Federal Resources

Decennial Census Publications
Contains publications from decennial census by decade
Discover History (National Park Service)
Preserves historic sites within park boundaries and preserves stories, website also has images and NPS museum link
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Official record keeper of federal government with catalog and several online resources
Research by Topic (NARA)
Guides to researching within different topic areas, such as military history, art, and places, via NARA resources

Federal Resources - Pubications, Data, Statistics

Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970
Offers historical statistics collected in the United States up to 1970s in various subject areas

The Historical Statistics of the United States : earliest times to the present by Richard Sutch et al. (Editors)
Call Number: HA202 .H57 2006 1st floor Reference U.S. Documents Stacks
Publication Date: 2006-01-30
Offers historical statistics collected in the United States up to the mid-2000s in various subject areas

State Resources

Historical Resources
Webpage from Secretary of State with information on archives and museums
LA Digital Library
Digitized items, many historical, for Louisiana
LA Documents
Website for the Louisiana Public Document Depository Program, which includes digital archive, document lists, and list of libraries acting as depositories
LA Historical Center
Archives of historical information for Louisiana
State Library of Louisiana
State Library with extensive collections, including Louisiana documents and Louisiana collection

Finding Historical Resource

Finding Historical Resources

Historical sources related to specific events, time periods, and people are usually spread across multiple federal and state agencies and departments as well as various source types. The best strategy is to consider which agencies and/or departments may contain information related to your topic before beginning your search. Below are two examples that identify potential creators of relevant government documents related to the named topic. If you have difficult locating sources for you research, please Ask a Librarian for help.

Example 1: HIV/AIDS in the 1980s

Potential Federal Sources:

National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Congressional Hearings
Food and Drug Administration
Ronald Reagan's Presidential Papers
Medical, Scientific, and Military Technical Reports

Example 2: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010

Potential Federal Sources

Environmental Protection Agency
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Department of the Interior
Barack Obama's Presidential papers
Congressional Hearings
Scientific and Military Technical Reports

Potential State Sources

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Department of Natural Resources
Bobby Jindal's Governor records
State Library of Louisiana
Louisiana Digital Library

Government Information