Library Course Guides
Eng 101: Pop Culture
Click on the tabs below for information on finding articles, books, and eBooks about issues relating to pop culture.
For current information on popular culture, online resources are often the best place to begin researching. Books take some time to be written, reviewed and published, so they may not address the most recent, moment-by-moment changes in culture.
Library contact information is posted below. For further assistance, you can call or visit your local library, or email us at library@centralaz.edu.
General subject terms
Basketball players
Body art
Comedy movies
Documentary movies
Fashion
Gay and lesbian culture
Gender equality
Heavy metal music
Hip-Hop (culture)
Online education
Plastic surgery
Popular culture
Reality television programs
Reggae music
Romantic love
Tattooing
Technology and society
Vegetarianism
Video games
World of Warcraft (multiplayer online game)
Search as keywords to find related subjects
Name of an actor/ director
Name of a musician/ band
Name of an athlete/ team
Title of a book/ author
Title of an album/ song/ concert
Title of a movie/TV show
A popular movement
An important idea
A historical event
Possible narrowing terms
Criticism and appreciation
Influence
Appreciation
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Analysis
Forecasts and trends
(Motion Picture) — for films
(Nonfiction work)
(Novel)
(Television program)
(Fictional character)
(Music group)
You can also check out our Popular Culture Topic Guide.
Find Articles
Start Here
For most students, these first two databases will give you all of the sources you need. Do keyword searches, starting broad and then narrowing down. If you don’t find material on your first search (for example, Assassin’s Creed,) then try a broader term (video games, XBox, etc.). If you don’t quite get everything you need, move on to the next tier of databases using the successful keywords from your previous searches.
Pop Culture Studies Collection
Next Steps
These databases are great for current topics that cover both sides of an issues. Search by keyword(s) or browse their list of subjects. Examples are listed under the databases.
Examples of popular topics: Comic Books, Hip Hop Culture, MMA Fighting, Plastic Surgery, and Video Games
Opposing ViewPoints in Context
Examples of popular topics: Celebrity Culture, Fake News on Social Media, Rap and Hip Hop Music, Reality Television, and Sexting
If You Still Have’t Found Enough
These databases each have millions of articles on a wide range of subject areas. A basic keyword search is best.
Find eBooks
A collection of eBooks covering multiple subject areas, including history, business, geography, health, literature, politics, popular culture, psychology, religion, science, and more. Search by keyword(s) under Legacy View.
Search by keyword(s) in this growing collection of books covering a wide range of topics.
Search by keyword(s). These are subject-specific encyclopedias, so keep your search terms broad. You can use the suggested subjects above to start, or search for specific names and/or titles.
Find Books
Through the CAC and Pinal County Public Libraries, you have access to thousands of books on pop culture topics. Search by keyword(s) to browse a list of materials available. You can request books from other libraries, either through our catalog or by calling your CAC library. Contact us with any questions.

