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    American Government Resource Guide

    Honnold/Mudd Library Complex, The Claremont Colleges

    This guide offers a partial listing of government and policy related books and other materials in the Honnold Library. Web sites are also listed, but students are encouraged to use both.

    GENERAL SOURCES

    this section:
    Library Resources
    Web Resources

    Library Resources:

    1. Washington Information Directory. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK F 192.3 W33 yr. Annual directory of executive agencies, congressional offices and committees, interest group organizations in the Washington, DC area. Subject index is a guide to who is active in a policy area.

    2. Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US GP 3.8: yr. A complete guide to US Government Publications. For Congressional documents, use CIS (see above). Executive documents sent to depository libraries are indicated by a large dot (.). (Also available on CD-ROM, as GPO CAT PAC Marcive - 1976-current)

    3. Public Affairs Information Service. See (PAIS) in electronic databases. Paper index in Ref.

    4. CQ Researcher. Shelf Location: HON GOV Periodicals (Older issues in HON GOV REF H 35 3525x) The former Editorial Research Reports analyze emerging issues of national interest encompassing a broad range of subjects concerning issues before Congress.

    5. Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post and other indexed newspapers. You can often construct skeletal story lines and chronologies from the NY Times Index alone. See First Search NewsAbs.

    6. Citing Government Documents, How to Find the Law. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK Z 7164 G7 G37 1984. Miscellaneous but useful.

    7. Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK PN 171 D37 L5 1993. Absolutely essential guide to citing from electronic databases.

    Web Resources:
    1. Strunk & White This is an online version of the classic Strunk style manual. It aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style to use in writing papers.

    2. Library of Congress Search THOMAS (legislative information), access services of the Law Library of Congress (including the Global Legal Information Network), or locate government information.

    3. National Archives and Records Admin. (NARA) NARA is the government agency responsible for overseeing the management of the records of the federal government. NARA ensures, for the Citizen and the Public Servant, for the President and the Congress and the Courts, ready access to essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of federal officials, and the national experience.

    4. U of OK collection of historical documents A chronology of US Historical Documents.

    5. Purdue U. Government Documents A selected list of U.S. and Illinois state documents.

    6. Purdue U. Virtual Reference Desk A collection of links related to specific subjects, such as Selected Government Documents, Information Technology, Dictionaries, Thesauri, and Acronyms, Phone Books and Area Codes, Maps and Travel Information, Science Data, Time and Date, ZIP and International Country Codes, and Other Reference Sources.

    7. Pol sci links (U of MI) A compendium of links and other resources on the Web pertaining to many subject areas, including politics. Links under politics include: Area Studies, Class Assignments, Dissertations, Foreign Politics, International Relations, Internet Guides, News, Periodical Indexes, Periodicals, Political Methodology, Political Theory, Profession/Education, Publishers, Reference Tools, Statistics, Think Tanks, U.S. Politics, Political Science Resources, and Government Resources on the Web.

    8. U.S. Government Printing Office Search the full text of the Federal Register, Congressional Record, Congressional Bills and other Federal Government information online via GPO Access. Locate and download electronic information from numerous Federal agencies.

    9. Democracy in America (old translation) From Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville; tr. by Henry Reeve. New York and London, D. Appleton and company, 1912. Full text online.

    THE FOUNDING AND THE CONSTITUTION

    this section:
    Library Resources
    Web Resources

    Library resources:

    1. The Constitution of the United States, Revised and Annotated , 1982. Supplement, Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US Y 1.1/3:99-16 1992. Annotated commentary on each section of the Constitution, with reference to interpretation in relevant Supreme Court cases.

    2. United States Reports: Cases adjudged in the Supreme Court. Shelf Location: K UN3A (general library stacks) A digest of all cases decided by the Supreme Court throughout its history. Most recent cases are issued as Slip Opinions, which are then collected in Official Reports of the Supreme Court before being included in United States Reports.

