Demography : a guide to library resources

ATLASES

The following atlases provide coverage of demographic issues

International coverage

AAAS Atlas of population & environment [web access] - also available in print format

Atlas of international migration (1993) [print]

Atlas of world population history (1978) [print]

Globalis: global health atlas [web access]

Penguin atlas of diasporas (1995) [print]

Where the poor are: an atlas of poverty [web access]

World atlas of ageing (1998) [print]

Australian coverage

Atlas of the Australian people [print]
[Documents the ethnic characteristics of the population from the 1986, 1991 & 1996 censuses]

Mortality Atlas, Australia [web access]
[A useful reference for interpreting causes of death in Australia]

Social atlas series (2001 census) [print]
[Presents maps of the key social, demographic and economic characteristics of Australia's capital cities at the time of the 2001 Census]

Social health atlas [web access]
[Covers the nation, the states and the territories in separate volumes. Also available in print format]

Social health atlas of South Australia (3rd edition, 2006) [web access]
[Provides an overview of the health status and the patterns of use of health and welfare services of the population in different areas of the State. Also available in print format]

Social health atlas of young South Australians (2nd edition, 2003) [web access]
[Contains information about the health status and health service use of the children and young people of South Australia. Also available in print format]

STARTING POINTS

The following is a selection of overviews and introductory texts

Beyond six billion: forecasting the world's population (2000) [web access]
[Examines the state of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding national, regional, and world population projections. Also available in print format]

Concise history of world population (4th edition, 2006) [print]
[Thematic history of world population. A book review of the 1992 edition is linked here]

Cambridge survey of world migration (1995) [print]
[Survey of migration in the modern world beginning with the sixteenth century. A book review is linked here.

Demography in transition: emerging trends in population studies (2006) [print]
[The seven studies in this book provide an insight into complex demographic issues, as well as highlighting many of the growing foci in the discipline]

Forced migration online [web access]
[A digital library of full-text publications on the subject of forced migration]

Glossary of population terms [web access]
[From the Population Reference Bureau]

International migration outlook [electronic]
[OECD analysis of recent trends in migration movements and policies in OECD countries]

International migration report 2002 [web access]
[UN overview of international migration levels, trends and policies]

Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) [web access]
[Presents data derived from policies to integrate migrants in 25 EU Member States and 3 non-EU countries]

People on the move: handbook of selected terms and concepts [web access]
[A migration glossary from The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration (THP Foundation) in cooperation with UNESCO]

Population handbook [web access]
[From the Population Reference Bureau]

State of world population [web access]
[Annual report on population & development by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)

State of the world's children [web access]
[Annual report from UNICEF on the well-being of children]

State of the world's refugees [web access]
[Annual report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Also available in print format]

World health report [web access]
[Annual report from the World Health Organization which analyses the influence of health systems on the daily lives of people worldwide. Also available in print format]

World migration 2005 [web access]
[Analyses the effects of globalization, trade liberalization, economic integration and the widening gap between rich and poor nations on migration flows]

World mortality report 2005 [web access]
[Report from the UN]

World population ageing 1950-2050 [web access]
[This UN report provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes a series of indicators of the ageing process]

World population policies 2007 [web access]
[UN report on the population policies of member & non-member countries]

World population prospects: the 2006 revision [web access]
[Analytic data from the demographic estimates & projections undertaken by the Population Division of the UN Dept of Economic & Social Affairs]

World urbanization prospects: the 2005 revision [web access]
[Presents UN official estimates & projections of urban & rural populations]

FINDING BOOKS USING THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE

Books can be found by searching the library catalogue. The following are some suggested starting points :

Australia Emigration and Immigration
Australia Population
Australia Population Policy
Demography
Demography Methodology
Emigration and immigration
Emigration and immigration Government Policy
Emigration and immigration History
Emigration and immigration Social Aspects
Fertility, Human
Forced migration
Human beings Migrations
Immigrants Australia
Immigrants Government Policy
Migration, Internal

Migration, Internal Australia
Population
Population Economic Aspects
Population Environmental Aspects
Population Forecasting
Population Geography
Population History
Population Policy
Population Research
Population Statistics
Refugees
Refugees Australia
Refugees Government Policy
South Australia Population
Urbanization
Urbanization Australia

Urbanization Environmental Aspects

Click here if you need help with constructing searches using techniques such as truncation and Boolean operators

FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES

Journal articles can be found through databases listed in the Databases for Geography guide.

Researchers needing to undertake a more comprehensive literature search should note the following specialised population databases:

Popline [web access]
[Database on reproductive health. Coverage is from 1973 onward]

PERN eLibrary [web access]
[An index to population-environment literature]

Population Index [electronic]
[Useful for its early coverage of the world's demographic & population literature from 1935 until its cessation in 1999]

Also worth considering are the health sciences databases such as PubMed for international coverage; Meditext and AustHealth for Australian coverage.

There are also specialised bibliographies in the library on demography/population issues and migration issues.

STATISTICAL DATA

Australian Statistical Data

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is Australia's national statistical agency. From 1998 most ABS statistics are freely available electronically from the Statistics section of the ABS web-site. To browse their demographic-related publications search by Catalogue Number, and then choose either subject #2 Census or subject #3 Demography.

ABS publications prior to 1998 are generally not available in electronic format from ABS. To find these publications means locating them in the library in either print, CD-ROM or microfiche formats. Check the Statistics Australia guide for more information.

Other government agencies which publish statistical data in their areas of responsibility are:

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
[The national agency for health and welfare statistics]

Dept of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs statistical publications
[Publications on migration and population-related issues]

Planning SA: Population Projections
[On-line access to population projections released by the State Government]

For Australian historical statistics, make a start with:

Australians, historical statistics [print]
[Statistical data from the earliest days to the 1980's. Includes immigration, population & vital statistics]

Birthplaces of the Australian people [print]
[Colonial & Commonwealth censuses, 1828-1991]

Immigration: Federation to century's end [web access]
[Overview of the migration and population history of Australia in the 20th century. Also available in print format]

Mortality over the twentieth century in Australia: trends and patterns [web access]
[This report includes substantial mortality statistics. Also available in print format]

Studies in Australian ethnic history [print]
[A series of publications which presents historical statistical information on immigration]

Global Statistical Data

Demographic yearbook [web access]
[Annual yearbook of international demographical statistics from the United Nations. Also available in print format]

Human development report statistics [web access]
[Published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) these reports contains a wealth of statistical data which can be accessed separately from this site]

International Data Base (IDB) [web access]
[This database from the US Census Bureau International Programs Center containing statistical tables of demographic, and socio-economic data for all countries of the world]

International health data reference guide [web access]
[From the US National Center for Health Statistics this is a guide to the availability of selected world-wide national vital statistics & national population-based surveys]

MPI Data Hub [web access]
[This database from the Migration Policy Institute (USA) presents migration data from around the world]

OECD.Stat [electronic]
[Enables users to search for and extract data from across OECD’s many databases]

Population and Health Data Search [web access]
[This database from the Population Reference Bureau contains data on demographic variables for countries, regions and the world as a whole]

STATcompiler [web access]
[This database from Demography & Health Surveys (DHS) allows users to select desired countries and demographic and health indicators to create customised statistical reports]

Statistical yearbook [print]
[Annual United Nations publication which covers a variety of subjects including population & health]

UNHCR Statistics [web access]
[Statistical data from UNHCR - the UN refugee agency]

World health statistics [web access]
[Global health statistics from the World Health Organization. Also available in print format]

World Population Data Sheet [web access]
[From the Population Reference Bureau, this site contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators]

World Urbanization Prospects: the 2005 revision Population Database [web access]
[Statistical data on urbanization trends]

Historical Statistics

International historical statistics [print]
[A series of publication containing continent-wide statistical tables from 1750 onwards]

International population census bibliography [print]
[A guide to all known census publications throughout the world up to 1968]

WEB RESOURCES

The following are starting points for locating resources on the Web

CICRED
[The Committee for International Cooperation in National Research in Demography (CICRED) is a non-governmental organisation which aims to develop cooperation amongst national population research centres]

International Organization for Migration
[IOM is an inter-governmental organization in the field of migration which works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners on issues of migration]

International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP)
[Promotes scientific studies of demography and population-related issues]

Migration Policy Institute
[An independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to the study of the movement of people worldwide]

Population Action International
[Dedicated to advancing policies and programs that slow population growth in order to enhance the quality of life for all people]

Population Reference Bureau
[Provides information on U.S. and international population trends and their implications]

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
[Key UN agency for refugees]

United Nations Population Division
[Responsible for monitoring and appraisal of the broad range of areas in the field of population]

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
[UNFPA assists countries to address reproductive health and population issues]

WWW Virtual Library : Demography & Population Studies
WWW Virtual Library : Medicine & Health Epidemiology
WWW Virtual Library : Ercomer Virtual Library [Migration & Ethnic Relations]
[The WWW VL guides provide key links for particular subject areas & are widely recognised as being amongst the highest-quality guides to Web resources]

This page is maintained by Helen Attar