Professor & Reference/Instruction Librarian
St. Mary's University
One Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, TX 78228-8608
USA
dduesterhoeft@stmarytx.edu
Getting Started
It's important to have a good broad understanding of your topic before you start looking for specific information. The sources in the boxes below can give you an overview of your subject and help you refine your research strategy and find useful terms to use in searches.
Doing research in any field will always reveal unexpected complexities and facets of the topic at hand. Environmental issues are particularly complex and interdisciplinary. Get a head start on the complications that will come up by using the library resources in this guide.
Sustainability Degrees & Jobs
Here are some sources on jobs and degrees related to sustainability, as well as ideas for activism:
Discover: Find articles, books, and more...
Gale eBooks
- Gale eBooks: General Reference Collection This link opens in a new windowAn award-winning, hassle-free eBook experience—anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Gale’s eBook platform provides comprehensive support from many of today’s top publishers.
Collections include titles on:
Arts, Biography, Business, Education, Environment, General Reference, History, Information and Publishing, Law, LCO, Literature, Medicine, Multicultural Studies, Nation and World, Religion, SATA, Science, Social Science, Technology
More starting points
Government agencies and other organizations also have good basic topic pages that can help form a strong foundation for your research. Here are some of them:
- EnergySaversinformation for consumers from the Dept. of Energy
- EPA: Environmental TopicsCovers such topics as climate change, green living, water, waste management, air quality and environmental health
- National Park Service: Explore NatureCovers wildlife, air quality, water, and general environmental issues.
- Nature Conservancy: Prioritiesincludes rainforests and coral reefs, as well as broad environmental topics such as climate change
- United Nations: Environment Programmeportal for UN documents and other information on basic environmental issues
- Wilderness Society: Key Issuesincludes recreation-related issues as well as energy, climate change and general conservation
Guides & compilations
The Blume Library website offers research guides and compilations of resources like databases that can save your research time. Here are some selected resources:
Database Compilations:
Credits
This guide was originally developed by retired librarian Kathy Amen.