    3. Shepard's United States Supreme Court Citator. Shelf Location: HON REF DESK K SH47 S9 (general library stacks) This publications lists case name and citations that appear in U.S. Supreme Court Reports (Lawyer's Edition), United States Reports (Lawyer's Edition), and United States Supreme Court Reports, second series).

    4. U.S. Supreme Court Digest (Lawyer's Edition). Shelf Location: KF 101.1 D 32 v. 55. (general library stacks) A complete and current index to Supreme Court cases.

    5. The Supreme Court. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 B35 1992. An overview of the institution and how it works.

    6. The Supreme Court at Work. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 S912 1990. Describes origins, operations, and some major decisions of the court.

    7. The Supreme Court Compendium. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 E68 1994. Analyses and various statistics concerning the Supreme Court Justices and the caseload of the Court.

    8. The Supreme Court Yearbook. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 A4 S96x 1992-93. Case summaries of the work of the Court for each year. Began in 1989.

    9. Black's Law Dictionary. Shelf Location: HON REF KB 561 1968. For translation of legal terminology.

    Web resources:
    1. Archiving Early America Here you will find original newspapers, maps and writings from 18th Century America. An array of authentic documents that form an historical record of a significant time in the American experience-- the Colonial Period, the War of Independence, and the presidencies of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

    2. U.S. Constitution (Hypertext Version) Here you will find the text of the U.S. Constitution, Amendments, and the Bill of Rights, in a hypertext format that permits a fuller understanding of the original meaning of the Constitution. Links to other pertinent sites such as the Supreme Court are also included.

    3. Constitution links Here you will find different sites that include the U.S. Constitution, Amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and even scanned copies of the original Constitution.

    4. The Federalist Project Vote Smart's compilation of links to historic documents includes the Federalist Papers.

    5. The Declaration An online exhibit presented by the Library of Congress detailing the chronology of the Declaration of Independence, with some graphics.

    FEDERALISM AND STATE GOVERNMENT

    this section:
    Web Resources

    Web Resources:

    1. California home page The offical California State Government Home Page contains links pertaining to all levels and aspects of California government.

    2. California bills and laws The official site for California legislative information. This WWW site is maintained by the Legislative Counsel of California, pursuant to California law.

    3. California Legislative Analyst provides analysis and nonpartisan advice to the Legislature on fiscal and policy issues. Lists analysis of the latest Budget Bill, impact of the Federal Welfare Reform and its fiscal effect on California, and the latest Ballot Pamphlet.

    4. National Conference of State Legislatures This organization is a resource for state legislators, providing comprehensive information and research on critical state issues, informative publications, provocative meetings and seminars, a legislative information database, representation to Congress, and an expert staff to assist legislators and staff in solving difficult problems.

    5. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. The University of North Texas Libraries and the Government Printing Office, in a Federal Depository Library Program partnership, established this site to provide permanent public access to the electronic publications that were available on the World Wide Web site of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations when the agency closed in April 1996. Also available is a bibliography of publication by and about the ACIR and the digitized text of many ACIR publications.

    6. State and Local Governments Library of Congress' meta-index for state and local information.

    CONGRESS

    this section:
    Library Resources:
    A. Organization and Members
    B. Daily Activity (Official congressional publications)
    C. Daily Activity (unofficial publications)
    D. Legislation and Policy Making
    Web Resources
    Library Resources:
    A. Organization and Members
    1. Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report. Shelf Location: HON GOV PERIODICALS (Commonly cited as CQWR). A weekly journal of legislative activity and politics on Capitol Hill. Back issues before 1988 are on microfiche, 1988-1989 are in HON GOV REF JK 1 c15, current issues are on display.

    2. Congressional Quarterly Almanac. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1 .C66 (1948-). An annual summary of CQWR. Use this for preliminary research.

    3. Congress and Nation. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1021 C76. A multi-volume survey of Congress since World War II.

    4. Congress and its Members. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1081 D29 1994.

    5. Politics in America. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK JK 1010 P64. A biennial almanac of congressional districts, members and organization.

