Virtual Reference Shelf / Référence virtuelle
General
- For statistics and reports from all UN agencies: UN Data
- Centre des Médias Alternatifs du Québec (Quebec’s Centre for Media Alternative)
- Resources for resistance history
- Anti-racism for activists: a bibliography
- News sources [U.S. focus]
- Feminist Fact Checking Resources
Alternative libraries, infoshops, and zines
- Massive list here, mainly in the U.S.
- Zine Library: hundreds of radical zines ready to print
- Alternative Libraries (Montreal)
- DIRA (Documentation, Information, Références et Archives): bibliothèque anarchiste (Montréal)
- La Page Noire: librairie/bibliothèque/centre d’information qui diffuse toute une panoplie de livres, revues, brochures, tracts, musique, etc. pourvu qu’ils soient cohérents avec la mission que se sont donnés ses membres fondateurs et fondatrices: faire la promotion d’alternatives au capitalisme et à l’ordre politique actuel (Montréal)
- Centre de documentation sur l’éducation des adultes et la condition féminine (Montréal)
- Salon du livre anarchiste (Montréal). Note that the “links” column compiles other anarchist bookfairs worldwide
- Byron Anderson’s “Bibliographic and Web Tools for Alternative Media“[.doc], which is published regularly in Counterpoise. Sections include Reference Books/Online Databases; Web Sources; Distributors; Organizations; Small Press/Alternative Media: News, Reviews, Awards, Reprints; and Related works.
- Byron Anderson’s guide to “Getting Alternative Press Titles into Libraries and Promoting Alternative Presses in the Library” [PDF]
Crime and legal topics
- Crime statistics from Statistics Canada
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
- Montreal Legal Aid (Aide juridique)
- McGill Legal Information Clinic (lots of links)
- Montreal Civil Liberties Union
- Quebec Police Ethics/Déontologie policière
- Canadian Civil Liberties Union
- City of Montreal by-laws: English and French
- Collectif opposé à la brutalité policière
Education
- Statistics and reports on education from Statistics Canada
- Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (Quebec)
- National Center for Education Statistics (U.S.)
Government
- Access to Information Act (Canada)
- CIA World Factbook
- Country Indicators for Foreign Policy (CIFP) includes global political and demographic indicators related to political stability
- Economic Freedom of the World reports: reports and data from the Fraser Institute
- Failed States Index ranking of countries based on indicators of risk
- Freedom in the World reports: Freedom House’s comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties
- Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC): includes regularly updated country profiles
- Polity IV Project: Data series with measures of democratic governance
- Transparency International: reports, statistics, and analysis of global corruption
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic justice
Health
- Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (Quebec)
- Canadian Institute for Health Information
- McGill Library Global Health Resource Guide
- Black Cross Health Collective
- Collective of health care workers based in Portland Oregon
- Check the links page for more useful sites
- MedlinePlus
- the National Library of Medicine’s free consumer health information site
- non-technical, recognized authority
- PubMed Central
- free, full-text archive of medical and life science journals
- Cochrane Library
- reviews and summaries of evidence based medical research
- not all available freely, but you can browse free summaries (near the bottom of the page)
- List of Street Medics
- Street medic information
- Preparing for demos
- bsic first aid tips
- Activist Trauma Support (http://www.activist-trauma.net/) and (http://www.pscap.org/healingtrauma/)
Human Rights
- Collection of resources from h-net
- Amnesty International
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Human Rights in Canada: A Historical Perspective (a timeline)
Immigration
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada: includes statistics and reports
- Immigration Quebec
Labour
- International Labour Organization: “The UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights.”
- Canada Labour Code
- Canadian Labour Congress: Umbrella organization for Canada’s national and international unions
- Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada
- Commission des normes du travail du Québec / Labour standards in Quebec: in French and English
Politics, public opinion, and elections
- Canadian Opinion Research Archive (CORA) provides access to information about hundreds of Canadian public opinion surveys
- Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) European social science data archives
- European Social Surveysurvey data related to attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns in Europe
- Pew Research Center: Home page for public opinion data and analysis of issues, attitudes, and trends in America and internationally; Publications on news media from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
- ACE Electoral Knowledge Networkinformation on electoral systems and theory worldwide. Includes an Election Guide with electoral results, calendars, etc. for individual countries.
