Introduction to American Government
Need help with your research? Contact:Jen Jarson
Social Sciences Reference Librarian
phone: x3552
email: jarson [at] muhlenberg [dot] edu
IM: jjarson1 (AIM, Yahoo, add @hotmail.com for MSN)Need help after hours?
IM the Library at TalkToTrexler (for Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo; add @hotmail.com for MSN)
Online Sunday-Thursday 2pm-10pm.
See Ask a Librarian for more information and other ways to get help.
Finding Background Information
REFERENCE MATERIALS
The CQ Researcher (1991-current)
Location: Trexler Library Reference Collection 300.97305 C882r (Level A)
(NOTE: 1994-current is available in the Reference Collection at above call number. 1991-1995 is available in the Microforms section.)
*Use the Online Index to Reports to find the issue for your topic.
Published 44 times a year, each single-themed CQ Researcher report offers in-depth, unbiased coverage of a pressing political or social issue. Reports features cover topics in health, international affairs, education, public policy, the environment, technology, and the U.S. economy.Credo Reference
Location: Online (search the library catalog by title)
Provides access to a collection of aggregated and integrated reference books from high-quality publishers.Encyclopedia of Social Problems (2008)
Location: Trexler Library Reference Collection 361.103 E56o v.1-2 (Level A)West's Encyclopedia of American Law (2004)
Location: Online (search the library catalog by title)
Location: Trexler Library Reference Collection 349.7303 W538e v.1-13 (Level A)Trexler Library may also have reference works related to your particular topic. To find them, search the catalog or ask for help. Examples include:
Encyclopedia of Education Law (2008)
Location: Trexler Library Reference Collection 344.73 E56o v.1-2 (Level A)Encyclopedia of Environment and Society
Location: Trexler Library Reference Collection 304.203 E56o v.1-5 (Level A)
WEBSITES
Intute
http://www.intute.ac.uk/
LIBRARY NEWS DATABASES
LexisNexis Academic
Full text of thousands of newspapers, magazines, broadcast transcripts, business publications, legal materials, and more.
GETTING THERE : Library Homepage -- Databases A to Z -- LexisNexis Academic
Finding Books: Library Catalogs
TREXLER LIBRARY
Search the Trexler Library Catalog to find out what books, government publications, journals, videos, etc. the library owns.
GETTING THERE: Use the shortcut search box on the Library Homepage or Library Homepage -- Library Catalogs (in the Quick Links box) -- Trexler Library Catalog
OTHER LIBRARIES
WorldCat. To find books held by other libraries, search WorldCat, a database of over 60 million library records from around the country and world. Use the ILL button to request a book from another library. (ILL can take 10-14 days.)
GETTING THERE: Library Homepage -- Library Catalogs (in Quick Links box) -- Other Library Catalogs -- WorldCat
Finding Articles: Databases & Indexes
SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES
See a list of all databases via the Library Homepage -- Databases A to Z (in the Quick Links box).
Political Science Databases
PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service)
Citations from 1972 to the present from scholarly journals, gray literature, government publications, and more from 120 countries on political, economic, social and public policy issues.Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
Indexes international serials literature in political science and complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration / policy.
General / Interdisciplinary Databases
Academic Search Premier
Full text access to scholarly and non-scholarly publications in a wide variety of disciplines and subject areas.JSTOR
Full text of scholarly journals from most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago.OmniFile (WilsonWeb)
A database with some full text articles covering various academic subjects including general sciences, humanities, social sciences, and business.
News
LexisNexis Academic
Full text of thousands of newspapers, magazines, broadcast transcripts, business publications, legal materials, and more.
GETTING THE ARTICLES
- When searching for articles in library databases, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.
- If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.
- Most databases have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings.
- Otherwise, search the catalog by journal title or by ISSN. Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.
- If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.
- Some databases have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form. Click Submit.
- Otherwise, use the Interlibrary Loan Journal Article Request Form (Library Homepage -- Interlibrary Loan (in the Quick Links box) -- Articles request form). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.
Finding Government Information
Muhlenberg College receives about 30% of all materials published by the Federal Government. These items cover a wide range of subject areas--from legal materials and the records of Congress to health and education information and in-depth research conducted by the Smithsonian. All of the government documents that we receive have records in the Trexler Library Catalog.
Google U.S. Government Search
http://www.google.com/unclesam
Google's search tool for state and federal webpages.Government Documents Center (University of Michigan Library)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/
"The Documents Center is a central reference and referral point for government information, whether local, state, federal, foreign or international. Its web pages are a reference and instructional tool for government, political science, statistical data, and news."LexisNexis Congressional
Information on the U.S. legislature, including full text of bills from 1989 on, public laws from 1988 on, committee reports from 1990 on, House and Senate documents from 1995 on, Congressional Record from 1985 on, Federal Register from 1980 on, and more government information.
GETTING THERE: Library Homepage -- Databases A to Z (in the Quick Links box).
Finding Data
See the Finding Statistics and Data guide for recommendations of useful resources.
Congressional Budget Office
http://www.cbo.gov/U.S. Government Accountability Office
http://www.gao.gov/
Citing Your Sources
For help using APA, Chicago, or MLA Style, consult the following resources:
Trexler Library Citation Guides
http://muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/citations.html
GETTING THERE: Library Homepage -- Citation Guides (in the Research box)UW-Madison Writing Center Writer's Handbook
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Documentation.html
© Muhlenberg College
Last modified:9 September 2010
