This page has information about the services that the Social Work Library offers to alumni of Boston College. The Social Work Library encourages all alumni to continue to use the Social Work Library during your careers as social workers. You are always welcome to contact us for assistance with your research.
Borrowing Books from Boston College
- All Boston College alumni are eligible to get an alumni borrowing card.
- Apply for an alumni borrowing card at the O'Neill circulation desk. Be sure to bring a form of identification with you when you apply for a card.
- The loan period for alumni borrowers is 28 days with a maximum of two renewals.
- Alumni borrowing cards allow you to borrow books from all Boston College Libraries except the Educational Resource Center and the Law Library.
Visiting the Social Work Library
If you live in the Boston area, you are welcome to visit the Social Work Library during our regular hours. You are warmly encouraged to get help from a social work librarian and to use our online resources at our guest computer.
Free Resources
Boston College Libraries' subscription databases and electronic journals are not available to alumni who are not on campus. For this reason, we have compiled electronic resources that you will be able to access from your home or office.
The Boston Public Library has a variety of databases that are useful for social workers, including Child Abuse, Child Welfare, and Adoption; Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection; PsycInfo; and Social Services Abstracts. You can access the Boston Public Library databases from home if you have a curent library card from the BPL. All Massachusetts residents are eligible for a library card from the Boston Public Library. Please click here for information on obtaining a borrowing card from the BPL.
In addition, the two databases listed below are available to all holders of a Massachusetts library card, and have full-text access to articles.
Expanded Academic
Expanded Academic Index features access to the full-text of popular and scholarly journal articles in a variety of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, and social work. You can access the Expanded Academic Index from your home computer if you have a current library card from any Massachusetts library.Health Reference Center
This database is useful for research on substance abuse, psychaitric treatments, and public health policy and issues. You can access Health Reference Center from your home computer if you have a current library card from any library in Massachusetts.
The free databases below include the citations and abstracts of articles on a vareity of topics relevant to social workers. Visit your local university or public library to get copies of the articles that you find in these databases.
AgeLine
Sponsored by the AARP, this free online database features abstracts to books and articles about life after 50+Buros Test Reviews Online
This site features a searchable list of information on over 4,000 commercially available tests and measures. Information on how to order these tests is included.The Cochrane Collection
Abstracts of systematic reviews that synthesize best practices for treating a medical or psychiatric disorder.PILOTS: an Electronic Index to the Traumatic Stress Literature
An electronic index to the worldwide literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health consequences of exposure to traumatic events.PubMed
PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, provides access to over 12 million MEDLINE citations back to the mid-1960's and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources. This database is particularly useful for clinical social workers because it is a source of a variety of journal abstracts on psychiatric issues.
Free Open Access Journals
Many online publications provide free access to their content. Three important social work journals that provide full access on the web are:
Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics
This peer-reviewed journal explores the ethical issues that impact social work practice.The New Social Worker Online
Current issue is available online. Articles are geared for new graduates who are looking for career advice.Social Work & Society
Social Work and Society is dedicated to critical analysis of the relationship between social work, social policy, the state and economic forces. It is international in scope and coverage.Many more Open Access journals of interest to social workers can be found through the Directory of Open Access Journals.
Websites
Useful websites for practitioners can be found on the the Social Work Library in-depth Research Guides.
An excellent current awareness site for social workers is Information for Practice, sponsored by the New York University School of Social Work.
The following are professional associations for social workers:
The American Psychological Association
Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups
Association of Oncology Social Work
Clinical Social Work Federation
International Federation of Social Workers
National Organization of Forensic Social Workers
NASW Online
North American Association of Christians in Social Work
School Social Work Association of America
The Social Work Image Campaign
Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care