Childhood and Youth Studies | MacOdrum Library

Key Resources

Contains citations and abstracts to articles from journals in all areas of Canadian and U.S. history. Topics include childhood, folklore, and oral history.

Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America

Topics include history, culture, anthropology, linguistics, education, psychology, medicine, ethnomusicology, literature, and art history.

Child Development & Adolescent Studies

Provides access to international articles and other written materials dealing with child development.

PsycINFO

Contains citations with abstracts to articles and other documents in all areas of psychology and the behavioural sciences.

Sociological Abstracts

Provides citations with abstracts to articles, books and other written materials on sociology and social planning and policy.

Pîjashig Kwe kwe! Tunngahugit! She:kon! Aanii! Boozhoo! Tansi! Taanishi! Hello! Bienvenue!
The MacOdrum Library is located on the unceded territories of the Algonquin nation. Use this guide to begin your research and consult Martha Attridge Bufton, who can help you find the materials you need to complete your assignments.

Start your research

Meet Martha Attridge Bufton in the following video.

Pick a research topic

Read your syllabus (assignment instructions).
Pick a topic that interests you and meets the assignment instructions.
Narrow or broaden the scope of your topic so that it is "doable."
- What's scope? Scope refers to the "people, places and things" or "who, what, when and where" that you are studying. For example, Canada or another country? Children or adults? Education or child protection services?

Identify key concepts

Use this worksheet to write out your research topic and identify key ideas.

Do an initial search for academic sources

Develop an initial list of no more than three keywords (key concepts) and do a search in Omni, the search engine on the Library home page: library.carleton.ca.

Find electronic resources

Many digital and electronic resources are available through the library.

Ebooks: The library has a number of ebook collections. These collections include:
Journal articles
Films
Maps

To retrieve these materials with a keyword search in the library main search engine or other databases:

To find ebooks, use the "available online" and "books" filters in Omni.
To find journal articles
- Use the "available online" and "articles" filters in Omni
- Use the "linked to full text" filter in other databases.

In addition, virtual research support is also available:

Ask a Librarian offers virtual reference desk services seven days a week.
Individual consultations: Email your librarian or subject specialists to arrange an individual consultation.

Looking for digital or electronic materials that are not in the Carleton University Library Collection? Email your librarian or subject specialist.

Find peer-reviewed journal articles, images, & digital collections

Find peer-reviewed journal articles on a variety of topics

Use Scopus for multidisciplinary social science research and citation chaining.
For historical representations of childhood: America History and Life (Canada and the U.S.) or Historical Abstracts.
For human rights related materials:
- Defence for Children International
- The Landon Pearson Resource Centre for the Study of Childhood and Children's Rights.
- Save the Children
- United Nations High Commission for Human Rights: Committee on the Rights of the Child
For disability related materials, visit the Disability Studies subject guide.
For education related materials, try ERIC.

Images

Finding and using images: a Carleton University library guide (including how to cite images you use in projects and presentations)

Digital archive collections of children's books

Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature
Children's Literature (University of Illinois)
Children's Literature Research Collections (University of Minnesota)

Open access journals

Recommended peer-review journals in our library collection

Peer-reviewed journals related to child development and psychology

Canadian Journal of Children's Rights (Landon Pearson Resource Centre)
Developmental Science
Developmental Neuropsychology
Child Development
Developmental Psychology
Psychological Science
Nature
Science

Some publications are available either only in print or online. Others are available in both formats. Check UlrichsWeb for more information about individual journals.

Find books and ebooks (including children's literature)

Find books

In the search field on the library home page, use keywords to find books and ebooks (i.e., use your key concepts to search for relevant materials).

Here is a sample of child development and child studies related library books (in print)

Children's literature

The library has a growing collection of children's books, both classic and traditional. Many of these books are located on the first floor in the PZ section.

Our contemporary titles are collected across major themes including:

Disability and childhood
Indigenous children and communities
LGBTQ2+
Race
Sex education
Transnational childhood

Five children listening to someone read a story.

Attribution: Ainslie Coghill

This digital collection features some of the children's literature in our library and here are two lists of contemporary children's literature that is currently in the collection:

Children's literature collection List 1 2020 (updated 2023).pdf (114.03 KB)

Contemporary children's literature List 2 2022 (updated 2023).pdf (197.8 KB)

Find government documents, statistics, & legislation

Find government and non-governmental information

Federal departments and agencies have programs that directly impact children and their families:

Find federal legislation

Other federal legislation

Find Ontario legislation

Child and Family Services Act (Ontario)
Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act, 1996 (Ontario)
Ontario Disability Support Program Act (Ontario)
Ontario Health
Ministry of the Attorney General (family law)

For other legislation, use:

Ontario E-Laws
Quebec Laws & Regulations
Canadian Legal Information Institute (CANLII): for all provinces

Federal statistics

Statistics Canada
Community Information Database (based on census data: socioeconomic and demographic data and information for all Canadian communities)

Provincial

Cite your sources