Consumer Protection

Using DELCAT to Search for Books

Books provide background information, definitions, and data from past research on your topic. Bibliographies that list additional reference sources are often given at the end of each chapter or at the close of the book.

Use DELCAT, the online catalog of the University of Delaware Library, to locate books on your research topic. If you have trouble identifying appropriate subject headings, try a keyword search or ask for assistance at the Reference Desk.

Examples of Subject Headings in DELCAT

Consumer Behavior
Consumer Complaints
Consumer Credit
Consumer Education
Consumer Goods
Consumer Protection
Consumers
Consumption Economics
Product Safety
Quality of Products

Dictionaries and Directories

Consumer Action Handbook. Pueblo, CO: The Center. LOCATION: Internet (http://www.consumeraction.gov/pdfs/2005revisedCAH.pdf) LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HC110 .C663 C65)

Gall, Timothy L. and Susan B. Gall, eds. Consumers' Guide to Product Grades and Terms. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref TX335 .C669 1993)

Winter, Ruth. A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref TP983 .A55 W57 1999)

Winter, Ruth. A Consumer's Dictionary of Household, Yard, and Office Chemicals. 1st ed. New York: Crown, 1992. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref RA770.5 W56 1992)

Winter, Ruth. A Consumer's Dictionary of Medicines: Prescription, Over-the-Counter and Herbal, Plus Medical Definitions. 1st ed. New York: Crown, 1993. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref TX335 .C669 1993)

The Consumer Movement

Brobeck, Stephen. The Modern Consumer Movement: A Guide to the Sources. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HC110 .C63 B76x 1990)

Bykerk, Loree and Ardith Maney. U.S. Consumer Interest Groups: Institutional Profiles. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1995. LOCATION: Morris Library (HC110 .C63 B95 1995)

Creighton, Lucy Black. Pretenders to the Throne: The Consumer Movement in the United States. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books, 1976. LOCATION: Morris Library (HC110 .C63 C73)

Haskins, James. The Consumer Movement. New York: F. Watts, 1975. LOCATION: Morris Library (HC110 .C63 H37)

Mayer, Robert. The Consumer Movement: Guardians of the Marketplace. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1989. LOCATION: Morris Library (HC110 .C63 M38 1989)

Consumer Classics

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962. LOCATION: Morris Library (SB959 .C3)

Chase, Stuart. Your Money's Worth: A Study in the Waste of the Consumer's Dollar. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1927. LOCATION: Morris Library (HD62. C5)

Kallet, Arthur. 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics. New York: The Vanguard Press, 1932. LOCATION: Morris Library (HD9000.9 .U5 K3)

Magnuson, Warren. The Dark Side of the Marketplace: The Plight of the American Consumer. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. LOCATION: Morris Library (HC110 .C6 M28)

Nader, Ralph and Wesley J. Smith. Collision Course: The Truth About Airline Safety. Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: Tab Books, 1994. LOCATION: Morris Library (TL553.5 .N25 1994)

Nader, Ralph. Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile. New York: Grossman, 1965. LOCATION: Morris Library (TL240 .N25)

Packard, Vance. The Hidden Persuaders. New York: D. McKay Co., 1957. LOCATION: Morris Library (HF5822 .P3)

Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: Vanguard Press. LOCATION: Morris Library (PS3537 .I85 J85)

Snider, Jim and Terra Ziporyn. Future Shop: How New Technologies Will Change the Way We Shop and What We Buy. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. LOCATION: Morris Library (TX335 .S579 1992)

Consumer Tips

Bernstein, Peter W. and Christopher Ma. The Practical Guide to Practically Everything: The Ultimate Consumer Annual. 1st ed. New York: Random House, 1995. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref TX335 .P73)

Haas, Carol and the Editors of Consumer Reports Books. Consumer Reports Law Book: Your Essential Guide to Resolving Everyday Legal Problems. Yonkers, N.Y.: Consumer Reports Books, 1994. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref KF387 .H26 1994)

