http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/ Here are resources newly-available in Leyburn Library and/or through its Web site. A more complete listing of resources related to politics is available here. New U.S. Government materials are listed here. If you have questions or comments about this blog, please contact Dick Grefe. en Copyright 2009 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:30:02 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Available online.   (W&L subscription) Five-volume set (2009) contains over 300 signed, alphabetically-arranged entries, providing "situation profiles and full coverage of the development of the movement, historical cases of abuse, the key figures, major organizations, and a range of other issues in economics, government, religion, and journalism that touch on human rights theory and practice." Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/oxford_encyclopedia_of_human_r.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/oxford_encyclopedia_of_human_r.html Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:30:02 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) Third edition (2007) surveys about 100 nations, summarizing constitutional history and salient points of the latest form of the document. However, to see the actual complete texts of constitutional documents, check the University of Richmond's Constitution Finder. Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/constitutions_of_the_world.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/constitutions_of_the_world.html Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:10:45 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) This 2009 volume contains biographies on each of the 52 Speakers, as well as historical essays, primary source documents, and more. Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/speakers_of_the_house_of_repre.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/speakers_of_the_house_of_repre.html Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:09:34 -0500 Available online. "A study of voter-registration efforts at Northwestern University has concluded that students make strategic choices about where to vote, noting that students from swing states in the 2008 presidential election overwhelmingly chose to cast absentee ballots rather than to register to vote near the campus." (description from the Chronicle of Higher Education_ Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/local_and_absentee_voter_regis.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/local_and_absentee_voter_regis.html Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:01:21 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) Fourth edition is a "compilation of CQ voting studies and interest group rating data for every legislator who has served in Congress from 1947 to 2004." Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/directory_of_congressional_vot.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/10/directory_of_congressional_vot.html Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:02:54 -0500 Governing is one of the most valuable periodicals for monitoring issues in U.S. state and local government. For years, that publication also has created an annually-published collection of information called the State and Local Sourcebook, which now is available only online. Parts of the site are accessible only to subscribers to the magazine, which includes W&L. Two portions of the Sourcebook site are particularly valuable. The Data section offers free access to statistical data about U.S. states and municipalities, often used by government officials in policy consideration. Categories include economic development, education, demographics, social services, and more. The subscription-only Contacts collection is a searchable database of thousands of "addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for state and local government leaders in all 50 states and the largest local governments." Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/09/governings_state_and_local_sou.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/09/governings_state_and_local_sou.html Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:42:32 -0500 Available online. Updated comparison of the "citation impact" of journals in the field, based upon the frequency with which articles from a journal are cited by other sources. Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/09/journals_ranked_by_impact_inte_1.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/09/journals_ranked_by_impact_inte_1.html Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:33:49 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) 2008 volume is "intended to be a comprehensive source on education law... The primary focus is on developments since Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. At the same time, because education law is a component in a much larger legal system, the encyclopedia includes entries on the historical development of the laws that impact education." Alphabetically-arranged signed entries cover court cases, controversial issues, individuals, concepts, etc. Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/09/encyclopedia_of_education_law.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/09/encyclopedia_of_education_law.html Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:47:33 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) A wide array of primary legal resources, offering "access to up-to-date cases, statutes and other primary law at the Federal level and for all fifty states and D.C.," including U.S. Supreme Court Reports, district and circuit courts, the U.S. Constitution, state and Federal laws, etc. (Washington and Lee Law School subscription) Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/08/loislaw.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/08/loislaw.html Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:12:25 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) Still in beta testing (August 2009), this service enables researchers to analyze the content of the JSTOR database, including data on word frequencies, publication patterns, key terms, and more. The downloading of data sets is not yet available. Some interesting terms to try:

• "soccer moms"
• negroes
• "afro americans"
• "african americans"

Links may be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including here.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/08/jstor_data_for_research.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/08/jstor_data_for_research.html Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:12:50 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) Published as a two-volume set in 2008, this resource contains entries up to 1,500 words in length on the First Amendment's freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition in American history, politics, law, and culture. Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/encyclopedia_of_the_first_amen.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/encyclopedia_of_the_first_amen.html Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:56:35 -0500 Available online. "Examines the levels of voting and registration in the November 2008 presidential election, the demographic characteristics of citizens who reported that they were registered for or voted in the election, and the reasons why registered voters did not vote." Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/voting_and_registration_in_the_1.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/voting_and_registration_in_the_1.html Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:01:05 -0500 Available online. Latest update of this database of "aggregate and individual governance indicators for 212 countries and territories over the period 1996-2008, for six dimensions of governance." ("Governance consists of the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised." Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/governance_matters_governance.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/governance_matters_governance.html Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:14:55 -0500 earlier post about the effects of 2009-10 budget cuts for the Washington and Lee University Library. We must reduce library acquisitions of all types, including books, but the greatest impact is going to be on subscription services -- those items which require year-to-year financial commitments (usually with ever-rising costs). We have continued to work on ways to reduce our costs while minimally affecting the work of our students and faculty. The latest round of decision-making includes plans to drop our microfilm subscriptions to the following newspapers:

• Washington Post ($ 5,228.16/year)
• Richmond Times Dispatch ($ 4,396.35/year)
• Roanoke Times ($ 3,564.75)/year

Obviously, these titles are significant research and regional information tools, but the microfilm format is very seldom used and we have multiple online resources which can retrieve nearly all the content. If need be, upon demand, we could purchase an individual reel of microfilm, and interlibrary loan usually is an option. The $13,189.26 we will save through these three cancellations should mean that very few additional cuts will need to be made. If you have comments or concerns about this situation, I would be glad to discuss them with you.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/more_wl_library_cuts.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/more_wl_library_cuts.html Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:52:21 -0500 Available online.   (W&L subscription) Published as a three-volume set in 2008 (second edition), containing about 200 authoritative, signed articles "about antagonism and reconciliation in all contexts of public and personal life," including "topics as diverse as Arms Control, Peace Movements, Child Abuse, Folklore, Terrorism, and Political Assassinations." Links will be maintained in several locations in the library Web site, including this subject listing.]]> http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/encyclopedia_of_violence_peace.html http://bloggery.wlu.edu/pol/2009/07/encyclopedia_of_violence_peace.html Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:55:54 -0500