Go to next section, Part Three: Information Sources

 

Supporting Your Research

 

The resources in this section can all be used to elucidate aspects of your research.  Included here are glossaries, and non-textual information sources in the form of geographic, multimedia, and statistical resources.

 

Dictionaries/Glossaries

 

See also: Handbooks, Glossaries (index term)

 

Currently, no official English-language dictionary has been published that comprehensively covers forced migration, although several of the handbooks noted above provide definitions of basic concepts along with other useful information.  In the interim, readers can refer to more informal, practitioner-oriented glossaries that clarify technical or specialized terms and provide a standardized vocabulary for those working in and researching this field.  The glossaries highlighted here provide access to definitions for a selection of key terms used in forced migration studies as well as other related fields.  Excluded from this list are thesauri, which are tools used by librarians and documentalists to describe the subject matter of items added to information collections.  While these resources can help readers to better understand the inter-relationships that exist among specialized terminologies, they do not routinely define words.

 

View the list of glossaries.

 

How to find other glossaries:  Informal glossaries such as those listed above tend to be compiled by agencies for operational purposes and are not generally published.  Thus, most of these resources fall into the grey literature category, and are more likely to be made available online than in library collections.  However, it is always worth conducting a search in your library catalogue to identify what is available.  LCSH includes the subject headings >>dictionaries< and >>glossaries, vocabularies, etc.<<.  Note that the latter descriptor is applied more often to multilingual glossaries rather than to glossaries with definitions of terms.  The ITRT uses >>dictionaries<< to describe both traditional dictionaries and glossaries.  To locate additional glossaries online, try the following search strategies: >>glossary humanitarian*<<, >>glossary refugee*<<, >>glossary “forced migration”<<, etc.  Substitute “terminology” or “dictionary” for “glossary” for further results.  Online, readers can also consult the “Frequently asked questions” (FAQs) and “Questions & Answers” (Q&A) sections of web sites in order to locate additional definitions and clarifications of forced migration concepts.

 

Geographic Resources

 

See also: Yearbooks, Statistical Resources, Maps (index term)

 

Maps supplement the information located in reference sources by visually representing the themes or country situations discussed.  Given the rapidly evolving nature of displacement situations, access to up-to-date maps is essential for both operational and research purposes.  For this reason, most forced migration map collections are made available online.  Typically, they house a variety of physical, political and thematic maps for both individual countries and regions. More recently, some organizations have begun to develop interactive resources that allow users to create their own customized views of specific geographic areas using satellite imagery in combination with mapping tools.[20]

 

View the list of atlases and online map collections.

 

How to find other maps:  The above-mentioned collections focus predominantly on unfolding emergencies.  Other types of maps required for research purposes might include historical maps, basic country/city maps, or maps that focus on other forced migration themes.  The yearbooks described above are often good sources for thematic maps.  Libraries also routinely include geographical resources in their collections.  To search LCSH, enter a country name or subject term with either >>maps<< or >>atlases<< to indicate the document format you wish to have retrieved.  The ITRT also uses the index terms >>atlases<< and >>maps<<.  Since studies and treatises often include maps to complement the analysis provided, LCSH users can check the bibliographic descriptions in the catalogue records of titles retrieved during a search in order to determine which books include a relevant map or maps.  ITRT users should know that cataloguers will usually enter the term >>maps<< in the index terms field when a book includes maps and not just when the item is actually a map.  Some organizations regularly produce global maps; an example is the International Institute of Strategic Studies’ Chart of Conflict.[21]  To locate libraries around the world with map collections, consult the World Directory of Map Collections, 4^th ed. (München: K.G. Saur, 2000).  Other types of maps can be located online in the extensive Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.[22]

 

Image and Multimedia Resources

 

This section highlights audio and visual resources such as photos, videos, and podcasts.[23]  These media types can capture and convey the realities of forced migration themes and situations in a more direct and tangible fashion than text-based resources.  They are increasingly being used to transmit the stories and experiences of forced migrants in their own words.  As such, they are important resources for complementing and humanizing research findings.  Most of the major assistance organizations, both international and national, offer photo collections or galleries on their web sites.[24] Others also produce audio recordings, slideshows, videos and vodcasts.[25]  Moreover, freely available web tools such as YouTube and Flickr have made it easier for forced migration advocates to view and share photos and audiovisual resources.[26] 

 

View the sample listing of online searchable repositories of multimedia resources as well as libraries with in-house multimedia archives. 

 

How to find more multimedia resources:   When searching library collections for audiovisual resources, first check the catalogue’s advanced search options.  Usually, search results can be limited by format type; for example, the Worldcat catalogue includes a drop-down list next to its “limit by format” option that includes “visual material.”  In addition, books with photos included are often catalogued with the sub-heading >>pictorial works<<, e.g., >> Refugees, Palestinian Arab--Pictorial works<<.  Relevant ITRT index terms include >>photographs<<, >>audiovisual media<<, and >>video<<.  The UNHCR library has compiled a reference list of photography books relating to refugees and humanitarian assistance.[27]  On the web, specialized search engines can help locate specific media types such as photos (Google Images), videos (Blinkx), or audio (PodcastDirectory).[28]

 

Statistical Resources

 

See also:  Yearbooks, Geographic Resources, Statistical Data (index term)

 

Counting forced migrants is problematic for various reasons: 1) Displacement often occurs in situations marked by turmoil and chaos, such as during armed conflicts and natural disasters, so data can be difficult to collect; 2) Certain figures are not systematically tracked, such as the number of trafficking victims and people displaced by development projects; and 3) Definitions of forced migrants are often imprecise, inconsistently applied, or subjectively interpreted, and therefore data from different sources may be difficult to combine into one set or to compare across sets.  Despite these and other challenges,[29] a number of standard statistical resources are available that can help researchers locate data for purposes of providing context to an issue, supporting an argument, or testing an hypothesis. 

 

Both serial publications (i.e., monthly, quarterly or annual reports) and statistical databases are highlighted in this listing. 

 

How to find other statistical data:  LCSH catalogues statistical-related publications as follows:  >>[subject term]--statistics<<, e.g., >>refugees--statistics<<.  ITRT uses >>statistical data<< as its preferred term.  The principal online sources for asylum and refugee data are government immigration web sites; examples include UK immigration and asylum statistics and the U.S. Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.[30]  For information about other national and international statistics resources, refer to an online directory like “OFFSTATS: Official Statistics on the Web.”[31]  Data sets are another type of statistical resource; they are, effectively, the raw data collected for specific research projects.  Some researchers make their data sets available directly[32] or they deposit them with a data repository like the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) or the Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA).[33]  A specific catalogue of forced migration data sets is not currently available.[34]

 

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Endnotes