This and other research guides are on the ACC Library web page,
http://library.sunyacc.edu, under Research Guides & Tutorials.

Adirondack Community College, 640 Bay Road, Queensbury, NY 12804
(518) 743-2260

Books & Videos:

To find books and multimedia items, use the online catalog: ACC Library Web page > Finding Books > Catalog.

To find books on two overlapping topics, use the Boolean search word and .

You may also use a wildcard ending to words (a technique called truncation ) by replacing the end of the word with an asterisk. Examples: Italy and antiquities , or Italy and art* ( art* finds art, artist, artwork , etc.)

To find travel guidebooks, use “guidebooks and Italy”.  You can also search by the name of a city, such as Bologna, Padua, Ferrara, Venice, Florence or Rome.

Reference books:

Reference books, on the main floor of the library, offer quick overviews of topics. This will be useful for current topics:

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Italian Culture (Ref. DG 450 .E53 2000)

These are useful for current political and cultural information on Italy :

If you're focusing on an era such as the Renaissance, you may also want to look at:

Also make sure to see the books listed on the Art & Artists and Archaeology research guides, listed at the top of this page.

Gale Virtual Reference Library:

This database offers full-text chapters from over 80 reference books. (The ACC Library owns many of these reference books in printed format also.) Among the 80 books it searches are: Countries and their Cultures and Geo-Data .

Go to: ACC Library Web page > Finding Books > Reference > Gale Virtual Reference Library . Note: This is a subscription database. ACC students, faculty and staff may log in from off-campus with their campus network user names and passwords.

Articles and Article Databases:

The ACC Library subscribes to these anthropology and archaeology journals, located in the Periodicals area on the main floor of the library: National Geographic, Anthropology  Newsletter , Cultural Anthropology, Antiquity and Archaeology . 

Use online article databases to locate articles. Which you use depend on your topic. Consult a librarian for recommendations.

To reach the online databases ,go to ACC Library's Web page:

           • Under Finding Articles , click on General Databases or Subject Databases.

• To search these databases from home, follow screen directions to log in.

Web sites:

Save time and effort by starting with these useful sites:

Librarians' Internet Index http://lii.org This subject directory lists thousands of quality Web sites. Search by terms Italy or a more specific term for dozens of quality Web sites.

Google http://www.google.com This is a large search engine, but does not evaluate the quality of sites. Use Advanced Search to search with very specific terms. Use Images search tab to see photos.

Beautiful Pictures from Italy http://www.initaly.com/regions/pictsofitaly.htm From "In Italy" travel Web site.

Online Newspapers: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/italy.htm Most newspapers are in Italian.

Statistical Resources on the Web http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html Web sites with statistics on social sciences, business, science, health, demographics, more. Covers local, state, national, international statistics. From University of Michigan Documents Center. See more in our Finding Statistics research guide.

Archaeology information:

• Archaeology site at About.com: http://archaeology.about.com

• Univ. at Albany Libraries' Anthropology Web links: http://library.albany.edu/subject/anthropology.htm

General travel information:

See the ACC Library's research guide Travel Destinations: Web sites for more useful links.

Insure My Trip http://www.insuremytrip.com Travel insurance comparison site.

U.S. Department of State: International Travel Information http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html Click on left column to see individual countries' Consular Information Sheets, travel warnings, health issues, passport & visa services, embassies, Tips for Traveling Abroad, etc.

For other English-speaking countries' viewpoints, see travel advisories from:
- United Kingdom : http://www.fco.gov.uk/   (In Most Popular Sections, choose Country Profiles )
-  Australia: http://www.dfat.gov.au/travel/
-  Canada : http://www.voyage.gc.ca/ (then choose English)
-  New Zealand: http://safetravel.govt.nz/

Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/travel - For health advisories in countries around the world. 

Universal Currency Converter http://www.xe.net/ucc - Italy uses the euro.

Oanda http://www.oanda.com - currency site; click FXCheatSheet to create wallet-sized currency converter table.

Weather around the World http://www.intellicast.com - Check the weather in Rome to know how to pack!

Updated July 2008/JM