Chapter 12 Web Resources

1. Statistical Data Sources (PLEASE NOTE: FOR ALL CENSUS LINKS, YOU MUST COPY AND PASTE THE LINK IN YOUR BROWSER.)

FedStats (http://fedstats.sites.usa.gov/)

This “gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies” contains numerous links to statistical data, news, and tools. The site provides a convenient way to learn about and gain “access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the federal government” on such topics as population, crime, education, health care, and much more.

U.S. Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/)

This site contains a wealth of information. Under “Data,” click “Data Tools & Apps” to find numerous valuable links, including American FactFinder (frequently requested data for all geographies to the zip code level), QuickFacts (summaries of the most requested data for states, counties, cities or towns), and the 2010 Census Interactive Population Map (with demographic profiles of areas throughout the United States). At the bottom of the page, click “2020 Census” for information on the latest developments in preparation for the next decennial census.

IPUMS USA (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/)

This site of Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) allows users to select samples of data for households or people, by year, on a wide range of variables.

International Data Base (IDB) (http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/informationGateway.php)

Created by the Census Bureau, the IDB is a computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic and socioeconomic data for over 200 countries and areas of the world.

Census Videos (https://www.census.gov/library/video.html)

This site contains several short (1- to 5-minute) videos on the U.S. Census and the American Community Survey. Included are clips on the constitutionality of the census, its history and what it tells us, and uses of the ACS.

Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000 (https://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/pol02-ma.pdf)

This online publication presents the questionnaires and instructions from every census and a history of the Census from 1790 to 2000.

2. Documentary Data Sources

Internet History Sourcebooks Project (http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/index.asp)

This site from Fordham University consists of a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts intended to serve the needs of teachers and students in college history courses. The help pages offer useful tips on searching the Internet, with links to reference sources and history net guides.

America’s Historical Documents (http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/)

This page from the National Archives contains a sample of the records that are accessible from the U.S. Federal Government. Click on “Research our Records” for tips and tools for researching historical records in the National Archives. At the latter link, click “New to Archival Research” for a guide on how to use the National Archives and information about what it contains.

American Memory (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html)

The Library of Congress site provides Internet access to a wide variety of materials that document American cultural history. These include “written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music.” For example, the searchable collections on American immigration and expansion include first-person narratives of California’s early years, photographs and family letters from Nebraska prairie settlement, and a wide variety of primary sources on Chinese immigration to California.

3. Learning and Instructional Resources for Existing Data Analysis

The Content Analysis Guidebook Online (http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/content/)

From the author of The Content Analysis Guidebook Kimberly Neuendorf, this site contains links to various resources, including bibliographies of content analysis studies and articles, message archives, sample codebooks and coding forms from past studies, description of a program for inter-coder reliability assessment, and information on computer content analysis software.