2005 Core Reference Collection for Legislative Libraries

National Conference of State Legislatures - Legislative Research Librarians Staff Section

2005 CORE LIBRARY COLLECTION

Introduction

In 1988, the Legislative Research Librarians Staff Section of NCSL began a project to define and describe the libraries that serve the state legislatures. The results of the "Collection Survey," reporting on the size and nature of collections in legislative libraries, were published in 1988. The list of titles generated by the "Core Reference Collections Survey" (also collected in 1988) forms the base for the 1988 list of core references. The titles were reviewed by a staff section committee, as well as other members of the staff section, with the goal of developing a list of those public policy reference materials that are essential to the work of libraries serving state legislatures.

The "Core Reference Collection for Legislative Libraries" was presented in two parts - the core collection and the supplement to the core collection. The list of titles comprising the core collection is recommended for all legislative libraries; the supplement (or individual titles from the supplement) provides a guide for acquisitions by libraries with additional resources or with other types of information needs not met by the core collection. With this edition of the lists we will be using a different format, breaking the list into four separate groupings. They are General Reference, Periodicals, Government Documents and Electronic Resources.

The components of a good core reference collection are never static; therefore, the staff section plans periodic updates of the core collection list to reflect the changing research needs of legislators and staff and the availability of individual titles. This latest version was updated in the summer of 2005. Special thanks to Suzie Johnston and Laura Edmonston of Louisiana for their work on this project along with Tracey Kimball's (NM) suggestions. Please contact Jeanne Mejeur, NCSL Denver, with any comments, corrections, additions or deletions.

