CMC Government 20:
Introduction to American Politics
Professor John Pitney
Honnold/Mudd extensively collects materials in the subject area of Politics
& Government These materials can be found in the General Library Collections
and the Government Publications Collections. This course guide is designed
to help you focus on some of the most relevant information resources in
your subject area.
If you have questions about any of these resources or if you would like
to schedule an appointment to work on your particular research topic, please
contact Mary Martin in Honnold/Mudd Library, ext.18923 (621-8923) mary.martin@libraries.claremont.edu.
Finding Information in American Government
General
Information
Selected
Subject Headings in American Government & Politics
Finding
Books
Finding
General and Popular Articles Using Database Indexes
Finding Government Information (Primary
Sources) at The Libraries
Finding WWW Resources on American
Government & Politics
Finding Historical Resources
General Information
Help
With Library Research - Links to web pages that give specific help
with Library Research.
Citing
Your Sources - For help with citation of sources, both paper
and electronic. There are two helpful sites for this. For non-governmental
information the Libraries' Guide to citation is excellent.
Brief
Guide to Citing Government Information - For help with citing government
information resources, this site is extremely helpful.
Back To Contents List
Selected
Subject Headings in American Government & Politics
Elections -- United States
Executive power -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Organizational behavior -- United States
Political planning -- United States
Presidential Candidates United States Biography
Presidents-- United States--Nomination--Congresses
Presidents-- United States--Election--Congresses
Public opinion -- United States
Television in politics -- United States
United States -- Politics and government
Watergate Affair, 1972-1974
Back To Contents List
Finding Books
Blais - the
online catalog of the Libraries of the Claremont Colleges (DEN, HON, SGM,
SPR), is searchable by keyword, author, title, subject, and call number.
In addition to materials in the four libraries, Blais also includes
materials at the Claremont School of Theology (STC), Rancho Santa Ana Botanic
Gardens (RSA), and the Center for Research Libraries (in Chicago). Books
can be searched by author, title, or subject. If you are unsure of the
exact title or if your subject search doesn't produce the results you hoped
for, try a "Words in title" search using two or three of the most significant
words from he title or subject you are trying to find. Subject searching requires
use of Library of Congress Subject Headings. A list of possible subject
headings is provided above.
CSULink -Union
catalog and book request service that allows Claremont Colleges students,
faculty and staff to borrow books unavailable at our Libraries. This new
service is expected to provide faster delivery of materials than traditional
Interlibrary Loan Services. Participating libraries include CSU Fullerton,
CSU Hayward, CSU Long Beach, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,
San Diego State, San Francisco State, San Jose State, Occidental College,
and the Claremont Colleges.
WorldCat
on FirstSearch - Union catalog of over 36 million records of any
type of material cataloged by OCLC member libraries. Includes manuscripts
written as early as the 11th century. Firstsearch) -- has holdings
of most libraries in North America and the U.K.. These materials may be
borrowed through ILL.
Back To Contents List
Finding General and Popular Articles
in Journals and Newspapers Using Database Indexes
To find articles you must use periodical indexes. Although a few journal
databases are full text, most journal indexes
list only article citations and do not include the full text of the
articles. You must locate the journal in order to find and
read the article you need. Search Blais by title of the journal to
determine if the Libraries own the journal you need.
Indexes are available in both paper and electronic formats. Although
electronic indexes are generally easier to use,
for some subjects there are no electronic indexes; for others, the
best indexes are paper. The Libraries have both
paper and electronic versions of many indexes. Keep in mind, whether
you are looking for articles in scholarly journals
or popular magazines, most electronic indexes only cover fairly recent
publications. Many do not cover articles written
before the 1980's. If you need to find earlier articles, you
will probably have to use paper indexes.
If you need a scholarly article on your subject, written by an expert
and based on research, use an index which covers
scholarly journals. Remember that sometimes the best index for
your research needs is a paper index, not an online
database.
Use the list of Alphabetical
List of Databases or the Subject Listing (directly below the link
to the Alphabetical List) or the appropriate Subject Research Guide for
more suggestions on the best databases for your research.
Use the following print, online, and CDROM indexes to find articles and other
materials on specific topics. For questions, please do not hesitate to
call Mary Martin, Government Publications and International Relations,
at extension x18923.
