LibGuides: Kinesiology and Physical Education: Books

When to Use Books

Books are helpful when:

You need a broad overview or an in-depth look at a topic. Example: Earthquakes.

Books may not be as helpful when:

The topic is very recent. Books take a long time to get written and published. Example: Information about an earthquake that happened last night.
You have a fairly narrow topic. Example: If you are writing on the Northridge Earthquake, you may not find an entire book on that earthquake.

Finding Books

If you want to find out which books our library owns, you would check the SMC Library catalog, which lists the books and other materials that the library owns: library.smc.ed

You may look for books in the catalog by author, title, or by your subject. If you want to see if the library owns a particular book, then you would search for the book in the catalog by either the title or the author.

If you are looking for information on a topic and do not have a specific book in mind, you would search the catalog by subject.

See Introduction, Choosing a Topic.

Recommended Books

Black Mercuries by David K. Wiggins; Kevin B. Witherspoon; Mark Dyreson; Lonnie G. Bunch III (Foreword by)
ISBN: 9781538152836
Publication Date: 2023-02-08
In the modern Olympic Games, from 1896 through the present, African American athletes have sought to honor themselves, their race, and their nation on the global stage. But even as these incredible athletes have served to promote visions of racial harmony in the supposedly-apolitical Olympic setting, many have also bravely used the games as a means to bring attention to racial disparities in their country and around the world.
Fair Play by Katie Barnes
ISBN: 9781250276629
Publication Date: 2023-09-19
Award-winning journalist Katie Barnes traces the evolution of women's sports as a pastime and a political arena where equality and fairness have been fought over for generations. As attitudes toward gender have shifted to embrace more fluidity in recent decades, sex continues to be viewed as a static binary that is easily determined: male or female. It is on the very idea of static sex that we have built an entire sporting apparatus.
Forward by Abby Wambach
ISBN: 9780062467003
Publication Date: 2017-06-13
Abby Wambach has always pushed the limits of what is possible. At age seven she was put on the boys' soccer team. At age thirty-five she would become the highest goal scorer--male or female--in the history of soccer, capturing the nation's heart with her team's 2015 World Cup Championship.
Gurus of Modern Yoga by Mark Singleton (Editor); Ellen Goldberg (Editor)
ISBN: 9780199938704
Publication Date: 2013-12-10
Gurus of Modern Yoga explores the contributions that individual gurus have made to the formation of the practices and discourses of yoga in today's world. The focus is not limited to India, but also extends to the teachings of yoga gurus in the modern, transnational world, and within the Hindu diaspora.
No Sweat by Michelle Segar
ISBN: 9780814434857
Publication Date: 2015-06-10
Motivation scientist and behavior expert Michelle Segar translates years of research on exercise and motivation into a simple four-point program that will empower you to break the cycle of exercise failure once and for all. Practical, proven, and loaded with inspiring stories.
Race and Sports by Rachel Laws Myers
ISBN: 9781440862823
Publication Date: 2021-01-19
This volume examines race and sports and connected issues, from the integration of professional sports to the present day. It also explores the history of minority involvement in sports at every level: the barriers broken, the stereotypes that have been shattered, and the difficulties that these pioneers have endured.
Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by John Wooden
ISBN: 9786612659980
Publication Date: 1997
The former basketball coach at UCLA shares his personal philosophy on family, achievement, success, and excellence.