    6. Committees in the U.S. Congress. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1029 N45 1993 v.1.1947-1992. Describes the committee structure and how Congress does its work.

    7. The Almanac of American Politics. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK JK 1012 A44 1994. Another biennial (since 1972) almanac of states, congressional districts, members and organization with excellent commentary and analysis.

    8. Congressional Staff Directory. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK JK 1012 C65 1994. Information on members, committees and committee assignments, jurisdictions, affiliated organizations and staff.

    9. Guide to Congress. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1021 C56 1982. Historical analysis of Congress.

    B. Daily Activity (Official congressional publications)

    1. The Congressional Record. Shelf Location: HON GOV X2... Index XA... The official record of proceedings and debates on the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate. (Also available in electronic format and Online)

    2. Calendar of Business. Shelf Location: HON GOV US Y 1.3 3:991. Daily report of what should occur on the floor of the Senate.

    3. Calendars of the United States House of Representatives and History of Legislation. Shelf Location: HON GOV US Y 1.2 2:991. Gives status of bills, committee votes, etc. in the House

    C. Daily Activity (unofficial publications)

    1. Congressional Roll Call: The Newspaper of Congress. Shelf Location: HON GOV Periodicals. A biweekly Capitol Hill newspaper which range from hard news to outright gossip. See their Web site below.

    2. Congressional Digest. Shelf Location: HON GOV Periodicals. A monthly, with current edition on display in Government Publications Periodicals, older issues in HON GOV REF JK 1 C65.

    D. Legislation and Policy Making

    1. (CIS) Congressional Information Service Index, Abstracts, and Legislative Histories. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 49 C62. Commonly known as CIS. Since 1970, the best guide to Congressional committee hearings, reports, and documents, as well as for Public Laws and Conference Committee reports. Consult the Index first, then the Abstracts, which will give you the "Y numbers" to locate the materials on the shelves or in microfiche. The Legislative History volumes are more recent, but cover Public Laws well. 1989 - current also available on CD-ROM.

    2. The United States Code. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US Y 1 2/5:988. All statutes currently in force, organized by subject matter in fifty "Titles" and well indexed. Supplements for years since the last complete edition. Also available in CD-ROM, and on LEXIS.

    3. United States Statutes at Large. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US GS 4.111. Laws passed each session of Congress organized chronologically by their Public Law (PL) number. "Slip laws" are individual prints of new laws which are received as they are enacted and shelved loosely in containers.

    4. United States Code Congressional and Administrative News. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF K UN2 CA 1993. A periodical updating of newly enacted public laws and their legislative histories, as well as presidential documents. (Older issues in general library stacks)

    5. Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US LC 14.6:102:2(1990). (Out of date but good for historical tracing.) A periodical summary of all bills introduced in Congress and their progress through the institution.

    6. Congressional Research Service Review (CRS Review). Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US LC 14.19:11 7. A compilation of research that members of Congress commission to inform legislative development and oversight. Ceased in 1992.

    7. Shepard's Acts and Cases by Popular Names. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 80 55 1992 (Second copy in reference). So you want to know what law people are referring to when they say "The Clean Air Act" or "Gramm-Rudman"?

    8. Politics and Public Policy. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 274 V33 1989. Analysis of some particular public policies and how the process evolves in these particular cases.

    Web Resources:
    1. Thomas Thomas is the offficial Library of Congress Web site to provide searchable access to Congressional information such as bills, Congressional Record, committee information, and other information related to the legislative process.

    2. US Senate The United States Senate's World Wide Web server provides information from and about the members of the Senate, Senate Committees, and Senate leadership and support offices. It also provides general background information about U.S. Senate legislative procedures, Senate facilities in the U.S. Capitol, and the history of the Senate.

    3. US House The U.S. House of Representatives' World Wide Web service provides public access to legislative information as well as information about Members, Committees, and Organizations of the House and to other U.S. government information resources.

