Databases | Websites

DATABASES

Explore government in action with this resource, which includes Congressional hearings and legislation. Follow legislation from concept to law. find "Hot Bills" and Topics of Congress. Gain access to a wide variety of information about Congress, such as member biographical and committee assignment information, voting records and more.

Home access for this database is available only to Newton residents with a Newton library card number beginning 21323.

Statesman's Yearbook is an online service providing information on global affairs, researched and developed by the team behind the Statesman's Yearbook. This intuitive, map-based reference tool supplies objective and reliable data on the state of the world, with comprehensive coverage of government and politics, geography, history, economics, social policy and culture for all 192 countries.  Also included are biographies of key figures; searchable lists of international organizations; a week by week chronology of world events since December 1999; links and resources for additional research; and special profiles of regions, states, and cities.  The statistical comparison feature allows users to compare and chart key figures, such as population and GDP, between countries.  Information is updated monthly, with daily updates for key world events.

Home access for this database is available only to Newton residents with a Newton library card number beginning 21323.

From the U.S. Census Bureau, data from 1790 through 2000, presented in more than 700 full-color maps. It highlights demographic, social, and economic conditions and changes for both people and housing in the United States and Puerto Rico.

This website contains the on-line versions of books previously published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Army.  Because the original intent of the Series' sponsor was to focus primarily on lesser known areas of the world or regions in which U.S. forces might be deployed, the series is not all-inclusive.  At present, 101 countries and regions are covered. 

The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors.

This nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.

Search for Federal agency forms by name, form number, or agency. Contains over 4200 business and citizen forms.

A large collection of links for country information, including profiles by governments and international organizations, articles and databases, diplomatic relations, health, and peacekeeping and military information. From the Libraries of the Universtity of Colorado at Boulder.

GovBenefits.gov, the official government benefits website, consolidates information about hundreds of government benefit and assistance programs, including Federal and State programs. It is a free, confidential tool that helps you find government benefits you (or someone you know) may be eligible to receive, along with information about how you can apply. New programs are regularly added to the site.

An independent website tracking the status of federal legislation and related activities of the U.S. House and Senate.

Policy news stories and background information on Massachusetts politics, co-produced by the professional journalists and staff of MassINC, a non-partisan, independent, public policy think tank, and The State House News Service.

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan, multi-issue organization which encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Mass.gov is the official web site of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Here you will find links to all state agencies, local government links for cities and towns, online services, news & updates, and a wide variety of Massachusetts information on everything from tourism to current Mass. lottery numbers. Free website.

Topics covered include children, civil rights, consumer, elder, employee, health care, insurance and victims rights. Many publications are also available in foreign language translations.

The Massachusetts Corporations Division of the Secretary of State's office is the repository for certain records of over 400,000 business and nonprofit corporations organized or registered to do business in the Commonwealth. Search the Corporate Database for information and business entity filings for businesses registered in the Commonwealth. Search the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Database for filing information. The website also includes information about trademarks, service of process, and conducting business in the Commonwealth, as well as many required business forms.

The website for the Massachusetts Elections Division of the Secretary of State's office has complete information on state elections, including voter registration information, polling locations, voting districts, election dates, results, statistics, and information for prospective candidates. Click on "My Election Information" to find your elected officials and polling place.

Find information on State health and human services programs for families and individuals by searching the "Catalog," or take the short survey under "Screening and Referral" to determine the most useful programs for your needs. Consumers DO NOT need to enter a user ID and password to access this information.

Includes State and Municipal Ethics Primers, Commission Advisories, Fact Sheets, and other publications.

MassResources.org provides detailed information about the many types of assistance available to those in need living in Massachusetts. It provides information on what benefits are available, eligibility requirements, how to apply, benefit amounts, and answers to commonly asked questions.

NationMaster provides statistical comparisons for nearly every country in the world, with over 600 data sets on topics such as population, health, the economy, the environment, crime, media, and military expenditures.  Users can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics, choosing which countries to include.  Country profiles are linked to the data.  Information comes from the CIA World Factbook and other sources, and is cited. 

A searchable collection of election returns from the earliest years of American democracy. Still a work in progress, information on some states is not yet available (data entry progress is listed on the main page).

OpenCongress brings together official government data with news and blog coverage of federal legislation. RSS feeds allow you to track legislation and issues of interest to you. OpenCongress is a joint project of the Participatory Politics Foundation and the Sunlight Foundation.