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About Policy Page - From ACRL Social Work Liaison Toolkit
Licensed and free resources for conducting research on policy issues.
Current Page Editor: Maureen Barry
Policy Information: Licensed Resources
- Encyclopedia of Social Work
A fully online encyclopedia form Oxford University Press and the National Association of Social Workers. Contains several entries related to policy providing a broad overview and further reading.
- ProQuest Congressional
A searchable database of congressional documents including hearings, bills, Congressional Research Service reports (CRS Reports), legislative histories, and more. CRS Reports are particularly useful for understanding the basics of a legislative issue.
- Public Affairs Index
An EBSCO database of journal articles, conference papers, and white papers on public policy issues.
- Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) International
A ProQuest database with journal articles, white papers, and more on international public affairs issues including historical issues.
- PolicyFile
A searchable ProQuest database of white papers by think tanks, government organizations, and NGOs. Can filter results by organizational political leaning.
- CQ Press Library
A resource for information about U.S. politics and public policy. CQ Press Library includes resources such as CQ Almanac, CQ Press Congress Collection, and CQ Researcher Plus.
Policy Information: Freely Available Resources
- House Ways and Means Committee Green Book
Green Book provides data and other information on federal programs within the purview of the House Ways and Means Committee, which includes Social Security, Medicare, Child care services, and more.
- Congressional Research Service Reports
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports are non-partisan reports on policy issues and legislation for educating the legislative branch and the public.
- GovTrack.us
Non-Governmental portal for searching congressional information and legislation.
- Open States
Searchable website for state level legislative information.
- Congress.gov
Government website for legislative information. Run partly by the Library of Congress.
- US Government Printing Office - MetaLib
Searchable interface for publications from the Government Printing Office. Searches across many departments in the federal government.
- USA.gov
Official website for government services and information.
- Govinfo.gov
Formerly FDsys. Searchable interface for information and documents across the federal government branches.
Policy & Advocacy
- PolicyArchiveA nonprofit storage and dissemination site for public policy documents from a wide variety of state, national, and international agencies and organizations. You can also register for free newsletter updates on the policy issues of your choice.
- Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)A public interest law firm started this progressive policy site focusing on "issues affecting low-income and disadvantaged persons".
- Center for the Study of Social PolicySearch or browse the publications database of this nonprofit policy research institute for analysis of child welfare, health, education, and community decision-making policies in the United States.
- National Law Center on Homelessness and PovertyOffers news, reports, and "action alerts" on issues relating to housing, domestic violence, income, children & youth, human rights, civil rights, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
- AARP Public Policy InstituteIndependent research, issue analysis and opinions on topics relating to older Americans from the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons.