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Microform Collections: Government

Last Updated: Jan 8, 2024 4:21 PM

Government Information

Description

ASI Microfiche Library has been published by the Congressional Information Service since 1973. It is a collection of federal government publications which are primarily statistical or contain significant statistical information. The collection includes documents published in a variety of formats: monographs, series, periodicals, surveys, research papers, etc. The microfiche does include titles, formerly published in print, that are now found exclusively on the Internet. The full collection is a comprehensive source for statistics published by the federal government. Since depository publications are received into our collection, directly from the federal government, the library purchases the microfiche only for those publications not distributed to federal depository libraries.


Location

ASI Index is available at call number MicFiche HA 195 A8. We own 1978-2008. Check the library catalog for location information.


Access

Proquest Statistical Insight and is its print counterpart, American Statistics Index (ASI) , (at Z7554 .U5 A4) provides access both to microfiche and to the statistics contained within federal government publications in our collection. There is a user guide, American statistics index :user guide at Z7554.U5 A42. Check the catalog for location.

Description

Statistical Compendiums are serial publications (often yearbooks) of national governments that contain annual social, economic and demographic data for the country as a whole. They are an excellent source for data about a country that is more detailed than would be found in sources covering more than one country. The collection includes more than 150 countries. The fiche are arranged by subsets based on continent and within each subset by country name. For each country the reports are listed chronologically. The time coverage varies from country to country, some going back to the late 70's and early 80's, though reports may not be available for every year.


Location

Statistical Compendiums are available on microfiche at call number MicFiche HA154 .C8. Check the library catalog for location.


Access

All the titles for the individual publications included in this collection are listed in the library catalog. To determine if a particular country is part of the collection, do a keyword search looking for the country name and the phrase "statistical compendiums" e.g., kenya and statistical compendiums. Since variations in the spelling of country names are possible, if a keyword search is unsuccessful, try browsing the complete list of publications by call number. A list and description of the publications included in the collection can be found in the guide, Current National Statistical Compendiums Bibliographic Guide, which is located at HA154 .C8 Guide; check the library catalog for location. If your interest is in current statistics for a country, check to see if its statistical agency publishes information on the Internet. Use the U.S. Bureau of the Census list of International Statistical Agencies as a starting point.

Description

IIS (Index to International Statistics) Microfiche Library has been published by the Congressional Information Service since 1983. Publications included in this collection originate from international intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and cover social, demographic, and economic topics. It is an excellent source for locating reliable statistics that are comparable among nations.


Location

IIS microfiche are available at call number MicFiche HA154 I542. Check the library catalog for location


Access

Comprehensive access to this collection is provided by the Index to International Statistics (IIS), (HA154 .I544) which indexes the contents of individual data tables. IIS is in two parts. The index volume, which gives geographic, subject and title access, refers to the entries in the corresponding abstract volume by an accession or entry number. The abstract volume gives the complete publication information. Equivalent indexing is available through the database Proquest Statistical Insight. The microfiche are arranged by publication year, then by IIS accession number. Annual publications will have the same accession number each year. In addition to the IIS fiche format, many of the titles included in this collection, particularly United Nations publications, are owned by the Libraries and can be found using the library catalog. For information about other sources for International Statistics, refer to International Economic Statistics.

Description

This is a selection of research papers and briefs prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The CRS is a department within the Library of Congress that works exclusively as a reference and research arm for Congress. They report on the wide range of topics that come before congress including: law, business and industry, education, welfare, environment, natural resources, foreign policy, and defense. The reports are received into our collection between nine and twelve months after CRS prepares them. The collection includes reports back to 1916, with most being written since 1979. More timely access to selected CRS reports is available on the Web from: • Penny Hill Press http://pennyhill.com is a comercial publisher that provides free access to a current index of CRS publications with the option to purchase reports.


Location

Congressional Research Service papers are available at call numbers: MicFilm E 740.5 M31 (covers through 1992) For the years up to 1974, reels are arranged by reel number. Starting with 1975, reels are arranged by year, by reel number. MicFiche E 740.5 M31 (1993--) Fiche are arranged by year, and within each year major reports, filed by CRS report number, are file first followed by issue briefs (identified by IB ) filed by CRS brief number. Check the library catalog for location information.

Description

The full Microlog includes research papers in physical, natural and social sciences, policy papers, important statistics and annual reports.University Libraries purchased the portion of the collection relating to Commerce and Economics, and to the province of Ontario from 1989 through 1996. Documents issued in English or French are indexed and abstracted in the language of publication, while bilingual documents are indexed and abstracted in both languages.


Location

Microlog Collection is available on microfiche at call number MicFiche Z1365 .M42. Check the library catalog for location information.


Access

Individual titles are not in the libraries' catalog. The Microlog's Canadian Research Index, Z1365 .M4 1979-1996, provides access by subject, corporate or individual author, and series title. Microlog is indexed monthly. Note: entries in the index for titles have identifying codes: ON for the Ontario fiche, or CO for Commerce and Economics fiche.

Description

During the 1970s a company named Research Publications, Inc. agreed to film New York government documents as they were issued so that libraries could obtain and maintain complete collections more efficiently. This collection on microfilm includes almost all uncopyrighted state documents, both monographs and serials, acquired by the New York State Library from September 1974 through April 1983. (The Jan-Apr 1983 segment duplicates depository microfiche.) Included are annual reports of state agencies, statistical reports, legislative investigations and bills, informational leaflets and brochures, newsletters, magazines, and other types of material covering a wide variety of subjects.


Location

NYS Documents are available in the Silverman Multimedia Center at call number MicFilm J87 .N74 .


Access

Individual titles in this particular microfilm collection have not been cataloged at UB, although the University Libraries own hundreds of NYS government documents from the time period 1974 to 1983 that were cataloged and can be found using the UB Libraries Catalog. Access to the more complete collection on the microfilm is through various print tools located in the reference collection of the Business and Government Documents area of Lockwood Library as described below.

Publications were filmed monthly and appear on the microfilm either in the same order as they are listed in the corresponding Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York or rearranged by time accession number (Mar. 1977--Dec. 1982). Periodical issues, although not listed individually in the Checklist , do appear on the microfilm following the monographs each month. The microfilm reels are labeled with the volume, issue number, month, and year of the corresponding Checklist , plus the range of numbers included on that particular reel. Each frame (filmed page) on the microfilm itself is labeled with an identifying number of the following types:

  • the entry number from the Checklist (Sep 1974 through Feb 1977)
  • the NYS Library's time accession number (Mar 1977 through Apr 1983)
  • the P number (for periodicals)

A multi-step, multi-source procedure is required to identify these numbers and match them up with the item on the film. Each of the following reference tools is useful in certain circumstances but none of them does the job completely.

  • Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York Lockwood Ref -- Z1223.5 .N7 N5 Once an item of interest is located in the Checklist you have all the information needed to access the microfilm: Checklist volume and issue numbers, Checklist month and year, entry number or time accession number and call number. However, since the Checklist was not cumulated during this time period (1974-1983) and since the title index is not complete, finding something in the Checklist requires thumbing through many issues page by page.
  • Dictionary Catalog of Official Publications of the State of New York Silverman Multimedia Center -- MicFiche Z1223.5 .N7 D5 The microfiche version of the Dictionary Catalog provides more complete coverage than the earlier paper editions in terms of time period (1973-1991) and type of material included (monographs and serials). The Dictionary Catalog is convenient to use because it covers the entire time period in one alphabetical sequence with multiple entries for an item under author, title, and subject headings as well as by agency name. Time accession numbers are prominently displayed in most entries. However, information about the Checklist month and year, which is necessary for finding the microfilm reel, is only found under the "main entry."
  • Official Publications of the State of New York, 1974-1982: guide to the microfilm collection / compiled by Irvin W. Kron and Diane Eidelman Lockwood Ref J87 .N74 Guide (with 1983 Supplement) This "Reel Guide" is used to pinpoint the location of an item on the microfilm once you have a time accession number (Part I) or a P number (Part II). It is strictly a cross-index. The only bibliographic information provided is an alphabetical list of periodical titles with their corresponding P numbers. Our "in-house" supplement for 1983 also includes classification numbers that are useful for the 1983 reels.
  • Subject Index to New York State Publications / compiled by Margaret Rich Lockwood Ref J87 .N742 The Subject Index began in 1980 so only covers about one third of the microfilm collection. It indexes monographs and serials but not periodicals. The subject headings used are fairly broad and include some material types such as "annual reports" and "curriculum guides" which provide an alternative to the Library of Congress Subject Heading terminology found in the Dictionary Catalog .
  • List of Classes of New York State Government Documents Arranged by Issuing Agency / compiled by Nancy C. Eldblom Lockwood Ref Z1223.5 .N7 E42 1992 The Preliminary List of Classes is particularly useful for quickly identifying the time accession number for an agency's annual report or other serial title. However, it only includes titles that were being published in 1992.