2005 CORE LIBRARY COLLECTION

Subject/Title	Author or Publisher
*50 State Survey*
Almanac of the 50 States	Information Publications, Inc.
The Book of the States	Council of State Governments
CQ's State Fact Finder	Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
State Rankings: A Statistical View of the United States	Morgan Quitno
Statistical Abstract of the United States	U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Census
*African Americans*
Black Americans: A Statistical Sourcebook	Louise L. Horner, editor Information Publications, Inc.
*Associations*
Directory of State Government Associations	Council of State Governments
Encyclopedia of Associations	Gale Research Co.
Encyclopedia of Associations: Regional, State and Local Organizations	Gale Research Co.
National Trade and Professional Associations	Columbia Books, Inc.
State and Regional Associations	Columbia Books, Inc.
*Courts*
Want's Federal-State Court Directory	WANT Publishing Co.
*Crime*
City Crime Rankings	Morgan Quitno
*Education*
Condition of Education, The	U.S. Department of Education
Directory of Education Statistics	U.S. Department of Education
*Elections*
Abstract of Votes	various
*Encyclopedias, General*
Encyclopedia, General (see also: Electronic Resources)	various
*Environment*
Resource Guide to State Environmental Management	Council of State Governments
*Foreign Relations*
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Business in Sixty Countries	B. Adams Publisher
*Governmental Finance*
Facts and Figures on Governmental Finance	Johns Hopkins University Press
*Health*
Physician's Desk Reference	Thomson Healthcare
Taber's Medical Dictionary (Cyclopedia)	Donald Venes & Thomas Clayton F.A. Davis Co.
*Language*
French and/or Spanish to English Dictionary	Various - online will do
*Laws & Legislation*
National Survey of State Laws	Gale Research Co.
Subject Compilations of State Laws	Carol Boast & Cheryl Nyberg
Suggested State Legislation	Council of State Governments
Sutherland Statutory Construction	Callaghan & Co.
Uniform Laws Annotated	West Publishing Co.
Uniform System of Citation	Harvard Law Review Assn.
United States Code Annotated	West Publishing Co.
United States Code Congressional & Administrative News	West Publishing Co.
United States Code Service	Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co.
*Legal Research*
American Jurisprudence	Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co.
Black's Law Dictionary	West Publishing Co.
Corpus Juris Secundum	West Publishing Co.
Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage	Garner, Bryan, ed.
Elements of Legal Style	Garner, Bryan, ed.
Legal Research Guide	various
Legal Services Staff Section, Key Contacts	National Conference of State Legislatures
Legal Thesaurus	Burton, William C.
Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory	Martindale-Hubbell
Plain English for Lawyers	Richard C. Wydick, Carolina Academic Press
West Encyclopedia of American Law	West Publishing Co.
*Legislative Leadership*
Directory of Legislative Leaders	National Conference of State Legislatures
*Legislative Procedure*
Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure	National Conference of State Legislatures
Robert's Rules of Order	Scott Foresman Press
*Legislative Reference Services*
Legislative Research Librarians Directory	National Conference of State Legislatures
State Legislative Sourcebook	Lynn Hellebust, Government Research Service
*Legislative Staff*
Protocol: A Handbook for Legislative Staff	National Conference of State Legislatures
American Society of Legislative Clerks & Secretaries: Roster & Reference Guide	American Society of Legislative Clerks & Secretaries Jeannine Woo, Idaho Secretary of the Senate
*Media*
Bowker's News Media Directory	R.R. Bowker, LLC
*Occupational Licensing*
Professional and Occupational Licensing Directory*	Gale Publishing Co.
*Postsecondary Education*
Peterson's Four Year Colleges	Peterson's
*Quotations*
Oxford Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Quotation	Oxford University Press
Respectfully Quoted	Library of Congress
*Reference, General*
Almanac of General Information	various
American Political Dictionary	Jack Plano, Milton Greenberg Wadsworth Publishing
Atlas	various
Chicago Manual of Style	University of Chicago Press Staff
Dictionaries of Business, Finance, Banking, Computer & Insurance Terms	Barron's Education Series, Inc.
Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language	Random House Information Group
World Fact Book	U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
*Religion*
Appropriate religious authorities (Bible/Koran)	various publishers
*Special Days, Months*
Chase's Calendar of Events	Contemporary Books
*State Government*
Analysis/treatise on history of state constitution
Council of State Governments State Directories: Directory I - Elected Officials Directory II - Legislative Leadership, Committees & Staff Directory III - Administrative Officials	Council of State Governments
State Yellow Book	Monitor Publishing, Co.
*Taxation*
State Tax Guide	Commerce Clearing House, Inc.
*United States* *Government*
Analysis/Treatise on history of US Constitution
Carroll's Federal Directory	Carroll Publishing Company
Congressional Yellow Book	Monitor Publishing Co.
CQ's Desk Reference on American Government	Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations	Gale Research Co.
Federal Regulatory Directory	Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
Federal Yellow Book	Monitor Publishing Co.
United States Government Manual	Office of the Federal Register
Washington Information Directory	Congressional Quarterly, Inc.

*Outdated, but no substitute at this time.

REFERENCE MATERIALS FROM INDIVIDUAL STATES

Subject/Title

Author or Publisher*

Administration

Administrative Rules

Attorney General Opinions

Advisory Opinions

Associations

Directory of Associations

Courts

Court Opinions

State Supreme Court/Appellate Court

Education

State School Directories

School boards and administrators

Health

State Hospital & Health Care Facilities Directory

Laws & Legislation

Bill Drafting Manual

Digest of Legislation

State law school journals

State legal journals/bulletins

State session laws/acts

State statutes (annotated, if available)

Legal Research

State Legal Directory

State Legal Encyclopedia

Legislative Procedure

Inside the Legislative Process

National Conference of State Legislatures

Legislative Calendars & Journals

Legislative Rules & Rosters

State Legislative Almanac/press books

Local Government

Directory of Local Government Offices

Lobbying

Lobbyist Directory

Media

Media Directory (newspaper contacts)

Parishes/Counties/Municipalities

State Directory of Cities, Towns and Villages

State map (with parish & county designation)

Postsecondary Education

College/University Directory

Boards and Administrators

Community & Technical College Directory

Boards and Administrators

State Financial Aid Programs for College/Univ. Bound Students

Reapportionment

District Maps

Reference, General

State Almanac or Statistical Abstract

State Atlas

State Government

Directory of State Government Officials (with photographs, if available)

