State and Local Government
See the W&L library's guide to information from U.S. State and Local Governments sources.
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)NCSL provides objective, fact- and evidence-based (nonpartisan) research, technical assistance, skills training, and other resources to support the policymaking process.
- Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
Highly respected database covers 7,000 sources for legal information, news sources, and business research. Extensive legal coverage includes law reviews, court cases, statutes, regulations, and more. News sources feature hundreds of U.S. and international newspapers and broadcast transcripts. Business research includes Company Investigator.
U.S. Federal Government
- U.S. Federal Government Watchdog AgenciesThese agencies of the U.S. Federal Government are considered reliable, non-partisan research resources, especially for analyses of government programs and policies.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
This is almost certainly the most comprehensive database of Congressional publications, some dating back as far as the late 1700's. Includes the complete texts of hearings and most other documents. An interesting sub-set of the database provides legislative histories. (Law Library subscription.)
- GovInfoOfficial Government Publishing Office database provides access to hundreds of thousands of Federal Government documents, dating back to the 18th century.
- Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
Highly respected database covers 7,000 sources for legal information, news sources, and business research. Extensive legal coverage includes law reviews, court cases, statutes, regulations, and more. News sources feature hundreds of U.S. and international newspapers and broadcast transcripts. Business research includes Company Investigator.
Statistical Information
- Statistical Abstract of the United StatesProbably the single most useful published collection of statistical information on virtually all aspects of life in the United States. And it usually directs you to the originally-published sources of data for more in-depth coverage. Earlier editions also are available online from the Census Bureau. Printed copies (1878-2011) are available in the library's Reference collection.
- ProQuest Statistical Insight This link opens in a new window
Contains references to tens of thousands of data sources from the U.S. Federal Government, U.S. state governments, international intergovernmental organizations, and private sector groups, such as trade and professional associations.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowSocial Explorer is an online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information. The easy-to-use web interface lets users create maps and reports to better illustrate, analyze and understand demography and social change.
- Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista is one of the worldâs largest statistics portals, providing data compiled from 18,000 private and public sources aggregated from North American, Europe, and Asia. All statistics and forecasts can be directly downloaded in PNG/PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.
- U.S. Census BureauPreeminent source of free data in several areas -- population, business and economics, income and poverty, housing, voting registration, and much more. Good starting points include the "Browse by Topic" and "Explore Data" tabs.
Political Data: Advertising & other
This section consists of various organizations that track political advertising spending by candidates.