POL 307: Public Policy Analysis and Administration 

Facts / Background and Opinion / Databases / Web Resources

Print Resources

Books in the O'Shaughnessy Frey Library Reference Collection

Editorials On File REF D 839 .E3
Twice monthly compilation of editorials from over 150 North American newspapers.   Subject index in ivory section in back of binder

Facts on File REF D 410 .F3
Weekly digest of world news.  Provides the "who, what, when, where, how many" for current issues in politics and public affairs.  Yellow pages index in back of book.

Congressional Digest (Periodical, shelved on Level 2 and Lower Level)
Pros and cons for current issues in public policy.

Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report REF JK 1 .C767
Excellent source for news on issues before the Congress.  Indexed on back cover of each issue, as well as in yellow index in back of book.

Electronic Resources:

Available in the library, campus computer labs and from home.

Use the Databases and Indexes page to locate the following suggested databases.  All are located within the Social Sciences: Political Science and Government category.  Other databases in that category will also be useful.

CIAO Online
CIAO provides access to the full text of working papers, reports, conference proceedings, journal articles, books, and policy briefs from over sixty think tanks and institutions, as well as the output of Columbia University Press.  CIAO intends to the be the most comprehensive source for theory and researach in international affairs.

Expanded Academic Index
A good, general academic database, with lots of full text content.

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe
Almost entirely full text, with the content from most of the world's newspapers, transcripts from television and radio news and general reference material.  Go to News: General News for newspapers and transcripts.  Note also the Roper Center polls under the "Reference" category.

Lexis/Nexis Congressional Package
Congressional documents available from House and Senate Reports to serial sets.

Religion and American Law: An Encyclopedia
The interplay of religion and law has long been a major political and social issue in the United States. From the Salem Witch Trials to the current debate over school vouchers, court rulings have had a profound effect on people's lives. Encompassing cases from the colonial period to the Supreme Court's important decisions in 1997, this unique A-Z encyclopedia provides detailed entries on all of the major Supreme Court decisions dealing with church and state, topical and theoretical essays relating to the issue, and cogent biographies of those Justices whose decisions have achieved landmark status in the debate.

World Wide Web sites:

Council of State Governments
www.statesnews.org/
CSG is the primary association for state governments in the U.S.

Data on the Net - University of California, San Diego
odwin.ucsd.edu/idata/
A searchable collection of data sites and catalogs.

FirstGov
http://www.usa.gov/
FirstGov is intended to be the first resource to find any government information on the Internet.  Includes all branches of Federal government, as well as state and local links.

The Gallup Organization
www.gallup.com/

Minnesota Legislature
www.leg.state.mn.us/
Note House Research publications, Session Weekly, Legislative Library and other useful links.

National Conference of State Legislatures
http://www.ncsl.org/
NCSL is the key association for legislators and legislative staff in the U.S.   You are a "public user" - see "Policy Issues."

PollingReport.com
www.pollingreport.com/
An independent and nonpartisan source of public opinion data.

Public Agenda Online
www.publicagenda.org/
Public Agenda is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research
and citizen education organization. See the Issues guide or do a keyword search.

Speakout.com
www.speakout.com/
"Based in Washington, DC, SpeakOut.com is America's leading non-partisan Internet activism Web site and online opinion research company. Launched in February 2000, SpeakOut.com's primary mission is to enhance the democratic process by enabling citizens to have a direct impact on the decisions that affect their lives."  See the "Issues Library."

Thomas on the Web
thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas2.html
Thomas is the key source for information on legislation at the federal level.

Updated 4/28/08

Return to top