A student approaches the reference desk needing to research a specific country. What are some good resources I can use to help them?

Let’s make sure we get off on the right track by using our model reference behaviors to determine the specific type of information our customer wants. Is our customer a young student looking for basic geographic and political information including a picture of the country’s flag? Is it an older student trying to find out about a country’s history, culture, and customs? Or is our customer someone planning a visit to a particular country?

The World Book Encyclopedia is a great place to start our research whether we’re using the print or electronic version. The articles are well-organized, clearly written, and offer maps and illustrations. The following websites are particularly useful for general information about specific countries:

• CIA World Factbook
• Country Studies – Federal Research Division, Library of Congress
• InfoPlease – Countries of the World
• Portals to the World from the Library of Congress
• U.S. Department of State Background Notes

Have you ever had a request from a student for an outline map of some area? Try Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Education Place: Outline Maps resource.

Sometimes students will come to the library searching for information on culture and customs. Greenwood Press publishes several series of books that are perfect for this type of question. Some examples of these series with titles on individual countries are Culture and Customs of Africa, Culture and Customs of Asia, Culture and Customs of Europe, and Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Another useful source for this type of information is a set entitled Culturgrams: the Nations around Us. Some libraries may have access to the electronic version of this wonderful resource.

Interested in a Web source that explores the culture and etiquette of a specific country? Try Kwintessential’s Global Guide to Culture, Customs and Etiquette.

Older students may be searching for in-depth sources of statistics. Here are some Web possibilities:

• NationMaster
• University of Michigan Statistical Resources on the Web: Foreign Government Data Sources

Is your customer looking for material on foreign aid? Try our How to Find Information on Foreign Aid How-to Guide.

Customers interested in foreign travel will find a number of the above-named websites useful. They may also benefit from the following:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Travelers’ Health
• Travel.State.Gov – International Travel for U.S. Citizens