Housing: A Research Guide

Identifying Books

Books provide background information, statistics, and data from past research on your topic. Bibliographies that will lead you to 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 identify books. Books with general information on housing may be found in the HD7286-7390s on the third level of the Library.

Examples of Subject Headings in DELCAT

Architecture and the Physically Handicapped
Discrimination in Housing
Dwellings
Homeless Persons
Housing
Housing and Health
Housing--Delaware
Housing--Finance
Housing--Law and Legislation
Housing, Cooperative--United States

Housing, Single Family
Housing Development--United States
Housing Policy
Housing, Rural--United States
Life Care Communities
Low Income Housing
Mortgages--United States
Poor--Housing
Public Housing
Rental Housing

Selected Books

Ames, David L. Projected Population Growth and the New Arithmetic of Development in Delaware 1990-2020. Newark, Del.: Center for Historic Architecture & Design, College of Human Resources, Education & Public Policy, University of Delaware, 1999. LOCATION: Morris Library (State Doc HB3525 .D3 A44x 1999)

Colton, Kent W. Housing in the Twenty-First Century: Achieving Common Ground. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Wertheim Publications Committee, Harvard U. Press, 2003. LOCATION: Morris Library (HD7293 .C652x 2003)

Glink, Ilyce R. 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: With Answers from Top Brokers from Around the Country. 2nd ed. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000. LOCATION: Morris Library (HD 1379 .G58 2000b)

Schaie, K. Warner, ed. Aging Independently: Living Arrangements and Mobility. New York: Springer, 2003. LOCATION: Morris Library (HQ1063 .A36 2003)

State of the Nation's Housing. Cambridge, Mass.: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (annual). LOCATION: Morris Library - Reserve Room (HD7293 .A1 S73)

Stuart, Guy. Discriminating Risk: The U.S. Mortgage Lending Industry in the Twentieth Century. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2003. LOCATION: Morris Library (HG2040.5.U5 S747 2003)

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.

Journals of Interest

Family Economics and Nutrition Review Housing and Society Housing Policy Debate Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences

Electronic Indexes to Journal Articles (Databases)

Expanded Academic ASAP Plus LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): Expanded Academic ASAP Plus indexes articles on the subject of housing. Many are available in full text, such as articles from Family Economics and Nutrition Review, Urban Studies, Journal of the American Planning Association, and Business Economics. 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 provides indexing for family studies journals from 1970 to the present.

LexisNexis Government Periodicals Index LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): Provides subject and author indexing for magazines and newsletters published by the U.S. government.

PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service) LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): Offers indexing for books, pamphlets, reports of private and public agencies, and government publications related to business, economics, and social conditions. Many full-text articles from e-journals are available via Get It! links. The index covers years 1972 to present.

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.

Government Document Databases

GPO Access LOCATION: Databases LOCATION: Internet (http://www2.lib.udel.edu/database/gpo.html): 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-).

Organizations on the Web

Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/index.shtml): The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in the areas of policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research and evaluation, and economic analysis. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines are made available at this Web site.

Delaware State Housing Authority
LOCATION: Internet (http://www2.state.de.us/dsha/): Under the category of Research and Statistics, the DSHA provides information about Delaware's Consolidated Plan, Housing Impediment Study, Housing Production Report, Needs Assessment, and State Housing Code. There is a list of links to housing-related Web sites.

FannieMae.com
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.fanniemae.com/index.jhtml): Fannie Mae is a private, shareholder-owned company that operates under a congressional charter to make sure mortgage money is available to Americans.

Freddie Mac.com
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.freddiemac.com/): "Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered by Congress in 1970 to keep money flowing to mortgage lenders in support of homeownership and rental housing. Freddie Mac purchases single-family and multifamily residential mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances primarily by issuing mortgage pass through securities and debt instruments in the capital markets" (Freddie Mac Web Site).

Housing Education and Research Association (HERA)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/housing/aahe-links.html): The HERA is "an organization that promotes excellence in the planning, development, delivery and service of decent, safe, sanitary, affordable, ecologically sound, and appropriately designed housing for all people. Members of the organization recognize and understand the relationship that exists among the well being of individuals, families, and communities and the holistic housing environment. The organization is a major forum for professional dialogue among educators, researchers, and policy makers in the field of housing" (HERA Web site).

HUD: Delaware Office
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.hud.gov/local.html): The Web page contains links to HUD information on buying a home.

Joint Center for Housing Studies
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/): Annually publishes State of the Nation's Housing. Data from the appendix tables of the reports can be downloaded from the Web site and read with Adobe Acrobat. Select PUBLICATIONS on Web page and click on PUBLICATIONS BY YEAR.

National Association of Home Builders
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.nahb.com): News bulletins, plus useful facts and figures on construction statistics, home prices and sales, and financing.

Sources of Housing Statistics

Building Permits (C40) LOCATION: Internet (http://www.census.gov/const/www/permitsindex.html): Includes data for U.S., state, metropolitan area, and place.

Construction Statistics LOCATION: Internet (http://www.census.gov/const/www/index.html): Monthly numbers of "housing units authorized by permits, started, sold or completed" and "the dollar value of all construction put in place each month." Tracks "residential construction in 30 metropolitan areas across the country each quarter, and the sales of new one-family houses in those areas each year." Tabulates and publishes "the dollar value of residential improvement and repair work each quarter" (Constr. Stats. Web site).

Housing Production in Delaware LOCATION: Internet (http://www2.state.de.us/dsha/): Housing Production in Delaware is a publication of the Delaware State Housing Authority. "The report is designed to profile housing activity in Delaware. Data included are: number of new housing units authorized by building permit, number of mobile homes placed, number of rehabilitated housing units and number of residential demolitions" (Del. State Housing Auth. Web site).

Housing Starts: Current Construction Reports (C 20) LOCATION: Internet (http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/c20.html) LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (C 3.215/2: C 20- ) Census Area; current issues in Periodicals Room: "Provides monthly statistics for the United States and regions on new privately owned housing units started, authorized in permit-issuing places; and authorized, but not started at end of period. The report includes both monthly and seasonally adjusted estimates of units started and authorized. Comparative data are shown for earlier years" (Housing Starts Web site).

LexisNexis Statistical LOCATION: Library Databases (restricted to University of Delaware users): LexisNexis Statistical indexes statistical publications from the U.S. government, state governments, private organizations, and international intergovernmental organizations.

Standard & Poor's Statistical Service: Current Statistics. New York: Standard & Poor's Corporation. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference Desk (Ref HC101 .S74a): Library keeps only latest issues. There is a section labeled "Building" with mortgage information and housing statistics.

Statistical Abstract of the United States LOCATION: Databases LOCATION: Internet (http://www.census.gov/statab/www/) LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference Desk (Ref HA202 .A1): Compiles industrial, political, and economic statistics of the United States.

This page is maintained by Michael Gutierrez, Reference Department.

Last modified: 08/19/09