    4. C-SPAN C-SPAN is a public service created by the American cable television industry to provide access to the proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and to other forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided.

    5. Congressional Quarterly A nonpartisan tracking service providing coverage of Congressional politics and federal and state legislative and regulatory issues.

    6. CapWeb A basic listing of members, their committee assignments, and contact information.

    7. Roll Call (biweekly on Congs) A Capitol Hill news Web site that covers the three Ps: people, politics, and process, with a newsletter-type format and content. Notable for outlooks on election outcomes.

    EXECUTIVE BRANCH

    this section:
    A. The Presidency and the White House
    Library Resources
    Web Resources
    B. Organization and Personnel
    Library Resources
    Web Resources
    C. Policy and Policy Making
    Library Resources
    A. The Presidency and the White House

    Library Resources:

    1. Public Papers of the Presidents. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US GS 4.113. (Prior to Herbert Hoover, the volumes are shelved in the general library stacks under J 81 B96) Everything each President has ever done that was recorded on paper is in this series.

    2. Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US GS 4.114:18. Collection of such documents as press releases, executive orders, proclamations, speeches, etc. More current than the above.

    3. Powers of the Presidency. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 511 P75 1989. Good analysis of power invested in the presidency, i.e. the Executive Order.

    4. The Presidency and the Political System. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 516 P6391990. Explores the relationship between the President and various aspects of the political systems.

    5. Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 518 C 33 1989. Descriptions of various executive advisors and advisory bodies.

    Web Resources:
    1. White House web site. 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.

    2. Inaugural addresses Columbia University's Bartleby Library presents this web site that lists the inauguaral addresses of all Presidents.

    B. Organization and Personnel

    Library Resources:

    1. United States Government Manual. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK AE 2. 108/2:1994. Describes the organization of the Executive Branch and its component organizations. Includes brief summaries of government agency jurisdictions and functions, organization charts and names of officials.

    2. Federal Staff Directory. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK JK 723 E9 F44. A good current telephone directory of the executive branch. Useful source of organizational structure of agencies and names of officials.

    3. Federal Regulatory Directory. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK KF 5406 A15 F4 1990. Profiles of agencies and their regulatory activities.

    Web Resources
    1. Fedworld Fedworld provides a comprehensive central access point for locating and acquiring government information. It is administered by the National Technical Information Service, a sub-agency of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Note: not all of the databases listed are Web-accessible.

    2. General Accounting Office The General Accounting Office is the investigative arm of Congress (oversight). Charged with examining matters relating to the receipt and disbursement of public funds, GAO performs audits and evaluations of Government programs and activities.

    C. Policy and Policy Making

    Library Resources:

    1. Code of Federal Regulations. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US AE 2.106/3:1988. A compilation of final rules and regulations produced by executive branch agencies to elaborate on Public Laws, organized by subject matter in 50 "Titles" parallel to those of US Code (see above). Updated annually. (Also available on LEXIS and the Federal Bulletin Board)

    2. The Federal Register. Shelf Location: HON GOV US Microfiche GS 4.107:42...(?). A daily compilation of Presidential Executive Orders, Proclamations and reorganization plans, as well as all rules and regulations proposed by executive branch agencies. Also contains notices of public meetings, hearings, etc. (Also available on LEXIS and the Federal Bulletin Board)

    3. The Budget of the United States, with Appendix. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF DESK PrEx. 2.8 994. The President's annual proposed budget for the incoming fiscal year. Often substantially modified by Congress, but it serves as a baseline for budget policy. The document also contains valuable historical data on budgets and government performance. Note personnel information in rear of Appendix. (Also available in electronic format)

    4. Analytical Perspectives (formerly Special Analyses ): Budget of the United States Government. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US PrEx 2.8/5:990. Good analysis of budget objectives.

