Finding statistics

Numbers may look like pure facts and are often presented as irrefutable proof, but they are shaped by the methods used to gather them. Whenever you use statistics, pay critical attention to who gathered them, how, when, and for what purpose.

The federal government provides a vast amount of data, summarized in the handy little book The Statistical Abstract of the United States (shelved behind the reference desk). This is often a good place to start.

The following Websites are good sources for demographic and social statistics.

American FactFinder
Fedstats
US Census
Internet Crossroads in Social Science Data
SOSIG: Social Science Information Gateway

Federal agencies often track information and have their own statistical bureaus. Examples are the National Center for Education Statistics, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the National Center for Health Statistics.

Opinion polls

Gallup Polls is a series of annual opinion poll summaries found in the reference collection (Ref GN 90 .G29); the Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, which offers summaries of recent polls such as this one on trust in the news media, is included in full text in the Business Source Premier database.

For a more global approach to opinion polling, check out the Pew Global Attitudes Project or the University of Maryland's World Public Opinion site.

Finding maps

The library has hundreds of thousands of maps in the Robert Moline Map Library, on the first floor of Nobel Hall. In the main library, there is an atlas case behind the Hasselquist room where you can find world, national, and historical maps.

Online, map software and global positioning technology are being fused with data in interesting ways. The American Factfinder site, for example, has a "maps and geography" link to create maps from statistical tables.

Easy to use map sites

Google Maps - for road maps, satelite images, and both.
Multimap - like Mapquest, but especially good for Europe; includes sattelite views.

More sophisticated mapping tools

National Atlas - from the US Department of the Interior.
National Map - from the US Geologic Survey.
Atlas of Canada - from our large and geographically-sophisticated neighbor to the north.

Collections of maps online

Alexandria Digital Library - links to significant collections of geospacially referenced data. Their gazetteer helps you find obscure places.
Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection - from the University of Texas, but covering the world.

The US government is a prodigious publisher, and so are local, state, foreign, and international governments. Many of their current publications can be found online. The library also has a collection of documents on the lower level that is provided through the Federal Depository System. Those that have been added in recent years can be found through our catalog.

Portals to government information

GPO Access - a portal from the Government Printing Office
FirstGov - another portal, intended for a more general audience.
LSU Libraries Federal Agencies Directory - links to federal agency Web sites.
Minnesota NorthStar - Minnesota's official state Website. For other state URLs use the formula: http://www.state.stateabbreviation.us.
University of Michigan Documents Center - links to local, state, federal, foreign, and international Web sites.

Legislative information

Congressional Universe - a database of hearings, bills, and other material from the US Congress.
Thomas - offers current bills introduced in the US Congress and their status, as well as the text of the Congressional Record.

For laws and court opinions, see our guide to resources on the law.