Aravaipa
80400 E Aravaipa Rd.
Winkleman, AZ 85192
520-357-2821

Maricopa
17945 N Regent Dr
Maricopa, AZ 85138
520-494-6431

San Tan
3736 E Bella Vista Rd.
San Tan Valley, AZ 85143
480-677-7844

Signal Peak
8470 N Overfield Rd.
Coolidge, AZ 85128
520-494-5286

Superstition Mountain
805 S Idaho Rd.
Apache Junction, AZ 85119
480-677-7747
AGS 122
Click on the tabs below for information on finding articles, books, and eBooks. Library contact information is posted below. For further assistance, you can call or visit your local library, or email us at library@centralaz.edu.
Suggested Search Terms
Forest conservation
Forest fires
Forest protection
Gray wolf
Land use
National Park Service
National parks
Natural resource conservation
Nonrenewable resources
Renewable energy
Renewable energy sources
Renewable resources
Soil erosion
Sustainable development
Wildlife reintroduction
Wolves (or wolf)
You can also check out our Environmental Science Topic Guide.
Articles
Academic OneFile searches millions of articles for your keywords or subject. The default search is a keyword, finding any word(s) you type in the box anywhere in an article. To get broader results in a keyword search, use an asterisk to search for variations on a word: energ* will find energy, energies, energetic or any other word beginning with the letters energ.
Subject searches are more specific. You must use defined terms that are already in the system, but the benefit of using subjects is that you will find articles where that word or phrase is a main topic of the article. To find articles on a subject, click on Subject Guide Search.
You can search OmniFile (EBSCOhost) with the same phrases that are listed above. Because Academic OneFile and OmniFile search different journals and resources, you will find articles in OmniFile that are not available through OneFile.
The Thesaurus function in OmniFile is similar to the Subject Search in OneFile. For the best results, change the browsing box to relevancy ranked, and then type in the word(s) to search. Click on a listed term to see related topics. To search, put a checkmark in front of one or more subject terms and click the Add button. Your terms will appear in the top-most box with a DE to denote topic. Click the green Search button to run the search and find all articles with your selected subject(s).
Issues & Controversies in American History
These databases provide essays to give you great background information on a topic, including timelines, legislation passed, and key players to know. If you find that you get too many resources on your results list, you can narrow this down to the best essays by going to article type and checking the “article” box. You can also try “by the numbers” to see statistics, “primary sources” to read original sources (like the laws as written and passed), or chronologies to see timelines and major events. Newspaper articles are also available; click any of the boxes in the Reuters news feed section to see current or older newspaper articles on your topic. (Reuters is a news agency that writes many of the stories published in newspapers. They are an excellent and reliable source for the most current information.
Newsbank provides (non-scholarly) coverage of topics from newspapers around the world. For the most recent, up-to-the-moment coverage of a topic, search here for articles. A keyword search will go through the full text of all articles in the database, which may give you too many results. You can retrieve more precise results by doing an Advanced Search and changing the “All Text” drop-down box to “Lead/First Paragraph” or “Headline.” You can also change the article ranking in the upper-right from “Newest” to “Best Match.”
eBooks
A growing collection of books covering a wide range of topics. Search by keyword(s).
Relevant Titles
Natural Resources and Sustainable Development
Solar Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment
Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes
Laws that Shaped America: Fifteen Acts of Congress… chapter 12
Complete, full-text eBooks covering most topics including subject-specific encyclopedias. Search by keyword(s).
Relevant Encyclopedia Titles
Alternative Energy
Animal Sciences
Encyclopedia of Environment and Society
Energy Production and Alternative Energy
Environment: A Revolution in Attitudes
The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
Plant Sciences
Books
Find books, DVDs, government documents and more from any of the 5 CAC Libraries and all of the Pinal County Public Libraries.
If the book you want is at a different campus or one of the public libraries, hit the request button and enter your login information. Your barcode is found on your ID (not your 880 number) and your password is the last 4 numbers of your phone number.
Your student or staff ID is your library card. Check out 10 books for 3 weeks and 3 DVDs for 10 days.
Use the call number to find items on the shelf.
Websites
Arizona Cooperative Extension (through University of Arizona)
Provides current information on many Arizona agriculture, natural resources, and water issues
National Resource Conservation Service
Provides current information on national issues, initiatives and resources. Use the Topics tab to find relevant information.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
A government agency website that provides information on environmental issues.
The U.S. Government’s Official Web Portal
Find federal and state government webpages on almost any topic.
The U.S. Government’s Topic Guide to Environment, Energy and Agriculture
A shortcut to federal information on Environment, Energy and Agriculture topics.

