CGU PP 307: The Modern Presidency
Professor Jean Schroedel
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
Politics
Help with Library Research
Selected Subject Headings in American
Politics
Finding
Books
Finding
General and Popular Articles Using Database Indexes
Finding Historical Resources
Finding Information on Legislation
Using the World Wide Web
Finding Information on American Politics
Using the WWW
Help With Library Research
Help
With Library Research - For help specific to Library Research
Government Publications 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.
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, the following site is extremely helpful.
Back To Contents List
Selected
Subject Headings in American 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
the 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.
LINK+ -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 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.]
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).
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.), andWilson
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. [1984- present; updated 3 times per
year. This resource is available only to users at the Claremont Colleges or connecting to a
Claremont Colleges proxy server or modem pool.]
Wilsons
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. Preceded by 19th Century Readers Guide
covering 1890-1899, and Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, covering
1802-1906, also Honnold Index Room.
FirstSearch
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. FirstSearch
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 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.
Back To Contents List
Finding Information on Legislation
Using the World Wide 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.
Congressional UniverseCongressional
Universe Congressional Information Service
Index (CIS) Congressional Compass (Congressional Information Service) (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 Compass, researchers can track legislative and public policy
issues as well as the activities of committees and members of Congress.
Actually provides links to certain files in Lexis/Nexis/Academic Universe.
Congressional Compass/Congressional Information Service Index (CIS) (1970-current).
Guide, index and abstracts to hearings, committee prints, reports and documents
issued by Congress. Using Congressional Compass, researchers can track
legislative and public policy issues as well as the activities of committees
and members of Congress. Actually provides links to certain files in Lexis/Nexis
(now Academic Universe).
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.
Back To Contents List
Finding Information on American Politics
Using Selected World Wide Web Sites
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.
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
Information Research Guide – This page has been developed specifically
for the use of students, faculty and staff of the Claremont Colleges. Provides
links to information on how to find government publications in The Libraries
of the Claremont Colleges.Of specific interest to this class might be Finding
Federal Government Information, a guide that directs researchers
to specialized government publicatons in the library.
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.
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
MM 9/15/00
Government
Home
|
Libraries
Homepage
|
Contact
Us
|
Search
|
Help
|
Blais
