Have a topic to research?
​Need somewhere to start?
WORLD LANGUAGE: Researching COUNTRIES
Concise social, cultural, and political information on countries, U.S. states, and provinces around the world.
Explores facts and figures on more than 200 countries, with up-to-date reports detailing daily life and culture, history, customs and lifestyle from an insider's perspective. CultureGrams provides country reports that go beyond mere facts and figures to deliver a one-of-a-kind perspective on daily life and culture, including the background, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people. Provides primary source cultural & statistical country reports, native recipes, interviews, photos and videos. Individual reports covering 200+ countries, all 50 United States, and the Canadian provinces, are written and reviewed by in-country experts and are updated as new information becomes available. > Select your global region > Select your country > Explore the subject categories on the left margin of the page to investigate your country > Utilize the tools on the right margin of the page to save, cite, share (and more!) your findings.
General reference covering a wide array of disciplines and topics.
Log in with PVHS generic login credentials, click on "BROWSE TOPICS" in the upper left hand corner, and search the alphabetical list of topic portals for your country (every country has its own portal page). Once on your country's portal page, utilize the source type limiter options in the menu on the right side of the screen > Focus mostly on 'REFERENCE' sources. Make use of the 'SEARCH WITHIN' search field box (also on the right hand of the screen) to narrow your search and focus on specific keyword searches.
International viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues and current events.
Log in with PVHS generic login credentials, click on "BROWSE TOPICS" in the upper left hand corner, and search the alphabetical list of topic portals for your country. Utilize the limiter options on the right side of the screen > Focus mostly on 'REFERENCE' sources. Make use of the 'SEARCH WITHIN' search field box (also on the right hand of the screen) to narrow your search and focus on specific keyword searches.
Ebsco eBooks subscription to over 7,000 eBooks, fiction, reference, instructional, and nonfiction, covering a wide variety of topics. (Can be hit or miss with search results.) Read online or create an account to download as pdf.
Log in with PVHS generic login credentials (the same login is used as the user name AND the password). Search for country name, for travel guides, for the "Culture Shock!" series, and other relevant keyword search terms.
The library's CATALOG connects you to the thousands of print and eBook materials on the PVHS Library shelves.
Search the library catalog for print and individually purchased eBooks that cover your country or event. Use the 'POWER' search tab in the tab menu near the upper right hand corner, and make use of the Boolean search operators such as AND, OR, or NOT to save time and maximize efficiency. 'UPDATE' the 'CIRCULATION TYPE" to select only 'NONFICTION', 'REFERENCE', and 'EBOOK". Vary your search terms to include the name of your country or event, 'culture and customs', 'nations', 'people and places', 'atlas', 'countries of the world', 'social life and customs', 'geography encyclopedias', 'human geography', 'guidebooks', and more.
>​​ If a book has a call number, use it to find the physical book in our shelves. If the title has an eBook icon, use the the "OPEN" button to the right of the title to link directly into the book.
PVLD online World Book encyclopedia. Use PVLD generic login code for access!
Search the encyclopedia for your country or topic.
>​​ The PVHS Library password does not work for this resource, you must use the PVLD login (see top of page)
LONELY PLANET: Provides travel tips, destinations, and other general information
world nations
An EBOOK (published 2014) with individual profiles on the nations of the world
A series of country profiles provide insight into current living conditions and social, political, and economic climates of 235 nations. Nations of the World is divided into two major sections: the first contains the individual Country Chapters, arranged in alphabetical order; the second is a Regional World Overview, offering one entry each on the five major regions around the world. Each country chapter is divided into three parts.
1. Country Overview: with current political and economic events and an informed outlook toward the future.
2. Country Profile: which details historical information, political structures, political parties, and a thorough look at population, labor markets, media, trade, industry, agriculture, and energy. 3. Business Directory that provides contact numbers, hotel websites, travel information, and chambers of commerce, plus dozens of other useful numbers and addresses. Each country chapter also includes: Expert Analysis, Map of the Nations, Ley Facts, and Key Indicators.