POLI 205: U.S. Politics and Policymaking
A library resource guide for POLI 205: US Politics and Policymaking
Research & Instruction Librarians
News Resources
- Access World News: Research Collection This link opens in a new windowInternational, national, regional, state, and local newspaper articles and video clips. Includes over a thousand international news sources from scores of countries on six continents, translated into English when written in other languages.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowCredible source for news, legal and business sources that is updated daily. Includes access to print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs, as well as local, regional, national and international newspapers, legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, business information on U.S. and international companies and executives. For Business Nexis Uni covers company and industry news, detailed company financial data, and includes major accounting journals. In Law, the database provides texts of federal and state court decisions, federal and state agency regulations, and law journal articles.
- US Newsstream (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Current U.S. news content, as well as archives that stretch back into the 1980s. It features top newspapers, wires, broadcast transcripts, blogs, and news sites in full-text format. US Newsstream provides key national and regional news sources from the U.S. and includes exclusive and preferred access to top titles, including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, and Chicago Tribune. - Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
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Full-text coverage of hundreds of national, regional, and international newspapers, as well as newswires and TV and radio news transcripts.
Databases with Legal, Federal, & Congressional Content
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowProvides coverage of more than 2,600 law-related periodicals. Contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, classic treatises, international trade, foreign relations, U.S. Presidents, and much more.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowCredible source for news, legal and business sources that is updated daily. Includes access to print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs, as well as local, regional, national and international newspapers, legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, business information on U.S. and international companies and executives. For Business Nexis Uni covers company and industry news, detailed company financial data, and includes major accounting journals. In Law, the database provides texts of federal and state court decisions, federal and state agency regulations, and law journal articles.
MN State, County, City Legislation Links
- Local MN govThis site includes links to State, Counties, and Cities info.
- MN Sate LegislatureFind out information about bills in the Minnesota House and Senate, as well as activities of committees. It includes audio and video archives of floor sessions and committee meetings.
- MN CountiesLinks to local (MN) Counties Websites
- Local MN CitiesLinks to local (MN) Cities websites
- League of MN CitiesThe League of Minnesota Cities is dedicated to promoting excellence in local government. The League, governed by a Board of Directors consisting of local elected and appointed city officials, serves its more than 800 member cities through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management, and other services
- MN Secretary of StateThe work of the Secretary of State’s Office affects Minnesotans in all 87 counties of the state. The site includes county and local links.
- Minnesota State Agencies, Boards, CommissionsState Agencies are in the executive branch of government. Also included in this listing are state boards, councils, commissions, committees, ombudsmen offices and task forces.
- MN Legislative Reference LibraryMN Legislative Reference Library is Minnesota's depository library for state agency and consultants reports.
- Minnesota State Government White PagesFind state employee contact information.
- Metropolitan CouncilContains various forecasts, population, employment, housing, development and profile data.
Selected (other) States' Government Portals
U.S. Legislation
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowAccess to original reporting and analysis on issues in the news. Coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowAccess to congressional publications, including the Congressional Record 1873-1997, as well as legislative histories, member biographies, committee assignments, voting records, and financial data; and the full text of key regulatory and statutory resources.
- Congressional Record This link opens in a new windowThe official record of the proceedings, debates, and activities of the U.S. Congress. Contains a substantial verbatim account of the proceedings and debates, as well as extensive inserted materials, communications from the President and executive agencies, memorials, and petitions.
- USA.govAn interactive/online, raw/downloadable, and geo-data from federal agencies.
- Congress.govIncludes the Congressional Record (1995 - Present), Committee Reports, Executive, Treaty Documents, and more.
- govinfoProvides free public access to more than a million official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
A Word About Searching Social Media
Social media research is a broad term that covers research using social media platforms. Social media platforms serve as a source of data on people's opinions or behaviors, among other things.
Social media research can be quite valuable; it provides researches across many disciplines with access to peoples' opinions or behaviors that would be difficult or impossible to gather via other means.
Keep in mind: all social media platforms are controlled by the corporations that own them. This has major implications for how one interacts with a platform - many platforms have some sort of restrictions on the automated gathering of posts, for example. Pay attention to Terms of Service for each platform.
(--adapted from American University Social Media Research LibGuide)