Aravaipa
80400 E Aravaipa Rd.
Winkleman, AZ 85192
520-357-2821

Maricopa
17945 N Regent Dr
Maricopa, AZ 85138
520-494-6431

San Tan
3736 E Bella Vista Rd.
San Tan Valley, AZ 85143
480-677-7844

Signal Peak
8470 N Overfield Rd.
Coolidge, AZ 85128
520-494-5286

Superstition Mountain
805 S Idaho Rd.
Apache Junction, AZ 85119
480-677-7747
ASB 201: Indians of the Southwest
Click on the tabs below for information on finding articles, books, and eBooks. Library contact information is posted below. For further assistance, you can call or visit your local library, or email us at library@centralaz.edu.
Journal Articles
Here are some articles on the subject of Native Americans (Southwestern United States).
Another option is to click on Subject Guide Search and search for specific tribes by name. Click on Subdivisions to find articles on specific topics within that tribe. (For example:”Myths and Legends”.)
Finally, you can search for specific events or customs using either a basic keyword search back at the home page.
There is no broad subject term for Native Americans of the Southwest in OmniFile. Instead, you can perform a subject search of specific geographic locations in the Southwest by clicking the Advanced Search link and selecting Subject(s) from the drop down menu to the right of the FIND box prior to entering your search term. (For example: “Native Americans New Mexico” or “Native Americans Arizona“).
You can also search for tribes by name, specific events, or customs, as subject terms using the same method described above. (For example: “Navajo Indians“).
Enter the tribe name, event, or custom as a keyword search.
eBooks
Gale Virtual Reference Library
If searching for a specific tribe, event, custom, etc., enter their name as a keyword search. You can also try keyword searches for “native americans” or “american indians.”
Full-text books found within the Gale Virtual Reference Library (search within them or use the alphabetical index to find your country)
Books
In the drop down box, select Subject Keyword, enter the phrase “Indians southwest” (without the quotation marks), tribe name, event, or custom, and click on the arrow.
Handbook of North American Indians
Signal Peak Campus – Reference collection
E77 .H25
Native Americans: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Peoples
Signal Peak Campus and Aravaipa Campus – Reference collections
E77 .P89 1998

Aravaipa
80400 E Aravaipa Rd.
Winkleman, AZ 85192
520-357-2821

Maricopa
17945 N Regent Dr
Maricopa, AZ 85138
520-494-6431

San Tan
3736 E Bella Vista Rd.
San Tan Valley, AZ 85143
480-677-7844

Signal Peak
8470 N Overfield Rd.
Coolidge, AZ 85128
520-494-5286

Superstition Mountain
805 S Idaho Rd.
Apache Junction, AZ 85119
480-677-7747
Hawaiian Literature
Click on the tabs below for information on finding articles, books, and eBooks. Library contact information is posted below. For further assistance, you can call or visit your local library, or email us at library@centralaz.edu.
Suggested Search Terms
Hawaiian culture, Hawaii, Hawaiian islands, Hawaiians, Multicultural education, Hawaiian history, Hawaiian politics, Hawaii politics, Hawaii history, Hawaiian history, Native Hawaiians, Ethnic Hawaiians, Hawaii tourism, Hawaiian language, Hawaiian music, Polynesian culture, Polynesians

You can also check out our Literature Topic Guide.
Find Academic Articles
Enter your keyword(s) into the search box at the top of the homepage. In addition to using search terms in a keyword search, Academic OneFile provides a type of search that gives you a good overview of the amount of material available for a search term. For example: click on Subject Guide Search and use Hawaiians as a search term. Click on the link for Subdivisions to find articles on specific topics within the overall subject or click on Related Subjects to find broader, narrower, and related terms.
If you are looking for scholarly sources, check the box on the right marked “peer-reviewed journals” in your results list. You can also search for (non-scholarly) sources like magazines and news in your results list.
Access journal articles by entering your keyword(s) into the Search box. OmniFile also lets you search by subject. Click the Advanced Search link and select SU Subject from the drop-down Select a Field (optional) menu to the right of the search box.
Search all available Gale databases and modules from just one place or select specific ones to search, such as Gale Literature Resource Center. Search by keyword(s).
Use keywords to search literary criticisms about authors and their works, as well as some primary sources written by the authors.
Find eBooks
A growing collection of books covering a wide range of topics. Search by keyword(s). Click the titles to see your keyword in each book, then click on the links for each page to find your keyword term. You can filter by subject, year, etc..
Complete, full-text eBooks covering most topics including subject-specific encyclopedias. Search using keywords. Since these are subject-specific encyclopedias, keep your search terms broad.
Find Books
Visit our Online Catalog to find printed books and DVDs in the library. Type in your keywords or pick author or title or subject from the drop-down list, and get a list of titles. Click Availability to see which campus has the item, which collection it is in, and if the item is available for check out. The call number tells you where the item is located on the shelf.
Find Videos
Find full length streaming videos by entering a keyword in the Search box.

Aravaipa
80400 E Aravaipa Rd.
Winkleman, AZ 85192
520-357-2821

Maricopa
17945 N Regent Dr
Maricopa, AZ 85138
520-494-6431

San Tan
3736 E Bella Vista Rd.
San Tan Valley, AZ 85143
480-677-7844

Signal Peak
8470 N Overfield Rd.
Coolidge, AZ 85128
520-494-5286

Superstition Mountain
805 S Idaho Rd.
Apache Junction, AZ 85119
480-677-7747
District Office
8470 N. Overfield Road
Coolidge, AZ 85128
Phone: 800-237-9814
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