Becoming a United States Citizen:

A Pathfinder for

New Smyrna Beach

Regional Public Library

Introduction

Reference Schema

Guides, Handbooks, Manuals, etc.

Encyclopedias

Databases, Indexes and Abstracts

Internet Sources

Introduction

Known as the “land of opportunity”, the United States of America is a desirable destination for many people who live around the world. Many immigrants over the centuries have traveled trough trials and tribulation to experience the “American Dream”. Aliens who want to become citizens have to go through an extensive screening and testing process before they can reap the rewards of becoming a permanent US citizen.

This pathfinder is for those who are seeking information about how to establish citizenship here in the United States. Materials include but are not exhaustive of the history of immigration in the US, citizenship process, and study aids and materials for the potential citizen. Geared towards immigrants who need to know information on citizenship, students and library professionals. This pathfinder is not meant to be a reference starting point. Resources provided are a bibliographic guide to help find printed and electronic material on becoming a citizen.

Materials are drawn from reference sources, guides, bibliographies, and databases available for use at the New Smyrna Beach Regional Branch Library in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Researchers may start their search by browsing section:

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Reference Schema

- Subject Headings

The following are a list of subject headings used in the online catalogue to search for information regarding citizenship. Searchers would want to limit results found to New Smyrna Branch.

United States Citizenship

Citizenship- United States

Emigration and Immigration Law-United States

Citizenship- Examination

- Search Terms

Additional information can be found by searching for main terms listed below:

Citizenship

Citizenship Exam

Immigration, United States

- Browsing Areas

Call Numbers: Society and Government (Law) 300-343, Reference R304, R323, & R342

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Guides, Handbooks and Manuals, etc.

Guides, handbooks, and manual are a great way to start your research. They serve as ready reference on a certain topic. The following guides, handbooks, and manuals focus on becoming a citizen of the United States and answers to questions often posed about attaining citizenship. All book descriptions from the Volusia County Library Surf Cat online library catalogue.

□ Carrion, R. (2002). USA immigration guide. (4^th ed.). Naperville, Ill. : Sphinx Publishers. [342.73 Car]

“A lawyer son of immigrants provides a self-help law kit demystifying the Immigration and Naturalization Service, pre-entry and tax planning, categories and maintenance of immigrant status, and the visa system under current US law. Five of the main forms with instructions are included.” Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

□ Wernick, A. (2002). U.S. immigration & citizenship: Your complete guide. (3^rd ed). Roseville, CA: Prima Publishing. [342.7308 Wer]

“Inside is the invaluable information you must have to legally immigrate to the United States.”

□ Kimmel, B. (2006). Immigration made simple: An easy guide to the U.S. immigration process. (7^th ed.). Chester, NJ: Next Decade, Inc. [342.082 Kim]

“This completely revised and updated guide provides the most up-to-date information available on the ever-changing U.S. immigration regulations and provides accurate, easy-to-follow information on employment categories and types of visas.”

□ Devine, F. (2001). U.S. citizenship: A step by step guide. (1^st ed.). New York, NY: LearningExpress. [323.623 Dev]

“This practical, reader-friendly guide is designed to help immigrants understand the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.”

□ LeMay, M. (2007). Illegal immigration: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. [325.73 LeM]

“This reference examines the flow of unauthorized immigration to the US, primarily since 1970, and the reactions in and consequences of legal immigration policy.”

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Encyclopedias

Beginning research with an encyclopedia is often recommended. Researchers can pinpoint information related to the topic using the precise information provided in the ready reference.

□ Powell, J. (2005). North American immigration. New York: Facts on File. [ R304.87 Pow]

“Powell (history, Oklahoma Baptist U.) presents some 300 entries on events, themes, people, places, and legislation related to immigration, for high school and general readers.”

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Databases, Indexes and Abstracts

Databases can be great search tool once you know what information you need. Access to articles, indexes and other references are available. The references are not an exhaustive list of sources, but will aid in the research process. The following sources listed below can be accessed through VCPL databases access home page: http://volusialibrary.org/ Researcher would want to search key phrases like: citizenship and United States; immigration laws; immigration, etc.

□ Gale Group. (2009). Gale legal forms. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from, Volusia County Public Library Database http://www.vcpl.lib.fl.us/services/dbauth.html#Legal

□ OCLC. (2008). Florida electronic library. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from, Volusia County Public Library Database http://www.vcpl.lib.fl.us/services/dbauth.html#Government

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Internet Sources

This list is organized according to relevance. This is not a complete list but represents valid information referencing United States Citizenship.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

□ http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

□ http://www.ice.gov/

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Contact Information

This page was created by Cassandra McGinn

of the School of Information and Library Science

University of South Florida

At Daytona Beach City Island Regional Public Library

Spring 2009