Rees, Alan M. Consumer Health USA: Essential Information from the Federal Health Network. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx, 1995. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref RC81 .C725 1995)

Green Guides

Dadd-Redalia, Debra. Sustaining the Earth: Choosing Consumer Products That Are Safe for You, Your Family, and the Earth. 1st ed. New York: Hearst Books, 1994. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref RA565 .D343 1994)

Makower, Joel and others. The Green Consumer. Rev. ed. New York: Penguin, 1993. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HC110 .C6 E44 1993b)

Searching for Journal Articles

Journal articles are an important source of current information on your topic. Articles on a particular topic can be identified by using the electronic databases at http://www.lib.udel.edu/db/. Some databases provide the full text of the articles they index; some give only the citation you need to locate the print journal in the UD Library (author, title of article, journal title, date, and page numbers). If the database does not provide the full text of the article you need, check DELCAT to see if the Library owns the journal that published the article.

Current issues of journals will be shelved alphabetically in the Periodicals Room next to the Reference Room. Older issues of journals are shelved by their call numbers in the book stacks on the second, third, and lower levels of the Library. Many journals are available via electronic subscriptions. Access the electronic journal via its URL in DELCAT or go to the list of electronic journals at http://www.lib.udel.edu/db/ejrnls.html.

Electronic Indexes to Journal Articles (Databases)

ABI/INFORM LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): ABI/INFORM (1972-) is an electronic index to business journals.

Expanded Academic ASAP Plus LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): Expanded Academic ASAP Plus provides indexing from 1980 to present for magazines and journals in a broad range of subject areas. The full text of some articles may be viewed and printed. Searches can be limited to refereed publications (scholarly journals).

Family & Society Studies Worldwide LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): Family & Society Studies Worldwide is an electronic index to family studies journals from 1970 to the present. The database combines two indexes: Inventory of Marriage and Family Literature and Australian Family and Society Abstracts.

General BusinessFile ASAP LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): An index (1982-) to articles in business journals. The full text of some articles may be viewed and printed.

Index to Research in Home Economics, 1972-1991. Winnipeg: N. Fetterman, V. Lefebvre, 1992. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z5775 .F47x 1992): Printed index covering years 1972-1991 for the Canadian Home Economics Journal, Home Economics Research Journal, Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, and Journal of Vocational Home Economics Education.

PAIS International LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): A subject index (1972-) of "books, pamphlets, government publications, reports of private and public agencies, and periodical articles relating to social and economic conditions, public administration, and international relations published in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish throughout the world." Many full-text articles from e-journals are available via Get It! links.

Sociological Abstracts LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): Sociological Abstracts is an electronic index to sociology journals. Many full-text articles from e-journals are available via Get It! links. The index covers years 1963 to present.

Selected Magazines and Journals

Advances in Consumer Research
Advancing the Consumer Interest (ACI)
Consumer Interests Annual
Consumer News
Consumer Reports
Consumers Digest
Consumers' Research Magazine
Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal
Family Economics Review
FDA Consumer
Financial Planning
The Journal of Consumer Affairs
The Journal of Consumer Marketing
The Journal of Consumer Research
The Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
Regulation

Government Document Databases

GPO Access LOCATION: Databases LOCATION: Internet (http://www.census.gov/statab/www/): GPO Access contains the full text of some of the most frequently used government information sources.

LexisNexis Congressional LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): Provides comprehensive access to United States legislative information.

LexisNexis Government Periodicals Index LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): The LNGPI indexes articles appearing in periodicals published by departments and agencies of the U.S. government (1992-).

MarciveWeb DOCS LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): An electronic index to U.S. government publications cataloged by the Government Printing Office (1976-).

This page is maintained by Linda Lawrence Stein, Reference Department.
Questions or comments?
Last modified: 07/29/08

Consumer Protection:

A Research Guide