Online Resources
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new windowExplore the people, issues, and events of the United States with reports, documents, journals, and maps published by the U.S. Congress. Topics cover public policy, infrastructure, land, people, military and defense, and more.
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set Maps This link opens in a new windowThe maps published as part of U.S. Congressional Serial Set publications.
- Readex AllSearch This link opens in a new windowSearch across all of your available Readex collections, including newspapers, books, pamphlets, government publications, and more.
- American State Papers This link opens in a new windowLegislative and executive documents of the first 14 U.S. Congresses
- Bureau of Labor StatisticsState, regional, and national U.S. Dept. of Labor statistics. Easy A-Z index. Publications such as the Regional Economic Patterns in the United States, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Career Guide to Industries and more.
- Small Business AdministrationThe Small Business Administration partners with 21 other federal agencies for a one-stop shop on compliance documents and other business resources.
- Economic IndicatorsTimely access to key economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the US Census Bureau provide critical data to those in the business, finance and policy decision making areas.
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)Fed Reserve data on interest rates, GDP, exchange rates, and more
There is a Research Guide on Criminal Justice, including data on crimes and more. Here are a few government sources to highlight:
- Bureau of Justice StatisticsEntry point for a large number of crime/criminal justice statistics on topics as diverse as probation, capital punishment, medial examiners, death in custody, and much more. Browse by topic or area of interest
- Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting ToolRequired by the Clery Act, this is data collected on the number of incidents reported at colleges and universities across the nation
- FBI Records (the Vault)This is the FBI's site for declassified documents (including FOIA requests), including Civil Rights figures, famous Hollywood actors, Communists, and many more.
- Uniform Crime ReportsThe FBI produces an annual collection of crime called the Uniform Crime Reports, including not just crime but also a specific section on hate crime as well as one on the number of law enforcement officers killed and assaulted
There is also an Education guide, which includes more information.
- Bureau of Indian EducationFederal government entity responsible for administering education on Native American reservations
- ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)ERIC is a major center for educational research, listing articles, research papers, projects, and more. ERIC is available through the web, freely, at the website above.
- National Center for Education StatisticsAs they note, "The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education." Includes kindergarten through college
- SABINS (School Attendance Boundary Information System)This site uses compiled government data to map school boundaries, attendance, crosswalk locations, and more.
- White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native EducationSeeks to support activities that will strengthen the nation by expanding education opportunities and improving education outcomes for all American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students
- Administration on AgingFrom the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services. A wide variety of information related to senior citizens and those who care for them.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Work includes disease prevention and control, environmental health, emergency response, and health promotion activities.
- Healthcare.govProvides information on government-sponsored health insurance. Popularly known as "Obamacare"
- Healthy People 2020 Main PageProvides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans.
- Kaiser Family FoundationProvides local information on health issues including health insurance rates.
- Medline PlusConsumer health website with highly credible information from the National Library of Medicine.
- National Center for Health StatisticsThe Centers for Disease Control is the main agency for compiling health statistics in the United States. The National Center for Health Statistics is the site through which they provide access to these statistics
- National Institutes of HealthFrom the Dept. of Health & Human Services. Has tabs for Health, Grants, News, Research, & Institutes.
- Nutrition.govThis site provides access to a variety of government-sponsored resources and information on nutrition, food safety, and figures for American food consumption.
- Office of Minority HealthFrom the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services. Provides statistics and data relevant to minority groups.
- Office on Women's HealthFrom the Depart of Health & Human Services. Offers county, state, regional, and national health statistics.
- Pew ResearchA very well-respected gatherer of demographic data on a variety of topics
A number of important federal documents (the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, etc.) have been digitized and made available to the general public. Access to these documents is often also provided with a number of supporting documents which provide analysis and useful context.
- 100 Milestone DocumentsThis government website has a list of 100 milestone documents chronicling United States history from 1776 to 1965.
- The Charters of FreedomNational Archives' online exhibit of the Charters of Freedom (the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights) including historical context, images of the originals, and transcripts of the texts
If you're looking for legal information, please contact the Thormodsgard Law Library. Their services, including reference and circulating books, are available to undergraduate and non-law graduate students as well.
- Congress.govThe federal government's free resource for tracing a bill through Congress. Contains U.S. federal legislative information.
- Congressional Research Service ReportsThe Congressional Research Service generates reports for members of congress and their staff to understand the history and state of current debates. Reports are written in plain English. The authors attempt to be as neutral and non-partisan as possible.
- HeinOnlineLegal materials database; includes Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Legislative Histories and more [subscription: UND only]
- U.S. Code Popular Name ToolLook up the popular name of a bill to find the relevant section in the U.S. Code (such as the Privacy Act of 1974). The U.S. Code also provides information on how each section has changed over time.
