POL 202State and Local GovernmentProfessor Bengtson |
Internet ResearchWeb Resources--Mostly State ResourcesProject VoteSmart -- State and Government Resources Pick a state and click for links, contact information, and electronic copies of state constitutions. USA.gov Look for links to State Resources on the left menu. State and Local Government on the Net A Directory of State, County and Local government websites State Government Information Library of Congress page with lots of links to web resources for state government National Conference of State Legislatures A good place to research issues that affect states National City Government Resource Center A very simple site with a lot of good links to city-government websites. State Libraries & Archives PublicLibraries.com's list of links to State Libraries. There are a couple of dead links (Ilinois' needs to be updated), but a good way to find state libraries & resources State Government and Politics
University of Michigan Library's Document Center.
State Blue Books This interesting wiki site is maintained by the library at Bradley University in Peoria. They have links to state information sites, including state directories and blue books where available.
Web Resources--Mostly Local ResourcesUSA.gov The US Government's Official Web Portal. Click on Local Government (on the left-hand menu) for links to resources about all sorts of local government issues. International City/County Management Association "ICMA is the professional and educational organization for chief appointed managers, administrators, and assistants in cities, towns, counties, and regional entities throughout the world". There is some information here on the Council-Manager form of government. Be aware this website has only limited free information. You must join the organization to gain access to many of the resources. The U.S. Conference of Mayors This group is the official organization for all of the nation's mayors. There is a lot of information here, some about grants and funding. There is an archive of reports, including a pdf file here on unfunded mandates and costs to cities. U.S. Census Bureau Comprehensive source for statistical data on the US--everything from income, to population, to quick facts. Some information here is downloadable.You can use American FactFinder to get data from the 200 Census down to the city block level. Web Resources--MiscellaneousGoverning Magazine Online current news and issues in government at all levels. Lots of interesting things here. |
Research in News Sources--You may want to look in a local paper for news and information about your state or local government and issues. Chicago Tribune from 1985 to current, try searching by subject. You can also browse. ProQuest Historical Newspapers Chicago Tribune (1849 - 1985) ~ use for information from before 1985 Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe ~ also provides access to newspapers from all over the world Newspaper Source ~ another database providing access to newspapers both large and small New York Times from 1985 to current. ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2002) ~ use for information before 2002 |
Finding & Using Municipal WebsitesGoogle with careIt is possible to find the websites for most major metropolitan areas using Google. Remember these general "Good Google Practices": Use quotation marks around your terms to limit results: "City of Chicago" is better than: City -- of -- Chicago. Look for the ".gov" or ".us" domain at the end of the website's address. Example: http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us Search for "city of ______", rather than just "_____" to avoid tourism sites, newspaper sites, etc. Example: "City of Denver" not "Denver". Navigate with careMost municipal websites serve several purposes: tourism information, business development information, public relations information, as well as citizen information. Take a moment to look carefully at a website to see if you can efficiently determine where the information you need is mostly likely going to be located. City of Chicago ~ this is the main page, but information about the City Departments is here, and the Mayor's Office is here City of Cleveland is here. This website has a simpler navigation menu at the side that more directly links you to information. City of Denver ~ This wesite is different than the other two. Here are some of Denver's online resources. |
Writing and Citing InformationFor help with writing, try the Elmhurst College Writing Center online help page. You can also try these online resources
|
| Department of Political Science Home Page |
||
| This page was created by Peg Cook, Assistant Reference Librarian On February 14, 2007 |
||