    5. Reports and Testimony, Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US GA 1.16/3:994. (Formerly GAO Documents. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF GA 1.16/4.) Monthly index to General Accounting Office reports and documents. Consult the Index Section (yellow pages), obtain the accession number (for example, 119800), go to the Citation Section (white pages), obtain the document number (for example, HRD-81-129), and then go find the document on microfiche. GAO reports are found under GA 1.13, so this report would be on the shelf as GA 1.13:HRD-81-129. (A two volume Index to GAO Documents appears annually. It provides accession numbers which you can trace back to the monthly GAO Documents.

    THE JUDICIARY

    this section:
    Library Resources
    Web Resources

    Library Resources:

    1. United States Reports: Cases adjudged in the Supreme Court. Shelf Location: K UN3A (general library stacks) A digest of all cases decided by the Supreme Court throughout its history. Most recent cases are issued as Slip Opinions, which are then collected in Official Reports of the Supreme Court before being included in United States Reports.

    2. Shepard's United States Supreme Court Citator. Shelf Location: HON REF DESK K SH47 S9 (general library stacks) This publications lists case name and citations that appear in U.S. Supreme Court Reports (Lawyer's Edition), United States Reports (Lawyer's Edition), and United States Supreme Court Reports, second series).

    3. U.S. Supreme Court Digest (Lawyer's Edition). Shelf Location: KF 101.1 D 32 v. 55. (general library stacks) A complete and current index to Supreme Court cases.

    4. The Supreme Court. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 B35 1992. An overview of the institution and how it works.

    5. The Supreme Court at Work. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 S912 1990. Describes origins, operations, and some major decisions of the court.

    6. The Supreme Court Compendium. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 E68 1994. Analyses and various statistics concerning the Supreme Court Justices and the caseload of the Court.

    7. The Supreme Court Yearbook. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF KF 8742 A4 S96x 1992-93. Case summaries of the work of the Court for each year. Began in 1989.

    Web Resources:
    1. Supreme Court decisions Cornell Law School has mounted this impressive web site that lists Supreme Court cases since 1990, as well as a listing of state statutes on the net with a topical index, and a new court statistics service.

    2. Supreme Court Oral Arguments (audio) Northwestern University Library has mounted audio copies of the Supreme Court arguments for cases back to 1961. You must have the correct hardware and software (not available in the Search Centers) to listen to these files.

    3. House Law Library Contains: U.S. Federal laws (arranged by original published source or agency), U.S. state and territorial laws, laws of other nations, treaties and international law, law school law library catalogues and services, and attorney and legal profession directories.

    4. Court TV America Lawyer Media, L.P. presents this web site. Use the search engine to find information on the case or issue you are researching.

    FEDERAL DOMESTIC POLICY (Sources not already listed)

    this section:
    Library Resources
    Web Resources

    Library Resources
    1. National Journal. Shelf Location: HON GOV Periodicals JK 1 N28. Since 1969, the best weekly report on Washington, with special emphasis on policy making and the executive branch. Coverage of Congress and elections is excellent as well. Well-indexed, a good first source for policy research.

    2. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF US PrEx 2.20:991. A complete and up to date guide to each of hundreds of federal grants to state and local governments and individuals. Well-indexed (Also available in electronic format)

    3. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Shelf Location: HON GOV US Y 3.Ad 9/8. This organization produces frequent reports on federal-state-local policies and relations.

    Web Resources:
    1. US Federal Budget Presented by the Dept. of Commerce through their STAT-USA site, the U.S. Budget is non-searchable but comprehensive, accessed through a Table of Contents format.

    2. Stat-USA This site gives a broad overview of official U.S. trade and other economic statistics, including Consumer Price Index and the National Trade Data Bank. This is a subscription-only site, so you must come in to the Government Publications Department to use it.

    3. Bureau of Justice Statistics BJS collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.

    4. Economic Stats Briefing Room (ESBR) This site is presented by the White House, and gives an overview of pertinent economic, trade, transportation, justice, and other statistics. Often, a link is provided to the agency's web page for more detailed statistics.