Many resources for mapping and GIS data can be found in the Maps/Mapping guide.
- National MapIincludes government maps of all kinds
Policy resources can also be found in the Political Science & Public Administration guide, but here's a sampling of what's out there:
- The American Presidency ProjectIncludes the papers of the presidents (useful for policy) and data related to elections as well as an audio/video archive of presidential speeches etc.
- Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) Archive"The Foreign Relations of the United States series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication."
- Policy Agendas ProjectThe Policy Agendas Project attempts to provide policy datasets that will allow accurate policy comparison across time (since World War II) in the United States
- Policy ArchiveA huge collection of policy research from a variety of research and policy organizations. Free to use but requires registration
- GovTrack.us"GovTrack.us centralizes information on the legislative process into a website where users can search through member of Congress profiles, bills, votes, and committee action."
- OpenSecretsOpenSecrets – a project of the Center for Responsive Politics – is where you can find information on where the money is coming from in national politics.
- National Agricultural Library Digital CollectionsProvides access primarily to older issues of important, heavily used National Agricultural Library publications.
- National Climactic Data Center (NCDC)NCDC is the world's largest active archive of weather data
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)Official keeper of US time as well as science laboratory with research constantly being published
- NTIS (National Technical Information Service)Provides access to well over 3 million government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related publications covering over 350 subject areas.
- Science.govScience.gov is a gateway to over 50 million pages of authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. government agencies, including research and development results
- US Department of Agriculture (USDA) DataIncludes all USDA statistics including those from the Economic Research Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and National Agricultural Statistics Service.
- TranStats--Bureau of Transportation StatisticsThe Bureau of Transportation Statistics look at nearly every form of transportation available (even ferries!) and analyze them. Particularly good with airline statistics
- Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS)Large database of transportation research
- National Congress of American Indians: HomeThe major national tribal government organization, NCAI monitors federal policy and coordinated efforts to inform federal decisions that affect tribal government interests.
- USA.gov: Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and Resources for Native AmericansInformation about and resources for Native Americans.
- United States Census Data This link opens in a new windowThe U. S. Census Bureau's homepage for population, housing, economic, and geographic data. it includes Industry Quick Reports, Geography Quick Reports, and Thematic Maps.
One of the single best resources for learning about the US Population is the Census. It is mandated by law that the Census Bureau conduct a nationwide census every ten years (the data from this effort creates the decennial census, which most people think of simply as 'the' census). There are also other census resources, including the American Community Survey, which are conducted more often.
For any census prior to 1990, access to the official US Census data is only available in print or microformat (the library has the Census from 1790-1990 in various formats; ask at the Reference Desk). There are also some unofficial sources linked below that allow you to analyze data from before 1990 electronically.
- Census Data 1790-2010Incomplete Census data from 1790-present on the Census Bureau's website. Not everything has been digitized, but useful for those things which have been as well as an index to the print resources
- 1950 CensusThe 1950 census was released digitally on April 1, 2022. The 1960 and later censuses are not available for public use because of a statutory 72-year restriction on access for privacy reasons. The 1950 Census website also makes available various historical artifacts, such as informational and training films, created to educate the public and 1950 Census workers going door-to-door all across the country.
- Minnesota Population Center Data (IPUMS)Data of US (and international) censuses from the 1960s to the present (note: despite the name, there is no Minnesota-specific data here). Picks up where Virginia leaves off; start here for 1960s-present population data.
If you're looking for Supreme Court case law, please contact the Thormodsgard Law Library. Their services, including reference and use of materials, are available to undergraduate and non-law graduate students as well.
Additionally, here are some Supreme Court resources that are useful:
- LII (Legal Information Institute) Supreme Court CollectionProvides an archive containing past Supreme Court decisions (back to the origin of the court) as well as recent ones
- The Oyez Project"The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955."
- SCOTUSblogSCOTUSblog (SCOTUS stands for Supreme Court of the United States) provides a calendar of recent and upcoming Supreme Court cases, analysis of decisions, as well as news and gossip about the court
- Supreme Court of the United StatesThe official website of the US Supreme Court, filled with useful information and links to their latest decisions
- ElectionGuideProvides election results and overviews of the electoral systems for the world. Easily searchable by region or country.
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)An international, intergovernmental organization which has data on women in democracy, international election data, and more
- Project Vote SmartCollects detailed information on Congressional, governmental, and other figures including how they voted, what lobbying groups they are aligned with, their campaign finances, etc
- Washington Post US Congress Votes DatabaseA database of every vote in the United States Congress since the 102nd Congress (1991)