Fall 2008
Professor Neil Lutsky

Contents

almanacs and atlases | index of statistics | compendia | subject dictionaries | other trusted sources | producers of statistics | librarian

Additional Help:

• Guide to finding data and statistics
• Subject research guides

almanacs and atlases

The World Almanac and Book of Facts
CC Ready Reference AY67.N5 W7 1923-2006

Oxford Atlas of World History
CC Reference G1030 .P57 1999b

The Times History of the World
CC Reference G1030 .T54 1999

index of statistics

LexisNexis Statistical (Carleton only)
Search summaries of statistical publications, then link to the full-text of selected publications on Statistical Universe and government Web sites. This comprehensive database includes the three major statistical indexes (American Statistics Index, Statistical Reference Index, and Index to International Statistics).

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statistical compendia

United States

Statistical Abstract of the United States
CC Ready Reference C 3.134: 2006
Previous years kept in Gov Docs, 1st floor, back to 1878.
This compendia of statistics produced by the U.S. government contains basic tables summarizing the vast amount of data collected by the government. Find a table here that is related to your topic and follow the cited source to identify which agency collects the data you need.

Historical Statistics of the United States
CC Ready Reference HA202 .H57 2006
This is the standard source for historical statistics of the U.S.

NCES Digest of Educational Statistics
CC Gov Docs Ready Reference (4th floor) ED 1.140 2003

International

EarthTrends Database
The World Resources Institute compiles data from international organizations and individual countries on a wide array of issues. If you are interested in development issues, this is a great place to start. Free registration required for extensive use.

OECD Factbook
"A global overview of world economic, social and environmental trends."

[CIA] World Factbook
CC Gov Docs Ready Reference (4th floor) PREX 3.15 2005

World Development Indicators (Carleton only)
CC Reference HC59.15 .W656 2007
Use the print to learn what is available and which tables you need, then use the online version to download.

EU Encyclopedia and Directory
CC Reference HC241.2 .E8334

Statistical Yearbook (United Nations)
CC Reference HA12.5 .U63 2001

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subject dictionaries and encyclopedias

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
CC Reference Q123 .M15 2003

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
CC Reference Q121 .M3 2002

Ask any reference librarian to show you the subject dictionaries and encyclopedias for a given subject area.

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other trusted sources

International Data Base (U.S. Census)

The Europa World Yearbook
CC Ready Reference JN1 .E85 2005

University of Michigan Documents Center - Statistics
The most comprehensive site for locating government statistics on the web.

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producers of statistics

United States

Use the Statistical Abstract to identify which government agency collects the data you need. Then find that agency's web site.

Census Factfinder
Search for Northfield, your home town, or another U.S. city and find abundant statistics about it.

FedStats

International

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Not all content is available to Carleton students. However, use this site to identify existing statistics, then talk to a librarian about alternate ways of access.

European Union's EuroStat
Official statistics for the EU countries. Good places to start on this large site are the links in the left-hand column, especially "Yearbook 2005" near the top the Themes listed in the middle.

United Nations

Statistics Division

Human Development Reports (UNDP)

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

World Bank

Data and Statistics Web Site

World Development Indicators
Library subscription database

International Monetary Fund

World Economic Outlook Database

International Financial Statistics
CC Reference HG3881 .I626

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