    5. Social Statistics Briefing Room Another White House site, giving an overview of crime, demographic, education, and health statistics. Often, a link is provided to the agency's web page for more detailed statistics.

    FOREIGN POLICY

    Web Resources:
    1. U.S. State Department The State Dept. web site provides on-line publications on foreign policy, press briefings, and subject-specific policy papers.

    2. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) A quote from the CIA Vision, Mission, and Values Statement: "What we stand for: Intelligence that adds substantial value to the management of crises, the conduct of war, and the development of policy."

    3. Intelligence Community The Intelligence Community is a group of 13 government agencies and organizations that carry out the intelligence activities of the United States government.

    4. United Nations This is the link to the official UN web site, containing information about the UN, its members, and official publications. You may also be interested in the United Nations Scholar's Workstation at Yale University, which is a collection of texts, finding aids, data sets, maps, and pointers to print and electronic information. Subject coverage includes disarmament, economic and social development, environment, human rights, international relations, international trade, peacekeeping, and population and demography.

    5. North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO's web site has full-text links to basic juridical and political documents, as well as the NATO Review.

    POLITICAL CULTURE AND PUBLIC OPINION

    Web Resources
    1. Gallup Poll The Gallup Organization conducts surveys to measure corporate image, strategic planning, product development, advertising, leadership profiling, talent analysis, and service quality research.

    2. People Press & Politics (Pew Trust)The Pew Charitable Trusts support the work of nonprofit organizations in the fields of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. Through their grantmaking, the Trusts seek to encourage individual development and personal achievement, cross-disciplinary problem solving, and innovative, practical approaches to meeting the changing needs of a global community.

    CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

    Web Resources:
    1. Project Vote Smart includes voting records, campaign finance data, special interests' performance evaluations, issue positions and backgrounds of candidates and elected officials nationwide.

    2. MTV's Rock the Vote This site is set up as an effort to get young Americans involved in politics, and informed on the issues. Rock the Vote was founded in 1990 by members of the recording industry in response to a wave of attacks on freedom of speech and artistic expression.

    INTEREST GROUPS

    this section:
    Library Resources
    Web Resources

    Library Resources:

    1. Open Secrets: the Dollar Power of PAC's in Congress. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1994. Investigates contributions from PAC's and provides an analysis of the campaign finances of each member of Congress. Profiles of industries, committees, members and PAC's.

    2. Parties, Politics, and Public Policy in America. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 2265 K44 1991. Examines political parties, campaigns, the electoral process, and the formation of public policy.

    3. Interest Group Politics. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1118 I565 1991. Essays on how the interest groups influence policy-making by leading political scientists.

    4. Lobbying Congress: How the System Works. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK1118 W64 1990. Analyses and case studies on lobbying on the national level.

    Web Resources:
    1. American Association of Airport Executives Federal Affairs home page includes Airport Alerts, Airport Defense Fund Newsletters, legislation, AAAE testimony, letters to Congress, FAA regulations, Supreme Court cases, biographies of Members of Congress, GAO reports, and links to many other aviation or government Web Sites.

    2. AFL-CIO The AFL-CIO is a federation of 78 labor unions representing some 13.6 million working men and women. Through organizing, collective bargaining and legislative/political action, the unions of the AFL-CIO work to advance and defend the rights of working people everywhere. The AFL-CIO web site contains policy papers on everything from Northern Ireland to school vouchers to international trade.

    3. Christian Coalition was founded in part to train leaders for social and political action, and to inform citizens about issues and legislation. This site also contains voter guides, scorecards, and links to contact Congressmen.

    4. Claremont Institute The Mission of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy is to recover the principles of the American Founding and to restore them to their rightful and preeminent authority in our political life.

    5. National Organization for Women NOW's Political Action Committees support candidates, both women and men, who support feminist goals. NOW encourages women to be politically active, to run for office from any political party, and to participate in the decision-making processes of the nation.

