This research guide highlights resources that will be useful to completing the writing assignments in this class. Please see the Center's website for information about our human rights collections.
Library Research Guide
Intro to Human Rights V3001.001

Pamela Graham
Director, Center for Human Rights Documentation & Research
Telephone: (212) 854-3630
E-mail: chrdr@columbia.edu
Library Contact
Getting Started -- Finding a Topic and Background Information

- UN Office of the High Commisioner for Human Rights, List of Human Rights Issues
- Univ. Minnesota Human Rights Library Topic Guides
- NY TIMES topics

Regional News

USE these databases to find entries and background articles on your topic in reference books.
- Basic Documents on Human Rights [print holdings]
- A Dictionary of Human Rights, 2nd ed. [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of Human Rights Issues Since 1945 [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements. 3rd ed. [print holdings]
- Human Rights Encyclopedia [print holdings]
- Human Rights: The Essential Reference [print holdings]
- Human rights worldwide : a reference handbook [print holdings] OR View preview in Google books
- Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
- Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered History in US [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of prostitution and sex work [print holdings]
- The Greenwood encyclopedia of children’s issues worldwide [print holdings]
- New slavery : a reference handbook [print holdings] OR View Preview in Google Books
- Oxford African American Studies Center
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States [print holdings]
- Routledge international encyclopedia of women : global women’s issues and knowledge [print holdings]
Regional and Country Information
- CountryWatch
- Europa World Plus (political & economic info about all countries)
- Economist Intelligence Unit - EIU Publications
- Encyclopedia of Islam & the Muslim World [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture (online in the Gale Virtual Reference Library) [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of Modern Asia [print holdings]
- Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa
- Historical Dictionary of Civil Wars in Africa [print holdings]
- New Encyclopedia of Africa [print holdings]
Search Tools
- Hurisearch
Search over 4500 human rights websites—Read more - Human Rights Library metasearch
- Google Scholar [Configure Scholar Preferences --> Library Links for Columbia]
Find Scholarly Articles

Human Rights Reports
- Amnesty International
- http://www.amnesty.org/en/library [search library of documents]
- http://www.amnesty.org/en/human-rights [browse publications by country/topic]
- http://report2009.amnesty.org/en/ [State of theWorld’s Human Rights]
- UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Annual Reports
- U.S. Dept. of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
- ECHO Annual Reviews (European Commission on Humanitarian Aid)
- European Commission, EU Report on Human Rights
- Freedom in the World: Political Rights and Civil Liberties
- Human Rights Watch 2009 World Report [Reports for previous years]
- International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Annual Report
- International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Annual Report
- The State of the World's Children UNICEF Annual
- The State of the World's Refugees UN High Commissioner for Refugees publications
- World Refugee Survey, US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Books and Book Reviews

CLIO - Columbia's Online Catalog
Use these standard Subject Headings:
- female circumcision (for female genital mutilation)
- child soldiers
- human trafficking OR forced labor
- Human rights
- Human rights advocacy
- Human rights--Government policy--[country]
- Human rights movements [may subdivide geographically]

- Book Review Index Plus
- H-Net Reviews
- Human Rights and Human Welfare
Brief reviews and lists of new human rights books
- New York Review of Books
Library Services
The Columbia University Libraries offer a wide range of research, instruction, and borrowing services to support all levels of academic research.
Hours & Study Spaces
Check the hours of our libraries, departments and services. We offer a variety of study spaces and venues.
Reference & Research Help
Librarians are available to assist you with research in person, via e-mail, phone, IM, or by appointment. If you need help, Ask a Librarian.
Library Essentials and Workshops
Library Essentials
are short video tutorials to help you with your research. Many of the Columbia Libraries offer hands-on research skills workshops to help you make better use of the libraries.
Finding Library Materials
The Libraries' website is a gateway to collections and services, including access to a wide variety of databases and e-journals.
CLIO is the online catalog for the Columbia, Barnard, and Union Theological Seminary libraries. Search CLIO for print and electronic books, journals, videos and dvd's, sound recordings, newspapers, and other materials. Use CLIO to request materials from Offsite, renew books, place recalls and holds.
Borrow Direct enables you to borrow books directly from six other Ivy League university libraries in the event the book you need is either unavailable because it is circulating; or is not owned by a Columbia University library. Typical delivery time is 4 business days.
Interlibrary Loan is the service to use for all other items not available through Borrow Direct, such as journal articles. Delivery time may be within 1-2 days for articles; 2-3 weeks for books.
For more information about library services at Columbia, use the drop-down menus (under "Libraries & Collections," "Catalogs," etc. located at the top of this page).