Information on the state capitol building (history, structure)

Information on current and former legislators

Primary print and/or electronic resources on history of state government and statehood, such as the Constitutional proceedings

Publications of Key State Legislative Committees & Research Agencies

National Conference of State Legislatures

Roster of State Officials

State Blue Book

State Constitution

State Performance Evaluations

State Yearbooks

*Varies by state, unless otherwise indicated

FEDERAL DOCUMENTS

*Subject/Title*	*Author or Publisher*
*50 State Survey*
State and Metropolitan Area Data Book	U.S. Census Bureau
Statistical Abstract of the United States	U.S. Census Bureau
*Census*
Census Bureau Reports for the 50 States	U.S. Census Bureau
County & City Extra: Annual Metropolitan, City and County Data Book	U.S. Commerce Department
*Crime*
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics	U.S. Department of Justice
Uniform Crime Reports for the United States	Federal Bureau of Investigation
*Economy*
Economic Report of the President	U.S. Executive Office of the President
*Governmental Finance*
Background Material and Data on Programs Within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means (Green Book)	U.S. House of Representatives GPO Access
Congressional Budget Office Reports	Congressional Budget Office
*Laws & Legislation*
Federal Register	Office of the Federal Register National Archives & Records Administration
*Legislative Procedure*
Constitution, Jefferson's Manual and Rules of the House of Representatives	U.S. House of Representatives GPO Access
*Parishes/Counties/Municipalities*
County Business Patterns	U.S. Commerce Department
*Reference, General*
World Fact Book	U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
*Taxation*
Federal Tax Regulations	Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Code	Title 26 - U.S. Code
U.S. Master Tax Guide	CCH, Inc.
*United States* *Government*
Code of Federal Regulation	National Archives & Records Administration
Congressional Directory	U.S. Joint Committee on Printing
Congressional Record	GPO Access
United States Governmental Policy & Supporting Positions (Plum Book)	Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs House Committee on Governmental Reform
World Almanac of U.S. Politics	World Almanac Books

