Library Catalog

Try using some of the following terms to identify books on your topic, or use your own terms in a Boolean Keyword search. When you find a book that is relevant to your topic, check the Subjects listed for that book to identify other search terms and other books on the same topic. Here are some examples:

Boolean keyword search
advertising AND fear
marketing AND hispanic?
consumers AND (old? OR elderly)
"brand loyalty"

MelCat

You can request materials from Michigan libraries directly and pick up them up at Kresge Library. It is faster than traditional interlibrary loan only if libraries in the area own the materials.

WorldCat

You can request materials from any library - use the request button in the library catalog or the Illiad button on each database record to place an interlibrary loan request.

Because consumer behavior research incorporates many disciplines - e.g., psychology, sociology, marketing, etc. - try searching a number of the databases listed below to identify articles on your topic. If you find a relevant article that is not full-text, use the feature to determine if the article is available online in another database or in print in the library.

• ABI/Inform
• Business Source Premier
• PsycInfo / PsycArticles
• Management & Organization Studies - A Sage Journal Collection
• Sociological Abstracts
• Social Sciences Abstracts
• InfoTrac OneFile
• JSTOR
• Web of Science: Science & Social Sciences Citation Indexes

Also try Google Scholar for links to citations and some online articles. Note: not all articles will be available online.

_____________________________________________________
* These resources are available only to OU faculty, students, and staff.

There are numerous sources for consumer/demographic data on the Web; however, many of them are quite expensive to use! Here are some of the more important, free sources:

• Statistical Abstract of the United States - Statistical handbook for the US; also available in print at Ref. HA 202 .S7 (latest ed. at the reference desk)
• US Census 2000 - Includes links to state quick facts, American FactFinder, and Street Address Finder.
• American Community Survey - National annual survey of population & housing characteristics.
• Consumer Expenditure Survey - Average annual expenditures by consumer characteristics (age, income, ethnicity, etc.)
• Global Market Information Database - International socioconomic data, including industry statistics, consumer behavior statistics, and country information.
• Survey of Consumers - UM survey of consumer expectations of the economy and their own finances.
• American Marketplace* - Searchable publication of data "collected mainly from the federal government." Topics include: education, health, income, labor force, living arrangements, population, spending, and wealth.
  1992-present.
• Statistical Resources on the Web - Consumers (UM)
  Guide to online statistical sources on consumer behavior and other topics.