ABC Pol Sci SEE
Political Science Abstracts
Political Science Abstracts
Academic
Universe (Lexis/Nexis)
This is a full-text database consisting of millions of articles covering
the fields of business, law and legislation, and general news. There are
terminals available in the Reference, Government Publications, and Asian
Studies departments. You may also Telnet through the Library Services Menu.
America: History
and Life
America: History and Life
Citations and abstracts of articles from over 2,100
journals, book reviews, and dissertations on the history and culture of
the U.S. and Canada. [This resource is available only to users in the search centers of the Libraries: 1982 - present; updated three times
per year.]
Ovid
In the Ovid database system,
Wilson General Science Abstracts covers subjects in the sciences (biology,
chemistry, physics, etc.)
Wilson Humanities Abstracts covers subjects in the humanities (art, literature,
music, philosophy, religion, etc.), and
Wilson Social Sciences Abstracts covers subjects in the social sciences
(economics, psychology, government, etc.). One advantage of these three
databases is that the Libraries have most of the journals they index. Coverage
begins in the 1980's. Coverage for earlier years is available in paper
indexes. The following two databases are available through Ovid.
Pais Index to public policy and social issues, information in a wide range of
subjects. On Ovid back to 1972. Contains selected citations to journal
articles, books, government documents and reports. Also indexes foreign
language publications. Library has paper and electronic sources, although
limited coverage in electronic format. Available in paper back to the early
1900's.
Political Science Abstracts
Political Science Abstracts
Citations with table of contents from more than 300 journals worldwide
in political science and government. [This resource is available only to users at the Claremont
Colleges or connecting to a Claremont Colleges proxy server or modem pool: 1984- present; updated
3 times per year.]
Wilson Social Sciences Abstracts General scholarly index. On Ovid back
to 1984; available also as Telnet connection through the Library Services
Menu and in paper back to 1974; preceded by The International Index to
Periodicals and The Social Science and Humanities Index, both located in
the Honnold/Mudd Index Room.
Wilson's Reader's Guide Abstracts to Periodical Literature General,
multi-disciplinary index. Contains records for general and popular articles
in all subjects. On Ovid back to 1983; available also as telnet
connection through the Library Services Menu and in paper back to the turn
of the century, Honnold/Mudd Index Room/Table 1. Preceded by 19th Century
Readers Guide covering 1890-1899, and Poole's Index to Periodical Literature,
covering 1802-1906, also Honnold Index Room/Table 1.
Firstsearch
One can also telnet through the Library Services Menu. This database is
a menu driven reference service consisting of dozens of databases, including
the OCLC union catalog WorldCat. WorldCat contains
more than 25 million bibliographic records, representing holdings of more
than 9000 libraries. First Search can also be used to search
approximately 2 dozen periodical and other reference databases such as
the full-text Wilson Select..
Back To Contents List
Finding Government Information (Primary
Sources) at The Libraries
Government information is a publication or information resource (such
as a CD-ROM or WWW site) created, issued, published or financed by a government
agency. Such agencies can be at international, national, state, regional,
county, or local levels. In addition to typical government documents such
as laws, congressional hearings, and court reports, there are a variety
of materials on a wide range of topics. These include such things as census
data, economic data, educational reports, environmental studies, industrial
surveys, health information, marketing research, legal materials, and statistics
on just about any subject imaginable. – such as Art and American Culture.
Government information is considered to be a primary source. Primary
sources are defined as the raw, unanalyzed material that is the starting
point and basis of all good research. A primary source can be anything
that offers a first-hand account, such as letters, maps, photographs, paintings,
a poem, the manuscript of a novel, a newspaper advertisement, a diary,
census data, statistics or a report. A primary source is an
original, a one-of-a-kind, or the first of its kind.
Finding
Government Publications in the Libraries of the Claremont Colleges
Click here to find out how to find government publications in our libraries.
Not all of the government publications are in Blais, and require special
finding tools to locate them. See below for information on using special
finding tools.
Using
Library Catalogs There are additional specialized catalogs,
that one can use to find government publications, as about 40% of the government
publications collection is not cataloged in Blais.
Using
Indexes & Bibliographies to Find Government Publications
There are additional indexes and finding tools, that one can use to find
government publications, as there are older publications not yet cataloged
in Blais.
