POL 202: Mary Shumaker

American State and Local Government

Summer 2006

New Off-Campus Access:

Now, when you want to access databases from off-campus, all you need to do is click on the link to the database. You will then see a screen which will prompt you to enter your username and password (this is your Student Technology Account {i.e. your Elmhurst College email username and password} login). You should then be directed to the database.

If you still have problems with accessing our databases, feel free to contact us at:

630.617.3173
ref[at]elmhurst[dot]edu
or
IM (Instant Message) a librarian at:
AIM: elmhrstcollibref | Yahoo!Messenger: eclibraryref | MSN Messenger: ref[at]elmhurst.edu

Who's In the General Assembly

Who is my Illinois State Representative or Senator?

Illinois State Board of Elections: Find District/Official by Address ~ you can type in your address to find out your district number and the name of your officials
Project Vote-Smart ~ if you know it, you can type in your ZIP+9 code into the box on the left-hand side; clicking on the links to the representative's name will give you more information about that person

What Assembly committees does my State Representative or Senator sit on? What religion does s/he practice?

Illinois General Assembly: House Members ~ click on the link of the representative for biographical information that might give more insight into the person and his or her beliefs and voting strategies
Illinois General Assembly: Senate Members ~ click on the link of the representative for biographical information that might give more insight into the person and his or her beliefs and voting strategies
Project Vote-Smart: State Senate of Illinois ~ click on the link of the person's name for complete information, as well as a link to an official web site with contact information
Project Vote-Smart: State House of Illinois ~ click on the link of the appropriate individual for complete information, as well as a link to an official web site with contact information

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Your Topic

What is my topic?

C-SPAN: Illinois Legislative Action Center ~ from here, you can look up your elected official by your address, look at a list of Illinois elected officials, and more. The "Issues and Action" button will reflect current bills when the General Assembly is in session (this happens October 25)

How do I find out what bills are pending on my topic?

Illinois General Assembly ~ use the box on the left-hand side to search By Keyword on your topic

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Researching a Bill

How do I find out more information on a particular bill?

Background information on the bill and pertinent issues

Finding Journal Articles

Academic Search Premier ~ contains articles from both popular and scholarly sources on a wide range of topics, many in full text.
CQ Researcher ~ published by Congressional Quarterly, this resource weekly focuses on a particular topic, such as violent video games or the abortion pill RU486; good for finding out background information or learning more about the topic at hand
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe ~ this database accesses a wealth of legal news and information.

Is this a scholarly journal or a popular magazine?

Finding Newspaper Articles

Chicago Tribune
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

What if the article isn't available online?

Use I-Share Online to determine if the library owns the journal in print or in microfilm
Check Alphabetical List of Journals Online to see if the article is available through another database
If you cannot find an article at Elmhurst, you can request it through our online Interlibrary Loan article request form

How has my representative/senator has voted on similar bills?

Illinois General Assembly ~ use the box on the left-hand side to search By Keyword on your topic; find a similar bill, then click on Bill Status; look to see what kind of action has been taken on that bill, and by what committee; up at the top, you'll see a link for Votes; click on that link; click on the link for the reading of the bill, and scan the names of the representatives or senators to see how he/she voted

Did my representative write, sponsor, or cosponsor this bill?

Illinois General Assembly: House Members ~ click on the link of the representative; then, click on the tab labelled "Bills" for a list of all bills that your representative/senator has sponsored
Illinois General Assembly: Senate Members ~ click on the link of the representative; then, click on the tab labelled "Bills" for a list of all bills that your representative/senator has sponsored

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Contacting The Politician

How do I write a letter to my Senator or Representative?

Letter Writing for Advocacy ~ from the Reading Recovering Council of North America; also look at the information on faxing
Letter Writing ~ from the League of Women Voters from New Jersey

How do I find contact information for my senator or representative?

Illinois General Assembly: House Members ~ click on the link of the representative for contact information
Illinois General Assembly: Senate Members ~ click on the link of the person for contact information

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Citing Your Sources

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th ed. R 808.042 M685 1999 (Ask for this at Reference)
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. R 808.06615 P976 2001(Ask for this at Reference)
Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed. R 808.042 T929m6 1997 (Ask for this at Reference)
Writing and Citing ~ from Elmhurst College; includes guidelines on Turabian, MLA, and APA, among others

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Web Pages for Courses:
Political Science

Library Home Page

Political Science Department
Home Page

Created 7 September, 2005 by Ayanna Gaines
Revised 13 June, 2006 by Peg Cook , Assistant Reference Librarian
A.C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst College