shaped cultural understandings of the "great outdoors" and determined who should and can have access to natural spaces."
- Native Voices in STEM Seminar Series"This NSF Research Traineeship at the University of Arizona aims to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers to work with and within Indigenous communities to address food-energy-water challenges." Video recordings of seminars in their Native voices in STEM seminar series.
Hydraulic City by ISBN: 9780822373599Publication Date: 2017"Tying the ways Mumbai's poorer residents are seen by the state to their historic, political, and material relations with water pipes, the book highlights the critical role infrastructures play in consolidating civic and social belonging in the city."
Poor Economics by Call Number: HC 59.7 .B323 2011ISBN: 9781586487980Publication Date: 2011"Winner of the 2011 'Financial Times' /Goldman Sachs Best Business Book of the Year Award."
The Atlas of Urban Expansion by Call Number: G 1028 .A85 2012ISBN: 9781558442436Publication Date: 2012"A comprehensive guide to the past and future characteristics of metropolitan growth. The main objective of this [...] is to increase understanding and help residents, policy makers, and researchers around the world come to terms with the expected global urban expansion in the coming decades."
Economics Unmasked by Call Number: HD 75 .S615 2011ISBN: 9781900322706Publication Date: 2011"A growth obsession can never be sustainable. This book outlines the foundations of a new economics - where justice, human dignity, compassion and reverence for life are the guiding values."
Global Appetites by ISBN: 9781107032828Publication Date: 2013"Explores how industrial agriculture and countercultural food movements underpin U.S. conceptions of global power in the century since the First World War."
Indigenous peoples and environmental issues : an encyclopediaCall Number: GF 50 .J65Publication Date: 2003Reference Book
Neoliberal Environments by ISBN: 9780203946848Publication Date: 2007"This volume explores the nexus between nature, markets, deregulation and valuation, using theoretically sharp and empirically rich real-world case studies and analyses of actually existing policy from around the world and across a range of resources. In short, it answers the questions: does neoliberalizing nature work and what work does it do?"
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development iLibrary"Online library of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) featuring its books, papers and statistics and is the gateway to OECD's analysis and data."
Tribes, Land, and the Environment by Call Number: KF 5660 .T75 2012 (Donald Pray Law Library The Strickland Collection of Native Peoples Law)ISBN: 9781409420620Publication Date: 2012"Gleaning new insights from a focus on tribal land and property law, the collection studies the practice of tribal sovereignty as experienced by Indians and non-Indians, with an emphasis on the development and regulatory challenges these tribes face in the wake of climate change."
Young People and the Environment by ISBN: 9781402009440Publication Date: 2002"Analyses the knowledge, beliefs and behaviours that comprise the environmental attitudes of young people in the Asia-Pacific region and the cultural, political and educational contexts that have shaped them. "
Global Climate Change
A critical approach to climate change adaptation: discourses, policies, and practices by ISBN: 1351677136Publication Date: 2018"This edited volume brings together critical research on climate change adaptation discourses, policies, and practices from a multi-disciplinary perspective. [...] challenges established perspectives of climate change adaptation by taking into account issues of cultural diversity, environmental justice, and human rights, as well as feminist or intersectional approaches."
- Tribal Climate Change Profiles"Tribes across the United States are leading the way with innovative efforts to address climate change through adaptation and mitigation strategies. The Tribal Climate Change Profiles are intended to be a pathway to increasing knowledge among tribal and non-tribal organizations interested in learning about climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts."
Handbook of Weather, Climate and WaterCall Number: QC 864 .H363 2003Publication Date: 2005eBook and Reference Book
Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change, Set by Call Number: GE 149 .E443 2001ISBN: 0471977969Publication Date: 2001-12-21The Wiley Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change consists of five volumes of inter-related material.
- Tribes & Climate Change"Provides information and resources tailored to helping Native people gain a better understanding of climate change and its impacts on their communities and resources. Here you'll find basic climate-change information; profiles of tribes in diverse regions of the U.S. who are coping with climate change impacts; audio files of Native people discussing the issue from traditional perspectives; and resources you can use to develop climate change adaptation strategies. We also offer in-person and web-based trainings and technical assistance to build climate change adaption planning capacity among tribes."
Resource Management
The World's Protected Areas: status, value, and prospects in the 21st CenturyCall Number: S 944.5 .P78 W695 2008Publication Date: 2008Reference Book- Tribal successes protecting the environment and natural resources byPublication Date: 2007"Highlight[s] the diversity of innovative Tribal practices that will serve as models of success to other Tribes in implementing natural resource and environmental programs."
The Invasion of Indian Country in the Twentieth Century by Call Number: E 93 .F515 2012 (Donald Pray Law Library The Strickland Collection of Native Peoples Law)ISBN: 9781607321484Publication Date: 2011"updated through the first decade of the twenty-first century and contains a new chapter challenging Americans--Indian and non-Indian--to begin healing the earth. This analysis of the struggle to protect not only natural resources but also a way of life serves as an indispensable tool for students or anyone interested in Native American history and current government policy with regard to Indian lands or the environment."
Encyclopedia of Biological InvasionsCall Number: Bizzell Reference QH 353 .E53 2011Publication Date: 2011
Encyclopedia of Invasive Species by ISBN: 9780313382215Publication Date: 2011"This two-volume set provides a one-stop resource on invasive plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms that are threatening native ecosystems, agriculture, economies, and human health in the United States."
American Indians and the National Forests by ISBN: 9780816531998Publication Date: 2016"The untold story of how the U.S. Forest Service and tribal nations dealt with sweeping changes in forest use, ownership, and management over the last century and a half. Indians and U.S. foresters came together over a shared conservation ethic on many cooperative endeavors; yet, they often clashed over how the nation's forests ought to be valued and cared for on matters ranging from huckleberry picking and vision quests to road building and recreation development. All national forest lands were once Indian lands. Tribes' modern-day interests in their ancestral lands run the gamut, from asserting treaty rights to hunt and fish to protecting their people's burial grounds and other sacred places to having a say in ecological restoration."
Water Encyclopedia, Set by Call Number: TD 345 .W38 2005ISBN: 0471441643Publication Date: 2005-06-13The Water Encyclopedia offers a comprehensive depository of all information relating to the scientific and technological aspects of the world's most important natural resource -- water.
Water Security Across the Gender Divide by ISBN: 3319640461Publication Date: 2017"Examines water security as a prime example of how the economic, socio-cultural and political-normative systems that regulate access to water reflect the evolving and gendered power relations between different societal groups."
- Tribal energy resources : reducing barriers to opportunity : hearing before Congress 2018."testimony [...] will highlight the biggest challenges tribes face when they want to develop their own valuable energy resources."
- Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals"ITEP strengthens tribal capacity and sovereignty in environmental and natural resource management through culturally relevant education, research, partnerships and policy-based services."