This guide suggests resources and strategies for research in the field of Recreation, including options such as Therapeutic Recreation, Outdoor Recreation/Adventure, Youth Development and Commercial Recreation.

Background Information  | Checking the Facts | Find Articles | Find Books | Organizations | Web Resources

Background Information

Encyclopedias and other reference works are an excellent place to start a research project or simply learn more about a particular topic.  They provide topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.

Complete Outdoors Encyclopedia	R 799 Sp25c 1988
Encyclopedia of Juvenile Justice	R 364.3603 En195
Encyclopedia of World Sport: From Ancient Times to Present	R 796.03 En198
Encyclopedia of Sport Science	R 613.71 En19
Health Club Trend Report	R 796.06873 H349 1987/1997
International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports	R 796.082 In851
The Nonprofit Handbook: Fund Raising	R 658.048 N733
The Nonprofit Handbook: Management	R 658.048 N7324 1997
Rolling Rivers: an Encyclopedia of America's Rivers	R 333.78450973 R651 1984
Social Science Encyclopedia	R 303.3 So13 1996
Sports: the Complete Visual Reference	R 796 Sp67543
Wilderness Preservation: a Reference Handbook	R 333.78216 R723w

Use dictionaries, statistical works, atlases, handbooks and similar works to find and check facts about topics, people, or events.

Conservation Directory	R 333.9502573 C7655 2002
Dictionary of Concepts in Recreation and Leisure Studies	R 790.03 Sm66d
Dictionary of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality	R 338.4791 M469d 1994
Pioneers in Public Recreation	R 927.96 B976p
World Tourism Directory	R 338.4791025 W893

Search indexes, abstracts, and databases to find journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.  For a complete list of Kent Library's online indexes and databases, see the Find: articles page (http://library.semo.edu/find/articles.asp).

To find historical/source materials,use the following print sources:

Humanities Index	(Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
Physical Education Index	(Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)
Social Science Index	(Indexes/Abstracts area, main floor)

To find recent articles and scholarly/peer-reviewed articles use the following online databases and indices:

Online Databases

Academic Search Premiere

ABI Inform Complete
Electronic Green Journal http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center)

Health Source Plus-Consumer Edition

Proquest Research Library

SPORTDiscus

Wilson OmniFile

 

To browse Recreation journal titles that are in our electronic collection, visit the subject guide to journals in our  E Journal Portal.  Try  Sports, Leisure and Hobbies or Business and Economics.

Use the Kent Library Catalog (http://library.semo.edu/find/books.html) to find books, periodicals (journals, magazines, & newspapers), videos, government documents and other materials.

Keyword searches allow you to use your own words as search terms.

Recreation and Disability

Parks and Colorado

Subject heading searches use Library of Congress subject headings. Printed volumes of these headings are located near the Reference Desk on the main floor.

Sample Subject Headings

Movement Therapy	Parks Planning
Non Profit Organizations Finance	Physical Fitness for People with Disabilities
Non Profit Organizations Management	People with Disabilities Recreation
Nursing Home Recreational Activities	Recreation
Older People Recreation	Recreation and Juvenile Delinquency
Outdoor Recreation	Recreation Management
Parks Management	Recreational Therapy

Selected Sources

The Leisure Literature: a Guide to Sources in Leisure   Studies, Fitness, Sports and Travel	Available Through MOBIUS
Recreation and Leisure: An Introductory Handbook	790.013 R245

Consult these organizations for information on  conferences, accreditation, workshops, additional resources,  etc.

• American Association for Leisure and Recreation www.aahperd.org/aalr/template.cfm

• American Camping Association (ACA) www.acacamps.org

• American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) www.atra-tr.org/atra.htm

• American Trails www.americantrails.org/

• Association for Experiential Education (AEE) www.aee.org

• Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education www.aore.org

• International Festivals & Events Association www.ifea.com

• Leave No Trace: Center for Outdoor Ethics www.lnt.org/

• Missouri Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance www.moahperd.org/

• National Center on Accessibility (NCA) www.ncaonline.org/index.shtml

• National Center on Physical Activity and Disability www.ncpad.org/

• National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) www.nirsa.org

• National Recreation and Park Association www.nrpa.org

• North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) www.naaee.org/

• Wilderness Education Association (WEA) www.weainfo.org

• World Leisure www.worldleisure.org/

• American Park Network www.americanparknetwork.com/home/

• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/index.html

• Recreation.gov  www.recreation.gov

For a list of Web searching tools, see the Find: web resources page (http://library.semo.edu/find/webpages.html).