Library Guides: Reference Resources: Overview

Statistical Sources

There are a number of sources for statistical information. For sources of data for analysis see the Statistical and Data Sources guide.

Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
The ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States.
Statistical Abstracts of the World This link opens in a new window
The ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the World is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to modern and historical census data and demographic information. Users can access this resource as a guest or create a Social Explorer account.

Fedstats
Gateway to statistics produced by more than 100 agencies of the US Federal Government.
Historical Census Browser
Create dynamic charts and/or maps based on Census data 1790-1960.
Country Statistical Yearbooks
This guide, presented by the Data & Information Services Center of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, provides links to country statistical yearbooks or similar collections (census, "facts and figures," etc.) for 148 countries worldwide.
Zanran
A search engine designed to find statistical information and numeric data. Google for numbers.

Reference Resources in the J.D. Williams Library

The Reference Collection in located on the first floor of the Williams Library on the South side of the Commons. In that collection you will find Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Atlases, and Indexes. Some important and heavily used titles are the New York Times Index, the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, the Accountants Index, The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, the Encyclopedia of Social Work and Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios. There is also a reference collection in the Science Library located in the Cochran Center.

These sources can be useful in clarifying a research topic, getting background information as you begin a project or defining terms/concepts in a subject area.

More and more reference titles are being published electronically and new reference materials are generally purchased in digital format.

There are two main online publishers on reference materials used in the UM Libraries. These are listed below. They both contain content covering most subject areas.

Credo Reference: Basic Search Box

Search Gale Virtual Reference Library (eBooks)

Oxford English Dictionary

Map Collections

In addition to the significant map and atlas collections available in the UM Libraries, there are also some digital map collections available via the Internet.

Map Collections from the University of Texas at Arlington
This map collection from the University of Texas at Arlington features nearly 4,000 maps that document the greater Southwest. The collection includes maps dating from 1493 to the present and features noted cartographers. While containing maps of all parts of the world, the collection particularly emphasizes the region of the Gulf Coast and the Greater Southwest, which has been defined as the area comprising the state of Texas and the other southwestern states annexed by the United States after the U.S. War with Mexico of 1846-1848.
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
Geography and Map Division - Library of Congress
The Geography and Map Division (G&M) has custody of the largest and most comprehensive cartographic collection in the world with collections numbering over 5.5 million maps, 80,000 atlases, 6,000 reference works, over 500 globes and globe gores, 3,000 raised relief models, and a large number of cartographic materials in other formats, including over 38,000 CDs/DVDs. The online Map Collections represents only a small fraction that have been converted to digital form. These images were created from maps and atlases and, in general, are restricted to items that are in public domain, meaning those which are not covered by copyright.
Historical Map Collection (University of Alabama)

Librarian

Alex Watson

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Contact:

662-915-5866

Subjects: Art, Art History, English & Literature, Southern Studies, Theatre Arts, Writing

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Reference Resources