    6. Town Hall Town Hall strives to bring Internet users and public policy organizations together under the broad umbrella of "conservative" thoughts, ideas and actions. The organizations that have chosen to become citizens of Town Hall do not agree on every issue, yet an interactive, open and honest debate of the issues within the conservative community will "help us all in the fight against those who would sacrifice the individual and freedom for political gain and big government."

    7. Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute -- a think tank -- whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

    8. National Education Assoc NEA is America's oldest and largest organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. At the national level, NEA's work ranges from coordinating innovative projects to restructure how learning takes place to fighting congressional attempts to privatize public education.

    9. National Urban League The mission of the National Urban League is to assist African Americans in the achievement of social and economic equality. The League's approach has been to utilize fully the tools of advocacy, research, program service and systems change.

    10. Chicano/Latino Network (CLNet) This site has been mounted by the Chicano Studies Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and lists web sites of interest to Latin Americans.

    The Press

    Web Resources:
    1. American Journalism Review NewsLink Contains news articles, a search engine, and links to 3,700 other news-oriented sites on the Web.

    2. CNNThis is CNN's Web Site, and includes a wide range of current articles, complete with search engine.

    3. LA Times This is the Web version of the LA Times, containing archives and a search engine.

    4. NewsHour (PBS) This is the Web version of the PBS MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, with transcripts of past programs, and a search engine.

    5. New York Times This is the Web version of the NY Times, and contains current articles only. You must subscribe online (currently free).

    6. Slate Microsoft holds the copyright on this online magazine, which contains current event information and commentary. Free 30-day trial.

    Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

    Web Resources:
    1. ACLU (liberal)In their own words: "The mission of the ACLU is to assure that the Bill of Rights -- amendments to the Constitution that guard against unwarranted governmental control -- are preserved for each new generation. To understand the ACLU's purpose, it is important to distinguish between the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Constitution itself, whose bicentennial we celebrated in 1987, authorizes the government to act. The Bill of Rights limits that authority."

    2. American Center for Law and Justice (conservative) Presently contains the text of "Knowing Your Rights," by Jay Alan Sekulow. From the Introduction: "This book is about our freedoms -- our constitutionally protected liberties as citizens of the United States. Among these liberties, a most important one is the freedom of speech, which gives us the right to speak out on any issue from a biblical perspective. In the ongoing struggle over the direction of our culture, we dare not lose this right. And yet it, along with many of our other freedoms, is under attack. School administrators, government bureaucrats, special interest groups, even certain legal societies are intimidating Christians into leaving the public arena and exercising their faith only in the private sphere."

    POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS

    this section:
    Library Resources
    Web Resources

    Library Resources:

    1. Change and Continuity in the 1988 Elections. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 526 1988d. Explores the relationship between the parties, campaigns, the electorate and the outcome of the 1988 elections.

    2. Vital Statistics on American Politics. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 274 S74 1994. This publication has interesting statistics which reflect the impact of politics on implementation of policies.

    3. America Votes. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1967 AM35 yr. Retrospective statistics on voting in national elections by state.
    4. Congress and The Nation. Shelf Location: HON GOV REF JK 1021 C76 vols (1945-1992). Comprehensive information of all kinds on Congress.

    Web Resources:
    (nonpartisan sources)
    1. Campaign96 An independent site, listing presidential candidates and their sites, as well as congressional candidates, but most notable for its compilation of other election-related Web sites.

    2. AllPolitics From CNN/Time, this site is most notable for current news stories. Links are also listed for presidential and state candidates, hot election issues, and a nifty search engine by state or zip code that lists state and district profiles, analysis of members of Congress, primary and caucus results, important national political news and tons more.

    3. Federal Election Commission The official U.S. Government agency overseeing election law, this site contains the Citizens Guide to Contributions and the Law, financial information about candidates, parties and PACs, and news releases and media advisories.

    (partisan sources)
    1. Democratic National Committee This is the official Web site of the Democratic National Convention, and contains news and features, 1996 platform and convention information, a list of links to Democratic sites and candidates as well as Federal agencies, and a counterpoint to the Republican agenda on the "Donkey Stomp" page.

    2. Green Parties The Green Party exists to promote an environmentally-aware agenda, through a grassroots campaign. Their Presidential Candidate of choice is Ralph Nader.

    3. Libertarians This site lists everything there is to know about Libertarians, whose Presidential candidate is Harry Browne, including Libertarian candidates down to the local level and the history of the Party.

    4. Reform Party The Reform Party, whose Presidential candidate is Ross Perot, lists their Principles of Reform, a state-by-state list of Reform Party contacts, and a run- down of Reform Party news events.

    5. Republican National Committee Dubbed the "Republican Main Street", this official website has a plethora of news releases, as well as information about the Republican Platform, background information on the "Main Street School" page, and a listing of Federal agencies.

    ELECTRONIC DATABASES

    1. PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service). Index to public policy and social issues information in a wide range of subjects. Contains selected citations to journal articles, books, government documents and reports. Also indexes foreign language publications. Available on the campus network.

    2. GPO CAT PAC (Marcive). Monthly Catalog of Government Publications, from 1976 to current. Indexes government publications cataloged by the U.S. Government Printing Office since 1976. Also available on the campus network.

    3. CIS Masterfile. (Congressional Information Service) Indexes and abstracts most congressional publications, including committee hearings and prints, documents,and reports.(1989 - current). Only available in the Government Publications Department.

    4. LEXIS\NEXIS. This is a full-text database consisting of millions of articles covering the fields of business, law and legislation, and general news. Nexis consists of 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. Lexis is primarily a legal-resource database which contains 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 display a Claremont Colleges ID and sign up to use it. There are terminals available in the Reference, Government Publications, and Asian Studies departments.

    5. FirstSearch (OCLC Online search service). This database is a menu driven reference service consisting of dozens of databases, including the OCLC union catalog WorldCat. WorldCatcontains 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. PerAbs indexes articles from over 1500 journals, and NewsAbs indexes artiles from over 25 newspapers. Both can be found in the News and Current Events topic area. See category 11; News and Current Events, or 12, Public Affairs and Law. Available through the Network Services stations in the Bibliographic Search Center or in the Government Publications Department, as well as the Library Menu.

      Blais, the on-line catalog, is now available to students at the Honnold/Mudd Library. The Government Publications department has a handout with directions on its use. Most International documents are cataloged in Blais. Current, incoming U.S. documents are catalogued in Blais and older holdings will be added soon. Few California state documents are in Blais. Other databases and indexes must be used to access them. For further information on computer databases, see the handout on computer databases or consult a reference librarian.

      Each citation found in footnotes, indexed, bibliographies, the card catalog, or the on-line catalog contains information that can be used by Blais to lead you to other sources. Expand such pieces of information by using them as subject headings, authors' names or call number locations to help you find other sources that are grouped together. Then use these pieces of information to begin a new search in the card catalog, on Blais, or to browse the shelf in a particular call number location. Think of it as computerized free association, linked to concrete research data and information.

      Shelf Location Codes

      • Materials marked HON GOV REF DESK are held at the Government Publications reference desk on the first floor.
      • Materials marked HON GOV are located in the general stacks of the Government Publications collection on the first floor.
      • Materials marked HON GOV REF US are in the reference section of Government Publications. They are in Sudoc (Superintendent of Documents) classification order. (First floor multi-tier)
      • Materials marked REF are held at the Reference desk on the second floor, and those marked GENERAL LIBRARY STACKS are in the stacks.
      • Materials marked HON GOV REF or DOC REF are in the collection of Congressional Quarterly and other publications in the Government Publications Reference stacks and have Library of Congress call numbers.

        *If not otherwise noted, the materials are located in the library's general stacks.

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      Last updated on 9/9/1997 by Ruth Schooley
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