Government Resource Library Guides
Librarian
This is a guide of Political Science resources available to students and faculty at the University of Minnesota. Use the "Getting Started" page for new researchers, and the other pages for more advanced content.
United States government resources
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowThe ProQuest Congressional Research Digital Collection (CRDC) provides full-text access to more than 5,000 Congressional committee prints published from 2004 to present and more than 23,000 Congressional Research Service reports published from 2004-present. Includes citations for bills, public laws, and Statutes at Large, and analytical abstracts of the documents. Also includes links to political parties and organizations and news sources. Coverage 1789-present.
- govinfo.govProvides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.with coverage generally from the early 1990s to the present.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowHuge legal search tool with full-text of legal journals, legal histories, government documents, state and federal cases, international law and includes coverage of many older legal materials. Contains the Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports (Supreme Court) back to 1754.
- Legislative Insight This link opens in a new windowFind compilations of digital full-text publications relevant to enacted United States public laws.
- Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, 1895-1976Issued by the Superintendent of Documents for the Government Printing Office, catalogs all publications of the United States government, including those of the Congress and all executive departments (with the exception of administrative and confidential or restricted documents). The government prints thousands of documents each year, and many of these are sent to depository libraries. This database covers January 1895 - June 1976.
- PluralFollow existing and introduced federal and state legislation across the country or in your state. Plural streamlines how you discover, track, and organize the bills you care about. The platform allows individuals and teams to see what’s happening with similar legislation across the country, find out where bill language reappears over time, and even predict which bills are starting to gain momentum.
- voxgovSearch publications, press releases, and social media activity of U.S. government agencies and legislative entities including legislators, department chiefs, and other branches in the federal government. Social media includes Twitter feeds, YouTube videos and other output by government entities. Congressional documents such as hearings are also available.
- Catalog of Government Publications, 1976-presentProduced by the Government Publishing Office (GPO), the Catalog of United States Government publications includes print and electronic Government information products created by Federal agencies. 1976 to the present, updated daily.
International government resources
- United Nations Digital LibraryThe United Nations Digital Library (UNDL) includes UN documents, voting data, speeches, maps, and open access publications. The platform provides access to UN-produced materials in digital format and bibliographic records for print UN documents starting in 1979. System features include linked data between related documentation such as resolutions, meeting records and voting, and refining of searches by UN body, agency or type of document.
- United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library Research GuidesThe Dag Hammarskjöld Library, the library at the UN headquarters in New York, has put together several subject-based research guides to UN materials. Subjects include human rights, UN reform and peacekeeping operations.
- UN Official Document System (ODS)ODS has full-text, born-digital UN documents published from 1993 onward, including documents of the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and their subsidiaries, as well as administrative issuances and other documents. The database also includes scanned documents published between 1946 and 1993, including all resolutions of the principal organs, all documents of the Security Council and the General Assembly Official Records.
- UN iLibraryAccess to publications, journals, reports, and other series covering a wide range of topics: international peace and security, human rights, economic and social development, climate change, international law, governance, public health, and statistics from the UN Secretariat and its funds and programmes.
- United Nations Treaty CollectionIncludes all multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and those formerly deposited with the League of Nations - their latest status and a link to the full texts; bilateral and multilateral treaties registered with and published by the United Nations Secretariat in accordance with Article 102 up to a certain date - Detailed treaty references and full texts in all authentic languages; recently deposited multilateral treaties that have been deposited but not yet published - available for viewing and downloading in some or all of their authentic languages.
Minnesota state and local government resources
- Minnesota Secretary of StateThis office affects Minnesotans in all 87 counties, whether that's ensuring the election system is fair, open, impartial, and secure; making it as easy as possible for Minnesotans to set up and run their businesses; or helping protect victims of domestic violence and others who fear for their safety.
- Minnesota State DocumentsMN Legislative Reference Library is Minnesota's depository library for state agency and consultants reports.
- Minnesota Mandated ReportsSome reports are mandated by the Minnesota State Legislature when laws are written. The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library catalogs these reports and provides a list of recently acquired reports.
- Minnesota Legislative Reference LibraryThe Minnesota Legislative Reference Library (LRL) serves the Legislature and the citizens of Minnesota by assuring access to essential information resources that support the legislative process and promote the understanding of state government. You can find information on specific bills proposed and information on each legislator.
- Minnesota State LegislatureAllows you to track current legislation, find bills from 1995 to date, and search the current "Minnesota Statutes", "Session Laws of Minnesota" and the current "Minnesota Rules".
- QuickFacts: Minnesota - U.S. Census BureauProvides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.
- Minnesota State Government White PagesFind state employee contact information.
- 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.
- State of Minnesota WebsiteMinnesota.gov is the entry point to Minnesota State government information and services including the Governor, state, local, region and tribal governments and links to government services.
- Minnesota State Law LibraryA principal legal resource center serving the judiciary and all branches of state and local government; the legal profession; other law, public and academic libraries; and the general public.
- Minnesota State RegisterThe official publication of the State of Minnesota’s Executive Branch of government, published weekly to fulfill the legislative mandate set forth in Minnesota Statutes. Contains agency regulations, governors' executive orders, proposed and final agency rules, Tax Court decisions, state contracts and more.
- Minnesota Historical SocietyThe Minnesota Historical Society preserves Minnesota's past through historic collections, exhibits, locations, events and more. It is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849.
Government data and statistics resources
- Sage Data This link opens in a new windowProvides access to statistical data produced by U.S. Federal agencies, States, private organizations, and major intergovernmental organizations. There are up to 2 billion charts, maps, views, rankings, time series and tables available for use in the Data-Planet repository.
- Data.govSource of open data from the US government. Includes data on agriculture, climate, energy, health, and manufacturing. Also includes some state and local government data.
- U.S. Census: Data portalThe new platform to access data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau that replaced American FactFinder. data.census.gov
- IPUMSProvides census microdata and survey data from around the world integrated across time and space. Microdata allows the user to extract data at the individual response level, allowing for detailed and specific variable analysis
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowOffers the ability to create customized maps and reports of demographic, housing, and employment patterns throughout the United States using data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Statistical Insight This link opens in a new windowSearch statistical publications from US and state government agencies, international intergovernmental organizations, professional and trade organizations, business organizations, commercial publishers, independent research organizations, and universities.
- U.S. Census BureauA wealth of information on the lives of US citizens covering population data, geographic data and education.
Additional resources
- Oxford Constitutional Law This link opens in a new windowOxford Constitutional Law (OXCON) is the home of Oxfords constitutional law services: Oxford Constitutions of the World, US Constitutional Law, and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law. From this platform users are able to perform a single search across all three constitutional law services.
- Territorial Papers of the United States This link opens in a new windowMore than half of Americas states began as territories. From the 1760s to the 1950s the United States of America expanded southward and westward, acquiring territories that spanned from Florida to California to Alaska. Before they evolved into twenty-seven American states, these territories were managed by the U.S. State and Interior departments. The official history of their formative territorial years is recorded in the Territorial Papers of the United Statesa collection of Native American negotiations and treaties, official correspondence with the federal government, military records, judicial proceedings, population data, financial statistics, land records, and more. For the first time, the Territorial Papers are available in a digital online collection, offering unparalleled research opportunities for anyone interested in the creation of modern-day America.
Last Updated: Nov 14, 2024 4:00 PM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/political-science