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POL 298-401: US State & Local Politics: Start

Welcome!

Hello! This guide is designed to support your research for your challenge seminar. Use the resources on the tabs above to explore various ways and places to search. 

If you need a refresher on using the library, consult our Library FAQs and an overview of the Library. We also have a guide on how to do research well - use it to brush up and expand your research skills!

Since this seminar touches on various disciplines, you may find these other research guides to be useful:

Political Science * Geography * History * Business & Management *Law

State & Local Politics Resources

Here are some additional resources related to state and local politics and government in the United States. Browse them to see what might be useful. If you have any resources to add to this page - ones that you've found useful and you think your classmates and future students of this class would appreciate - let me know and I'll add it.

If you're researching state-level policies, here are some relevant sites for the state of Minnesota. If you're working on a different state, search for these same kinds of resources from your state.

Library Guide Overview

Welcome to your library guide for your challenge seminar! Refer to it often, as it covers necessary information at different stages of research.

Please contact me with any questions you have and/or if you simply want to brainstorm topics and how to search them. bat. Email is the easiest way to get in touch with me or you can also make an appointment with me or with any librarian

Here's a quick overview of what information you'll find on this guide:

  • Books: how to search and find books in our library (in case you've forgotten), as well as ways to search for and access books beyond our library. 
  • Articles: recommended article databases. Please search these in addition to searching Google Scholar. :)
  • Thinking About Sources: contains tips on evaluating and working with sources. 
  • Search Tips: various ways to search, including idea mapping and common mistakes to avoid.
  • Research as Conversation: outlines a more sophisticated way to think about research 
  • Bibliographic Trace: a key technique for exploring the research conversation on your topic 
  • Tracking Down Materials: info on ILL and other ways to find hard copies of materials.

Librarian

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Julie Gilbert
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If you have any questions about research, an assignment, or the library in general, please contact me. I look forward to working with you!
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This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0