Examples:

Finding a Monograph

From your research you know there was an evaluation of higher education opportunity programs in New York State conducted in 1970 by the Human Affairs Research Center. Not finding the report in the UB Libraries Catalog nor in ERIC and cognizant of the lag time cataloging often takes, you decide it would not be unreasonable to search the Dictionary Catalog . You find the following entry:

Keying in on the NYS document classification number UNI,068-4,PRORE,79-70367 you check both the shelves and the microfiche files without result.

Then using just the time-accession number 79-70367 you look it up in the " Reel Guide " and see that the report you need is the 26th item on Reel 6 of the microfilm labeled Vol.33 No.3 (i.e., March 1979).

Finding a Periodical

While using Energy Information Abstracts you obtain a number of references to something called New York State Environment , but when you look it up in the UB Libraries Catalog you discover a gap in the sequence of volumes owned. The missing volumes 6, 7, 8, and 9 are the ones you need. Just to be sure, you note the call number and check the NYS document shelves where you see that New York State Environment was in newspaper format at that time. Wondering whether the needed issues could be somewhere else in the library you approach the librarian who suggests trying the microfilm collection and pulls out the " Reel Guide ".

Using the "Periodical Title Index" on pages 188-194 of the " Reel Guide " you determine that the P number for New York State Environment is P26.

Turning to the entries for P26 in "Part II" (i.e., pages 68-185 of the " Reel Guide ") you can see exactly which issues were filmed each month.

For example, vol. 7 no 2 (the September 1977 issue) is on one of the microfilm reels labeled Vol. 31 No.11 (i.e., November 1977). In some years the periodicals were reissued all together on reels that are filed following the monthly reels.

Finding a Serial

You are using a long run of school directories for a research project but one year is missing. Remembering the microfilm you look in the List of Classes to get a time accession number in a hurry.

Using the time accession number 79-50685 in the "Reel Guide" you only find references to a couple of the more recent years. Because there was a title change, you need to find another time accession number for the earlier title. By following the cross references in the entries of the Dictionary Catalog you find an entry with the time accession number 79-51020:

Consulting the "Reel Guide" a second time yields three more references starting with something in Vol.31, which is 1977. However, the directory you need is even earlier in time. Scanning issues of the 1975 Checklist under EDUCATION DEPT. you finally find what you are searching for in the May issue.

Using the entry number 75-481 you find the Directory of New York State Public Schools and Administrators, 1974-75 on the microfilm reels for May 1975 (Vol.29 No.5 Reel 1).

Further Assistance:

Don't hesitate to ask the librarians for help. The access tools for the Official Publications of the State of New York are complicated.

Description

SRI (Statistical Reference Index) Microfiche Library has been published by the Congressional Information Service since 1980. It is a collection of publications which are primarily statistical or contain significant amounts of statistical information. The publications originate from one of the following types of sources: Associations (professional and trade) Business Organizations Commercial Publishers Independent Research Organizations State Governments University Research Centers


Location

SRI is available on microfiche at call number MicFiche Z7554 .U5 S8. Check the library catalog for location information and coverage.


Access

Comprehensive access to this collection is provided by the Statistical Reference Index (SRI), Z7554 .U5 S79. (1980-2011) which indexes the contents of individual data tables. SRI is a two part index. The index volume, which gives subject and title access, refers to the entries in the corresponding abstract volume by an accession number. The abstract volume gives the complete publication information. The microfiche are arranged by SRI accession number by publication year. Annual publications will have the same accession number each year. Selected annual publications from this collection are listed in the library catalog.

Librarian

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Laura Taddeo
Contact:
421 Lockwood Library, North Campus
(716) 645-7970
Website
Subjects: English