American Government

Carrie Volk
Reference Librarian
Winthrop University
June, 2008

Dacus Online Catalog (DOC)

The following are just a few of the relevant subject headings for American government.

Additionally, the following sections may be used for browsing:

J10-98 United States General Legislative and Executive Papers

J81-82 Presidents Messages and Other Executive Papers

JK1-9593 United States Political Institutions and Public Administration

JK501-901 United States Executive Branch

JK1001-1443 United States Congress

JK2255-2391 United States Political Parties

JK2403-9593 United States State Government

KF1-9827 United States Federal Law, including Constitutional Law

KFS1801-2399 South Carolina Law

Online Databases and Indexes

Academic Search Premier

Multidisciplinary database that provides full-text for nearly 4,700 publications, including more than 3,600 peer-reviewed journals Coverage dates back to 1975.

America: History and Life

Provides access to over 450,000 bibliographic entries (no full-text available) from over 2,000 worldwide journals.  One of the most comprehensive databases covering the history of the United States and Canada.  Contains numerous citations for American government related articles.

LexisNexis Academic

Provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information.  Particularly useful for current events.  Legal research section contains full-text of Supreme Court, federal and state case law.

General OneFile

Includes nearly 3,000 full-text titles with coverage from 1980 to present.  Covers a wide variety of topics, including politics and government.

JSTOR

Scholarly journal archive that provides access to a number of varied subject journals.  Includes twenty-seven journals focused on political science.  Among these are the American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, and Political Research Quarterly.

LexisNexis Congressional

Contains full text of various Congressional documents, including the Congressional Record.  Also includes biographical information for members of Congress, full-text of bills and federal laws.

Opposing Viewpoints

An online library of current event topics--the facts, as well as the arguments, of each topic's proponents and detractors. Includes Topic Overviews -- frameworks that allow students to explore each topic's many facets -- and exclusive electronic access to Gale's Information Plus reference series of statistics, government data, information on legislation and more.

Journals and Newspapers

The most current editions of all journals are kept on the Current Shelves located behind the Reference Office.

American Journal of Political Science 

Location:  General Collection JA1 .M5x and through Academic Search Premier

American Political Science Review

Location:  Current Shelves, General Collection JA1 .A6 and through General OneFile and JSTOR

CQ Guide to Current American Government

Location: Current Shelves and General Collection JK1 .C14

Foreign Policy

Location:  Current Shelves, General Collection E744 .F75 and through General OneFile and Academic Search Premier.

Location:  Current Shelves and General Collection JA1 .J58.

Political Research Quarterly

Location: Current Shelves, General Collection JA1 .W4 and through JSTOR.

State and Local Government Review

Location: Current Shelves and General Collection JS2403 .S684.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Provides "easily understood, accurate information" about the United States Congress.

Contains information about various aspects of the United States Constitution, including its history and interpretation.

 Encyclopedia of the Republican Party/Encyclopedia of the Democratic Party - REF JK2352 .E56 1997

Contains histories of the two parties, essays on party issues and biographical sketches of prominent party officials.

Encyclopedia of Third Parties in America - REF JK2261 .E474 2000

Numerous essays on the history of third parties in the U.S. are included, as well as historical sketches of the parties and biographical information of third party leaders.

Human Rights in the United States - REF KF4747.5 .C37 2000

Each entry in this dictionary contains a definition of the idea or concept, as well as a brief explanation of its significance to human rights.  Documents, both foreign and domestic, related to human rights are also included.

Reference Books

The Book of the States - REF JK2403 .B62 (Latest edition kept in Reference - Older editions are in the General Collection)

Includes comprehensive information of a wide variety of matters related to the states, including state legislatures, judiciaries and governors.

Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections - REF JK1967 .C662 2001

Contains several essays on elections in the United States, as well as information on political conventions, presidential primary returns, electoral vote maps and concise information on congressional and gubernatorial elections.

Guide to the Presidency - REF JK516 .G85 2002

Detailed work contains numerous writings about the U.S. presidency, including essays on the development of the presidency and vice-presidency, presidential powers, and the president's relationship to the federal government.

Landmark Documents on the U.S. Congress - REF JK1041 .L36 1999

Includes every major document related to the United States Congress issued between 1787 and 1998.  Each document contains a brief introductory section explaining its historical context and significance.

The Oxford Guide to Supreme Court Decisions - REF KF4548 .O97 1999

Analyzes the 40 most important Supreme Court cases issued up until 1999.  A listing of Supreme Court justices and nominees is also included.

Public Papers of the Presidents - Located the the Government Documents "Horseshoe"

Contains all public papers (speeches, executive orders, radio addresses, etc.) issued by the president.  Coverage extends from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush.  Also available online (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/search.html) with coverage from George H.W. Bush to George W. Bush.

Internet Sources

USAGov - http://www.usa.gov/

"The U.S. Government's official web portal".  Contains links to numerous government department and agencies.

GPO Access - http://www.gpoaccess.gov/

Contains links to a number of government publications from the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

American President - http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/

Comprehensive site that contains information of the United States presidents.  Includes extensive section on the Presidency in History (historical viewpoints of the presidency and its development) and the Presidency in Action (analysis of the current functions of the presidency).

THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet - http://thomas.loc.gov

Current and past legislation in searchable by keyword on this site.  Also provides links to the House and Senate Directories for biographical information about current Congressional members.

Constitutional Law:  An Overview - http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/Constitutional_law

Thorough site that explains the development of Constitutional law in the United States.  The development of the Constitution, important historic Supreme Court decisions, recent Supreme Court decisions and state constitutions are included on the site.

U.S. Census Bureau - http://www.census.gov/

Provides access to census data from the 2000 decennial census, as well as various other sets of economic and demographic data.

The White House - http://www.whitehouse.gov/

The official web site of the White House and current United States president.

U. S. House of Representatives - http://www.house.gov/

The official web site of the United States House of Representatives.

U.S. Senate - http://www.senate.gov/

The official web site of the United States Senate.

U.S. Supreme Court - http://www.supremecourtus.gov/

The official web site of the United States Supreme Court - includes Supreme Court decisions.