Introduction

Editor Vibiana Bowman has drawn together contributions from some of the leading scholars in the interdisciplinary field of children and childhood studies (CCS) in this guided approach to literature searching in CCS. The contributors to this book are both faculty currently teaching in the area of CCS and academic librarians. The charge given to each contributor was to write a chapter that explained the process of scholarly research in his or her own particular area of expertise to a student unfamiliar with that discipline.

Towards this end, the book provides background information about interdisciplinary study in general, and children and childhood studies in particular, as well as an outline of basic research practices. Each contributor serves as a mentor and suggests a search strategy, discusses significant concepts and vocabulary, and lists the major resources that scholars in that area would be expected to use. Not intended as an exhaustive list of in-print research resources, rather the emphasis throughout this guide is on useful resources and effective research methodologies. As the field of CCS continues to evolve in the upcoming years, Scholarly Resources for Children and Childhood Studies will serve as an excellent stepping stone for those just entering the area.