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Welcome
Hello and welcome! This guide was created to help students in HDFS 3100: Family Policy research NY State policies. This guide contains information about helpful databases, journals, NY government websites, tutorials, and other places to obtain sources about NY State policies.
Photo of the Albany, NY capital building by Wally Gobetz.
How to Start
Where to Start?
If you are still looking for an issue to analyze:
- Use The New York Times (Use SUNY Oneonta email for free account here) or another newspaper to search for issues in news and for NY state legislation mentioned in news articles
- Use google search to find issues and any relevant NY State bills
- For example, search "gross highway act" and 'NY State"
- Use a reference database to browse for a topic
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new windowContains a variety of media rich content, including over 20,000 pro/con viewpoints, approximately 19,000 reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more. Cross-searchable with Gale In Context: Global Issues. National Debate Topics category provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Educator Resources include a research toolkit with tips on analyzing issues with opposing viewpoints, distinguishing fact from opinion, evaluating information sources, and recognizing deceptive arguments.
- CQ Researcher (1923-present) This link opens in a new windowCovers the most current and controversial issues of the day with summaries of the issues. Full text. Five simultaneous users.
If you want to begin by finding a NY State policy
- Browse policies in at nysenate.gov and choose a bill and an issue
- If you are looking for a specific bill, it helps to know the sponsor's name
When searching for a non-profit on your issue:
- use google search to look for non-profits on the issue (this may also be helpful for finding a relevant bill)
- example search "climate change non-profit"
Definitions
Database: A searchable list of records
Milne Library: Searches through a list of records kept in almost every database and the library catalog
Library Catalog: A searchable list of every physical item in Milne Library
Journal Search: A searchable list of academic journals
EBSCO, Gale, ProQuest: Companies that provide access to various databases, each with their own different set of organized information, for a fee.
A source: Anything that provides information. A source can be a person, place, event, document, or material.
Primary source: Are documents, materials, or objects that provide direct first-hand evidence or accounts of a topic.
Secondary source: Analyze, discuss, and comment upon primary sources.
Call number: Is a unique identifier for a book. It is used to organize books by subject. The call number also helps us find books on a certain subject and aids retrieval.
Stacks: the bookshelves
Types of Periodicals
A periodical is any type of publication that is published in a series and periodically (hence the name). Periodicals include daily newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals. A periodical is a good source for current information about specific topics or recent events.