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Occupy Movement Research Guide: Scholarly Sources

A list of recommended resources for finding information about the global Occupy Movement. It is curated by Patti Ryan (pryan@yorku.ca) and Lisa Sloniowski (lisasl@yorku.ca).

Omni Searching Books/E-Books

Omni, available via the library home page, is the new search tool shared by 18 Ontario university libraries. With a single search you can find a variety of resources held at York University Libraries and the other Omni partner libraries.

To find books or e-books follow these steps:

Step 1: Apply the Relevant Search Scope

Omni can be used to search for books or e-books in three different domains, equivalent to search scopes:

  1. York Libraries
  2. York Libraries + Omni Libraries (default search mode)
  3. Course reserves

In general we advise that you choose the first option. If you cannot find what you need this way, choosing the second option will find more books and e-books, which may be available using inter-library loan options linked from system records.

Step 2: Conduct your search

Results are automatically sorted by relevance including:

  • Frequency of matching search words
  • A value score (query words in author, title, subject, plus date)
  • Proximity of search words to one another 

 If you sort by the newest date, you lose the relevance ranking.

Step 3: Avail of the Search Filters and limit to Books & E-Books under Resource Type

These search filters appear once results load along the left-side of the screen

Use our Omni Guide to learn more about effective search strategies in Omni. Key terms to know are Search Scope, Facet, Boolean, Truncation, Wildcards, and Limits.

Essays and Scholarly Perspectives

The following publications collect the thoughts and opinions of various well-known scholars on the Occupy Movement. 

Scholarly Journal Indexes

There will be little coverage of the Occupy movement in the scholarly journals just yet, however if you are interested in researching social protests more generally, or to research some of the issues animating the occupations (income inequality, unemployment, etc), the following databases will have useful information. If you are not a York University student, staff or faculty member - talk to your local library to get access to these sources.

Need help?

Can't find what you're looking for? Need help with your research? 

Book a free appointment with one of our research specialists.

Visit a research/reference desk at one of the libraries.

Chat online with a research specialist.

See also:

How to Find Journal Articles