UC Political Science Consortium

JSC Survey Report, 2000

Subject: CDL Update for Political Science

Dear Lucia,
Please find attached the latest update of recommendations to the CDL for political science and international relations. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Nancy Koller, UCR

May 17, 2000

TO:	Lucia Snowhill
	Joint Steering Committee for Shared Collections, California Digital Library
FR:	UC Political Science Bibliographer Consortium
	Nancy Koller, Survey Coordinator
RE:	Survey Update for CDL Political Science Resources

We have perused our survey update response of last July 1999, and our original list of recommendations of November 1998, and after eliminating those resources which are now a part of CDL, we have re-evaluated our past lists and considered CDL's query about California newspapers and ejournals.

Our updated list will remain as it stands (priorities the same) with one added statement (highlighted with double rows of asterisks), one added title within a database set (marked with **), one set of additions (marked with **) and one exception mentioned just below:

Because several other survey groups are clearly wishing to support one or more titles in the NISC (Nat'1 Info. Service Corp.) package, we in political science and international relations will support such a proposal -- especially for the following title which was a part of our original set of recommendations and is still highly desired:

Alternative Press Index. National Information Services Corp. 1991-
http://www.nisc.com

Provides access to substantial population of journals often ignored (90% unique) by mainstream indexing -- mostly alternative and radical presses in North America. Citations are selected from 250 publications that report and analyze the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political, and social change. 17,000 new records (with some abstracts) are added each year. Rich in primary source material.

JUSTIFICATION: In spite of the relatively inexpensive cost (and this is indeed a relative term) these are unique databases reflecting diverse interests within the social sciences. They should receive some financial support from CDL -- consider it symbolic or a recognition that this type of material is just as essential for research in the social sciences as mega-databases with giant price tags in the sciences. I will not duplicate the more complete listing of the NISC databases nor their prices here which can be found in several of the other social science groups' lists.

***************
***************
The rest of our list is what we have recommended in the past and still consider the most important -- -- with one addition. (Most of the list is still intact because only a small portion of our list has found its way onto the CDL website.) While political science and international relations are social sciences, many of the materials needed are less interdisciplinary in nature and are also expensive.
***************
***************

The highest priority for this group is poll data. We think poll data is a resource which is applicable to many of the social sciences and should be given serious consideration by CDL as a high priority whether other disciplines name these particular databases or not. (In other words, these titles are not going to get the highest marks on a rating grid. That does make them any less valuable to a large group on each campus, yet not affordable campus by campus to a large extent.)

The first choice is:

POLL: Online Service of the Roper Center for Public Opinion
http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/

Other poll databases of interest for both a more narrow focus and a broader focus:

California Field Poll, 1979-1999

http://gort.ucsd.edu/calpol/

Polling the Nations
http://www.silverplatter.com/catalog/poln.htm

Covers data from more than 6500 national, state, local and special surveys in the US and over 60 other countries with data going back over a decade.

In addition to poll data, other categories related to political science and international relations which this group has recommend in the past and still emphasize are:

The EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) databases are receiving some attention by other survey groups. Of those products, this group has asked for this particular title from the time of the 1999 update.

Viewswire
http://www.viewswire.com

Produced by Economist Intelligence Unit, it contains political, economic, and business backgrounder information and news from Country Report; Country Forecast; Country Risk Service; Investing, Licensing and Trading; EIU's range of regional newsletters; The Economist; CFO Magazine; The Journal of Commerce; Oxford Analytica; the Financial Times; OECD.

Of equal importance for us are:

**EIU Country Reports (added emphasis)
http://store.eiu.com/description/CRdes.asp

The "flagship" publications of EIU, they provide business intelligence, political and economic trends for more than 188 countries worldwide, updated every three months. A valuable resource not only for political science and international relations, but economics, business, and various other social sciences.

World News Connection

The online version of Foreign Broadcasting Information Service (FBIS), it offers timely content of translated foreign news sources. Available through NTIS.

** CQ Weekly and CQ Researcher
http://www.cq.com/prodsandsubs/

Oxford Analytica
http://www.oxan.com/

Research briefs (3-4 pages) on national and international developments. This is an international analysis service with a European viewpoint ( a plus factor to see international affairs from a non-U.S. view). Academic clients have two options: OxResearch which is less expensive and has a rolling six month embargo on published research reports, or OxWeek which offers a rolling seven day embargo. The price goes down as more libraries subscribe through the consortium administered by PALINET.

International Political Science Abstracts

Abstracts of articles in political science from a wide range of international periodicals.

IBSS Extra (International Bibliography of the Social Sciences)
http://www.silverplatter.com

CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPERS
The political science and important need for access However, most of the one campus, which we the need to allocate of money. international relations bibliographers see an to the SACRAMENTO BEE with state government news. Either accessible from at least a much lower priority. We see more wisely with a finite amount other newspapers are think sufficient, or systemwide resources

EJOURNALS
In the social sciences, there are three major publishers of ejournals which would be worth CDL pursuing for systemwide : access of their titles (in priority order):

Sage, Routledge, and Blackwell.

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