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

Subject/Title	URL
*Abbreviations*
Yahoo! Acronyms and Abbreviations	http://dir.yahoo.com/reference/acronyms_and_abbreviations
*Attorney General*
National Association of Attorneys General	http://www.naag.org/
*Census*
U.S. Census Bureau	http://www.census.gov/
*Consumers*
Consumer Report Online*	http://www.consumerreports.org/
*Counties/Parishes/Municipalities*
National Association of Cities	http://www.associationofcities.org/
National Association of Counties	http://www.naco.org/
*Courts*
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit	http://www.law.emory.edu/caselaw
U.S. Supreme Court	http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
WASHLAW Federal and State Courts Directory	http://www.washlaw.edu/
*Criminal Justice*
Bureau of Justice Statistics	http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/sites.htm
Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention	http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/
*Education*
Education Commission of the States	http://www.ecs.org/
Education Week	http://www.edweek.org/
National Center for Educational Statistics	http://nces.ed.gov/
U.S. Department of Education	http://www.ed.gov/Welcome/index.html
*Elections*
Electionline	http://www.electiononline.org/
Project Vote Smart	http://www.vote-smart.org/
*Encyclopedias*
Columbia Encyclopedia	http://www.bartleby.com/65
*Government Documents*
GPO	http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html
*Governmental Finance*
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities	http://www.cbpp.org/
National Association of State Budget Officers**	http://www.nasbo.org/
*Health*
Health Care Financing Administration	http://www.cms.hhs.gov/
National Academy for State Health Policy	http://www.nashp.org/
*Higher Education*
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education	http://www.highereducation.org/
*Internet*
Librarian's Index to the Internet	http://lii.org/
*Labor*
Bureau of Labor Statistics	http://www.bls.gov/
*Laws and Legislation*
Full Text State Statutes and Legislation	http://www.prairienet.org/~scruffy/f.htm
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws	http://www.nccusl.org/
Trend Track	http://thomas.trendtrack.com/texis/tt/search/search.html
*Legal Reference*
Cornell University Law School	http://www.law.cornell.edu/
FindLaw	http://www.findlaw.com/
Law Librarians: Society of Washington, D.C. - Legislative Sourcebook	http://llsdc.org/sourcebook
Legal Information Institute	http://www.law.cornell.edu/statutes.html
Lex Notes	http://www.lexnotes.com/sources.shtml
Lexis	http://www.lexis.com/
Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Directory	http://www.martindale.com/xp/Martindale/home.xml
Westlaw	http://www.westlaw.com/
*Legislative Affairs*
American Legislative Exchange Council	http://www.alec.org/
*Legislators*
Political Graveyard	http://politicalgraveyard.com/index.html#PE
*Legislatures (General)*
NCSL State Legislature Sites	http://www.ncsl.org
*Library Catalogs*
Cataloger's Reference Shelf	http://www.itsmarc.com/crs/CRS000.htm
Library of Congress	http://catalog.loc.gov/
*Local Government*
Directory of Official State, County and City Government Websites	http://statelocalgov.net/index.cfm
Municipal Code Corporation	http://www.municode.com/
*Media*
American Journalism Review	http://www.ajr.org/
Directory of Electronic Journals & Newsletters	http://www.arl.org/scomm/edir
NCSL Online Publications Directory	http://www.ncsl.org
Newsbank - America's Newspapers	http://infoweb.newsbank.com/
*Quotations*
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations	http://www.bartleby.com/100/
*Reference, General*
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Research Reports and Issue Briefs	http://fpc.state.gov/c4763.htm
CSG Online Research Database	http://stars.csg.org/
Elements of Style	http://www.bartleby.com/141
NCSL Staff Contacts	http://www.ncsl.org
National Governor's Association Issue Briefs	http://www.nga.org/
Telephone Directories on the Web	http://www.infobel.com/teldir
Zip Codes	www.usps.com or http://www.zipcode.com/
*Social Security*
Social Security Administration	http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html
*State Government*
Council of State Governments	http://www.csg.org/
Directory of Official State, County, and City Government Websites	http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm
National Conference of State Legislatures	www.ncsl.org
Stateline	http://www.stateline.org/
State Net	http://www.legislate.com/
*Statistics, General*
FedStats	http://www.fedstats.gov/
Statistical Resources	http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
*Transportation*
U.S. Department of Transportation	http://www.dot.gov/
*United States*
National Atlas of the United States	http://www.nationalatlas.gov/index.html
Statistical Abstract of the United States	http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-us.html
*United States* *Government*
All Politics	http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)	http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html
Congressional Directory	http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/index.html
FirstGov	http://www.firstgov.gov/
LSU Libraries Federal Agency Directory	http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/Executive/Executive_Agencies/Department_of_Transportation/Federal_Highway_Administration/Core_Business_Units/ Department_of_Transportation/Federal_Highway_Administration/Core_Business_Units/
Regulations.gov	http://www.regulations.gov/
Thomas (U.S. Congress)	http://thomas.loc.gov/
United States Code Annotated	http://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.php
United States Government Manual	http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html

*Search only. Pay access.

**Select Publications, followed by Fiscal Survey

SERIAL PUBLICATIONS (In alphabetical order)

*Title*	*Publisher*
American Demographics	Intertec Publishing
Chronicle of Higher Education
Computers in Libraries	Information Today, Inc.
Education USA
Governing	Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
Law Review	State Bar Association or Law School
Legisbriefs	National Conference of State Legislatures
Legislative Studies Quarterly	University of Iowa
Newsline	National Conference of State Legislatures (Legislative Research Librarians Staff Section)
SREB Publications	Southern Regional Education Board
Spectrum (formerly Journal of State Governments)	Council of State Governments
State News	Council of State Governments
State Legislatures	National Conference of State Legislatures
State Revenue Report	Center for the Study of States
State Tax Notes	Tax Analysts
U.S. Law Week	Bureau of National Affairs
Vital Speeches of the Day	City News Publishing Company