FCS 465 - Family Law and Public Policy   Tags: course_guide  

There are several library databases that can be used to locate information related to your topic.  These databases include peer-reviewed articles, law review articles and magazines.  Below are some suggested Library Resources for you to use.

Websites

Thomas – http://thomas.loc.gov

Bill Text (101^st Congress (1989)-present) This database is updated daily when Congress is in session. Keyword searching can be used to locate proposed legislation. Limiting options include specifying which Chamber the bill was introduced, limiting to bills that have received floor action or have been enrolled to the President, and the timeframe in which the bill was introduced. A search can also be done by bill or resolution number.

Bill Summary and Status (93^rd Congress (1973)-present) This database is updated every 24-48 hours. This database contains the summary of bills and tracks their progress through the legislative process. Users can search by keyword or by bill number.

Social Science Research Network – www.ssrn.com

Social Science Research Network (SSRN) is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science research and is composed of a number of specialized research networks in each of the social sciences. The SSRN eLibrary consists of two parts: an Abstract Database containing abstracts on over 203,400 scholarly working papers and forthcoming papers and an Electronic Paper Collection currently containing over 164,600 downloadable full text documents in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.

 Government websites: Check the government agency that may be overseeing your issue.

Think Tanks

This link, http://www.childwelfare.com/Kids/think%20tanks.htm, contains a list of think tanks relating to child welfare and other family policy issues.  It can be used as a starting point to locate resources related to your topics. 

Brookings Institution –Center on Families and Children - http://www.brookings.edu/ccf.aspx

The Center on Children and Families studies policies that affect the well-being of America's children and their parents, especially children in less advantaged families. The Center addresses the issues of poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity in the United States and seeks to find more effective means of addressing these problems.
Priorities - Over the next several years the Center will give particular attention to the following issues:

• Low-income working families and policies designed to improve their economic prospects;
• Economic mobility and opportunity in the United States and investments in children, such as preschool programs, that could improve their chances to get ahead;
• The growth of single-parent families caused by early unwed childbearing and the decline of marriage; and
• Fiscal problems at the federal and state levels and steps that might be taken to ensure fiscal responsibility while minimizing cuts in effective programs targeted to this group.

Urban Institute - http://www.urban.org/

Their mission is “to promote sound social policy and public debate on national priorities, the Urban Institute gathers and analyzes data, conducts policy research, evaluates programs and services, and educates Americans on critical issues and trends”  The focus on the following issues:

Need help? Article unavailable? Looking for more research on a topic? If I'm not available, stop by the reference desk in Renne Library (1st floor) or use the other options below.

Accessing Databases from Off-Campus

To access the Libraries' databases and e-journals from off-campus, you can use your NetId username and password.  Alternatively, you can use your student ID number and library password.  More information about Library Passwords can be found here.

EndNote Web

This bibliographic management and formatting software can help you manage citations and references throughout the process of writing a research paper. Endnote Web can help:

1. Organize references
2. Format bibliographies in APA, MLA, Chicago, and hundreds of other styles
3. Store references from Web of Science and other databases.

For more assistance with Endnote Web, consider attending a Wednesday Workshop session on the topic.  Workshop topics and dates and times can be found at http://www.lib.montana.edu/instruction/workshops.php