Library News for Political Science

New Database: World News Digest (Facts on File)

World News Digest brings together and enhances nearly seven decades of news from the renowned Facts On File World News Digest in print. This archival record of domestic and international news is updated weekly and contains more than 1 million internal hyperlinks and convenient new features such as tabbed search results. It covers all major political, social, and economic events since November 1940. This publication of record is unrivaled for its depth, breadth, and accuracy.' (from About this Database on the site).

New Database: Social Explorer

'Social Explorer is a premier U.S. demographics website. Our online tools help you visually analyze and understand the demography of the United States through the use of interactive maps and data reports. Our primary product is a web-based application that creates fast, intuitive, and visually appealing maps and reports... Our goal is to visually display the demographic change that has occurred in the U.S. from 1790 through the present at a variety of geographic levels, including neighborhoods, counties, and states. To accomplish this, we have developed a collection of interactive demographic maps that can be viewed, queried and manipulated on our site. Demographic patterns throughout American history spring to life in the form of reports, maps, and animations.' (from About Social Explorer on the site).

Highlight Database: Digital National Security Archive

The Digital National Security Archive contains the most comprehensive collection of primary documents available. The database includes more than 63,000 of the most important declassified documents regarding critical U.S. policy decisions. There are 30 complete collections, each offering specialized insights. Integrated, they allow you to explore policy across several different areas at once.  You can read more about it  Here:  and connect to it  Here.

Opening Soon: European Digital Library

From the news release:

Europe’s cultural diversity in books, music, paintings, photographs, and films open to all citizens at the click of a mouse via one portal – this dream of a European Digital Library could become reality this autumn. However, further efforts by the EU Member States are needed, said the Commission today in a new Communication on making available digital versions of works from cultural institutions all over Europe. Digitisation of cultural works can give Europeans access to material from museums, libraries and archives abroad without having to travel or turn hundreds of pages to find a piece of information. Europe’s libraries alone contain more than 2.5 billion books, but only about 1% of archival material is available in digital form. The Commission therefore called on Member States to do more to make digitised works available online for Europeans to browse them digitally, for study, work or leisure. The Commission itself will provide some € 120 million in 2009-2010 for improving online access to Europe’s cultural heritage.

“The European Digital Library will be a quick and easy way for people to access European books and art – whether in their home country or abroad. It will, for example, enable a Czech student to browse the British library without going to London, or an Irish art lover to get close to the Mona Lisa without queuing at the Louvre,” said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media.

New Database: Historical Statistics of the United States

The Libraries have purchased Historical Statistics of the United States, Millennial Edition Online, a standard source for quantitative facts of American history, completely expanded and revised, now available as a searchable online database. Contains over 37,000 data series from over 1,000 sources. You can download tables in Excel or CSV, and customize them to suit your needs. Includes advanced searching of the tables, their documentation, and essays. More info.

New E-Reference Books: Encyclopedia of Measurement & Statistics, Encyclopedia of Political Communication

The Libraries have purchased three online encyclopedias from Sage eReference: Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics, Encyclopedia of New Media, and Encyclopedia of Political Communication.    All are part of our conversion of print Reference sources to online, and are available to all of Washington University.

New Database: Leadership Library

The Libraries have subscribed to The Leadership Library® on the Internet. Updated daily, this is a unique personnel contact database of the institutional leadership of the United States. Integrating 14 Yellow Book directories, The Leadership Library® enables subscribers to reach 400,000 individuals at 40,000 leading U.S. government, business, professional, and nonprofit organizations.  More info.

2007 County Estimates Available

The Census Bureau has released the 2007 vintage estimates for the nation's counties with demographic detail.  The Missouri Census Data Center has incorporated the new data into our public archive, using the same basic conversion and data naming conventions that we have been using for the past several years.  We have also updated our series of pdf format reports that summarize the data at the state, county and CBSA (metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area) levels for each state.   To access the reports see http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/websas/estimate_reports.shtml . See the MCDC home page - http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/ - for more details.

Census Indexes Available for Free 1790-1930

 

The Family History Library (Salt Lake City) announced today that it is putting up the entire 1790-1930 census index free online.  Family History Library Homepage

It will work with The Generations Network (Ancestry) to swap indexes/images.

Leadership Directories (Yellow Book series) now available online

'The Leadership Library® on the Internet, which is updated daily, is a unique personnel contact database of the institutional leadership of the United States. Integrating our 14 Yellow Book directories, The Leadership Library® enables subscribers to reach 400,000 individuals at 40,000 leading U.S. government, business, professional, and nonprofit organizations. Subscribers can browse and search through a user-friendly interface and download and export data.' (from product info page) NOTE: You'll need to allow popups from http://ldi.bvdep.com (or http://ldi.bvdep.con.libproxy.wustl.edu if off-campus) in order to use this site.