Back To Contents List
Finding Information on American
Government & Politics Using the Web
Academic
Universe (Lexis/Nexis)
This is a full-text database consisting of millions of articles covering
the fields of business, law and legislation, and general news. There are
terminals available in the Reference, Government Publications, and Asian
Studies departments. You may also Telnet through the Library Services Menu.
Also has more than 650 full-text information sources such as newspaper
articles, journals, newsletters, wire services, and broadcast transcripts,
which are updated as often as daily. There are legal resource files, which
contain primary sources such as cases, statutes, and regulations as well
as secondary materials such as law review articles etc. There are restrictions
on its use, and you must be a Claremont Colleges student to use Academic
Universe. You may access Academic Universe through the Library Web Page.
You may also Telnet through the Library Services Menu.
AllPolitics
This is a sub-site of CNN which gives news relating only to Politics. It
IS a news site, with information on current political events and public
figures.
Congressional
Universe (1970-current). Guide, index and abstracts to
hearings, committee prints, reports and documents issued by Congress. (Also
available on CD-ROM from 1989 - current) With Congressional Universe, researchers
can track legislative and public policy issues as well as the activities
of committees and members of Congress.
CQ Library - full-text CQ Weekly Report and CQ Researcher available, current and back to 1983. Excellent source for legislative and executive branch activties. Also available in paper in Current Periodicals with back issues in the Hon Ref stacks JK 1 C15. (Passworded link to Online bill tracking and political news - check with the Reference Librarian).
FecInfo
This is a non-partisan site from the Center for Responsive Politics that
compiles campaign finance information from the Federal Elections Commission.
It also contains information on PACs.
Gallup Polls
The world's leading source for public opinion data since 1935. Gallup
Polls, public releases and special reports,
archives, to-the-editor and more.
Government
Publications Department Home Page – This page has been developed
specifically for the use of students, faculty and staff of the Claremont
Colleges. Provides links to departmental information, Government Agencies,
specific subject guides, alphabetical lists popular sites, and several
more specific pages.
National Political
Index non-profit, non-partisan index of substantive political
information tactical and logistical information for political activist
organizations
Project Vote
Smart Input your zip code and find out who your
representatives are. This site even links to the US Postal Service zip
code lookup site if you don't know the zip. Also finds members by state
and name. This site returns information on both federal and state elected
officials. It also gives biographical, contact and officials' response
to their questionnaire on certain issues.
Thomas
(House
of Representatives through Library of Congress). Includes: Bill Text, Congressional
Record Text, Bill Summary & Status, Hot Bills, now called "Congress
This Week" and "Major Legislation"), the Congressional Record Index, and
the Constitution (now found, along with other historical Congressional
documents, under the "Historical Documents" category on the THOMAS home
page). Enhancements in the types of legislative data available, as well
as in search and display capabilities, have been continuously added.
United
States Government Printing Office: Keeping America Informed
- GPO Access Describes the
mission of the U.S. Government Printing Office. Provides links to GPO
Access: sites for the Federal Register, Congressional Records, bills, and
GAO reports. Indexes federal government publications since January 1994
and will ultimately provide links to federal depository libraries receiving
those publications. Indexes Dept. of Energy and GPO sales publications.
USSC+ Supreme
Court Decisions This site is the easiest, I have
found, to search for Supreme Court Decisions from 1966-Present & Leading
Cases from 1793-1966 (USSC+). For additional Law-Related sites, see
Government
Affairs, on the Government Publications Home Page.
The
White House This is the official White House web site, and
has information on the President, Vice-President, search engines for government
information on and off the web, historical documents (including NAFTA and
GATT), statistics, and briefings on issues.
Back To Contents List
Finding Historical Resources
For information on library resources in History, which includes Politics,
connect to the excellent Research Guide in History located on the Library's
Reference & Instruction Page: (Click on "Research Guides", then scroll
down to the subject History and click.) History
Research Guide.
Another excellent guide to resources in Government available electronically
for current sources, and in paper for historical government Publications
sources, is the American
Government Resource Guide.
For access to an annotated version of the U.S. Constitution and other
Founding Documents (The Federalist Papers) etc. try the U.S.
Constitution Page.
Back To Contents List
9/29/98 MM
Government
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