Finding Aids	UIUC Library Online Catalog Use the catalog to find items at UIUC in print or online.  Some suggested subject terms: Chicago Ill. politics and government; Chicago Ill. race relations; African Americans politics and government; Washington, Harold 1922-1987. Catalog of U.S. Government Publications This catalog searches for federal government information exclusively.  Many of the sources you find here are available in print at UIUC (search the UIUC Library Online Catalog to locate them), or you can access them online directly from this catalog.  The same subject terms that work in the UIUC Catalog will work here. LexisNexis Academic This is an index of regional, national, and international news sources.  Coverage dates are different for each source, so it is important to check the source list before doing a search of a specific publication.  The Chicago Sun-Times is included here; the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Defender must be searched through Newsbank. LexisNexis Statistical Use the Search Abstracts screen to find LexisNexis subject terms; you can also limit your search for statistics to statistics that are compiled for various geographies, economic characteristics, and demographic characteristics (like race). Index to Current Urban Documents This index can be searched by keyword or topic and municipality or state.  For best results, do a fairly broad geographical search.  Many documents are available in PDF format.
Some Specific Sources	Facts on the Black or African American Population This site from the U.S. Census Bureau compiles some of the information collected about African Americans during the 1990 and 2000 censuses.  American Factfinder contains more detailed statistics on race: go to Data Sets, then choose Summary File 1 for population data by race or Summary File 3 for social and economic data by race. For statistics on the racial composition of each Congressional district, choose 109th Congressional District Summary File (100-Percent). Surveys of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises These statistics are compiled by the Census Bureau as part of the Economic Census.  Most data is from the 1997 Economic Census, although 2002 data is beginning to be released. County and City Data Books This site from the University of Virginia has made an important Census Bureau publication containing city-level statistics available online in an easily searchable and downloadable format.  The print version of this publication is available in the Government Documents Library (call no. DOC.C3.134/2), and a PDF version is available on the Census web site. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights This commission tracks issues like discrimination in voting and employment. City of Chicago This site includes biographies of current aldermen and women, as well as links to city departments. Chicago Municipal Reference Collection This site from the Harold Washington Library (Chicago Public Libraries) describes its collection of city publications, including records of City Council meetings and statistical reports.
Getting Help	Government Documents Library Web Site: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/doc/ Government Documents Reference Desk        Room 200-D, Main Library        9 a.m to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday        (217) 244-6445 E-mail Reference Service: gdoclib@library.uiuc.edu Individual consultations: call 244-6445 for an appointment