RMLS 242 Mitten

Where to find material for your project

Websites for Demographics

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Note in particular: "Arts, Recreation & Travel" in left menu.

County and City Data Book
Click on listings under "Selected Features from the 14th edition of the County and City Data Book"

Recreation & Tourism Statistics Update
A companion website to highly-recommended book below - Outdoor Recreation for 21st Century America - A Report to the Nation : The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment

American Fact Finder

State and Local sources such as Michigan Local and Regional Goverment
See "Regional Planning Organizations."

Check local areas for regional economic development web sites: See these for West Michigan:
The Right Place, Inc.
(A non-profit economic development organization promoting the economic growth of Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Seidman College of Business Information Services (Grand Valley State University)>
Click on "Demographic Profile".

Find schools in Michigan here: Michigan School Enrollments
I selected information at the county level. You can break down even further by school district and then by grade level.

Books

Outdoor Recreation for 21st Century America - A Report to the Nation : The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment by H. Ken Cordell.
Incredibly detailed book of useful recreation statistics with participation data on such things as petting zoos, boating and floating activities, horseback riding or snow/ice-based outdoor activities, and comparisons of recreation participation by different regions and states.
Held at the Reserve Desk, available for a 2-hour checkout

Programming for Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services
Textbook for class - study Chapter 3 about programming theory and Chapter 5 about your needs assessment
Held at the Reserve Desk, available for a 2-hour checkout

Databases for Articles

Please read Off-Campus Database Access if you want to do your searching from home.

Journal articles cover controversial topics and issues as well. Here are some databases that are collections of journal articles you can use to do necessary research.

ERIC

Use Advanced Search.
Try searching for programs of interest, e.g. "ropes course".
Try limiting Pub Type to "Journal Articles", "Reports - Evaluative", "Reports - General", "Reports - Research"

PsycINFO and Psyc Articles

Use our Find Journals service if you need to look up a specific article located in a specific journal such as the "Journal of Experiential Education".

Today's Headline News

Just for fun - check out this development in recent news concerning the Wii Fit.

• Do you agree or disagree with using such devices?
• What are the implications on recreation programming?
• Will these become part of our mainstream recreation programs?

Citing Sources

Whenever you are quoting or using information from a source, you must credit or cite that source. Failure to do so is plagiarism which can lead to expulsion from the University.

To learn more about citations, check out this FLITE Citations page.

Print out the FLITE APA Citation Guide and use it to properly format your citations.

Contact: Kristen Motz / Email / Phone: 231-591-3625 / Office: FLITE 140H

Don't forget, you are welcome to come to the Oval Information Desk and ask for help any time. You can also call us 231-591-3602 or chat with us.

Last update: October 1, 2008