- Center for Communication and Civic Engagement (University of Washington)Information and research related to participatory media and citizen engagement
- PARLINE Database (Inter-Parliamentary Union) information regarding national parliaments, election results
- Election archive Search by country. Note that this website is put together by a single individual, the data should be verified when possible.
Military
Population and demographics
- Statistics Canada
- World Bank Data
- International Data Base (IDB) US Census Bureau: A computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic, and socio-economic data for 227 countries and areas of the world.
- Population Reference Bureau Datafinder: This database contains data on 95 demographic variables for more than 220 countries, 28 world regions and sub-regions, the world as a whole, the United States as a whole, and the U.S. states. (Not all countries have data on all variables.)
- Population Index, 1986-2000. World population literature
Voters’ rights
Services in Montreal
2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy
2110 rue MacKay
1455 de Maisonneuve West, Annex V-01
Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8
514-848-2424 poste7431
- The 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy’s library is full of great titles to help you broaden your understanding of gender issues ranging from the history of women’s role in the labour movement to gender theory, and everything in between.
2035 boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC, H2X 2T3
514-843-2018
dira@riseup.net
Cactus Montreal
1300 rue Sanguinet
Montréal, Québec
H2X 3E7
- Cactus Montréal is an autonomous, nonprofit organisation which helps persons who use illicit drugs, or those with potentially risky sexual behaviour, to reduce the risks associated with those practices while improving their quality of life. Cactus eliminates barriers and the feeling of exclusion by open-mindedly welcoming those who need support, without judging their lifestyle choices.
Centre de documentation sur l’education des adultes et la condition feminine (CDEACF)
110 rue Sainte-Therese, bureau 101
Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1E6
514-876-1180
- Projets et chercheur-e-s en alphabétisation, littératie, éducation et formation des adultes, au Québec et au Canada francophone.
Centre for Community Organizations (COCo)
3680, rue Jean-Mance
Montreal, QC, H2X 2K5
514-849-5599
- COCo’s lending library consists of nearly 500 books in both English and French. We encourage people to check out the many interesting tittles we have on our shelves. A maximum of 3 books may be borrowed for up to 2 weeks, free of charge.
320, rue Ste-Catherine Est,
Pavillion J.-A DeSeve,
3ieme etage, LOCAL DS-3159
Metro Berri UQAM
514-987-3000 poste 4077
5833 Sherbrooke West
514-481-0277
info@headandhands.ca
- Since 1970, Head & Hands has provided medical, legal and social services to Montreal youth. Today, our services include free weekly drop-in medical clinics, legal information and consultations, counselling, a young parents’ program, youth drop-in, tutoring, street workers, and the Sense Project peer-based sex ed in high schools.
2075 rue Plessis
#307
Montreal, QC
H2L 2Y4
PHONE: listening line: 514-989-4585
Administration and Interns: 514-989-0001
questions@p10.qc.ca
- Project 10 works to promote the personal, social, sexual and mental well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirit, intersexed and questioning youth and adults 14-25.
Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Student Society (SACOMSS)
McGill University
Shatner Building Basement
3480 McTavish, B-27
Montreal, QC H3A 1X9
514-398-8500
- The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) is a volunteer-run organization committed to supporting survivors of sexual assault and their allies through direct support, advocacy, and outreach.
- SACOMSS has a library of literature related to sexual assault. We also have contact information for Montreal sexual health clinics, counseling services, sexual rights organizations, and much more.
McGill University
Shatner Building
3480 McTavish Street
Montreal, QC, H3A 1X9
514-398-2569
unionforgenderempowerment@gmail.com
- The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) is a service of the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU).
- The UGE coordinates an alternative lending library (with over a thousand titles!); a co-op stocking at-cost ecologically-responsible menstrual products, DIY sex toys, safer sex supplies, and gender empowerment items; and a zine distro.
- The UGE also runs Trans 101 and anti-oppression workshops for other organizations and projects, and has a resource binder with information about abortion services, counseling, and queer/trans friendly health services in Montreal.
Resources from Workshops
CURE Workshopt 17.11.2011 Search Ninja CURE 17.11.2011 Search Ninja
CURE Workshopt 17.11.2011 Highlights of Community Collections CURE 17.11.2011 Highlights
