State and City Documents
State Documents
Research Guides
University and state libraries may have research guides for state government publications.
State Government Manuals (Blue Books)
State reference sources, by Peter Hernon, Government Publications Review, Vol. IA, pp. 47-83, 1980
Online version
--State by state overview of reference sources on state documents. Each state entry begins with the blue book.
State bluebooks and reference publications : a selected bibliography. Lexington, Ky. : Council of State Governments, 1983, 62 p.
HOLLIS Record (1983 edition) --- HOLLIS Record (1972 ed.; Bluebooks pp. 25-34)
State Blue Books and Encyclopedias lists many digitized historical blue books as well as current
Legislative Journals (Debates and Documents)
State Legislative History Research Guides Inventory (Indiana University)
Legislative Journals By State (Library of Congress)
State Laws
See the Library Research Guide for History 97g: "What is Legal History?"
State Cases (Legal)
See the Library Research Guide for History 97g: "What is Legal History?
Online Sources
Many state documents are accessible via the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and the various state digital portals.
HathiTrust Digital Library. Each full text item is linked to a standard library catalog record, thus providing good metadata and subject terms. The catalog can be searched separately. Although most post-1923 items are not full text viewable, many government documents are full text viewable. Search the city or state name as Author. For city names add the proper state abbreviation (Chicago, Ill).
The Internet Archive contains many full text state and city documents. Search Creator: state name, then narrow by date and topic on the left.
More on HathiTrust and Internet Archive
LLMC Digital
Go to Online Services, then Browse Collections. A rich source of legislative and judicial documents
State Agency Databases Project
Laws, Legislative Materials, and Legal Issues Sources in State Agency Databases
State Documents in HOLLIS and WorldCat
State names can be searched as Author keyword, but this usually retrieves too many publications of NGOs, learned societies and other entities. You can do a keyword search on state or city plus department name, by searching likely department name terms and finding the proper name
For a small city or town a keyword search on the name may not produce too many records to go through individually. But usually you will need to limit your search.
In HOLLIS, choose the option to “Starts with/Browse” and then choose “By author” from the dropdown menu on the left and type in your state. This allows you to browse through the various departments.
Many of Harvard's state documents can be searched in HOLLIS by entering: Code: Local call number: statedocuments*.
For material not available at Harvard, search in: WorldCat (the OCLC Union Catalog) which includes catalog records from over 45,000 libraries worldwide but largely U.S. Includes books, periodicals, archives and manuscripts, maps, videotapes, computer readable files, etc. Includes Boston-area libraries. For InterLibrary Loan, put the Accession no. (at the bottom of the record) in the Interlibrary Loan Request form.
WorldCat does not offer an Author browse. The Library of Congress catalog can be browsed (AUTHORs/CREATORS beginning with) to find material not held by Harvard. The Department names can then be searched in WorldCat. Hit the Check Access Options button for an Interlibrary Loan request. Many state library and city library catalogs offer Author browses and often collections of digitized documents.
Reference and Statistics
State yellow book, 1989-
which continues:
State information book, 1975-1987
Indexes and Bibliographies
Tapping state government information sources, Lori L. Smith et al. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2003, 477 p.
HOLLIS Record
State document checklists : a historical bibliography, by Susan L. Dow. 2nd ed. Buffalo, N.Y. : William S. Hein & Co., 2000, 279 p.
HOLLIS Record
Internet Archive Full Text
State government reference publications : an annotated bibliography, by David W. Parish. 2nd ed. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1981, 355 p.
HOLLIS Record
State government research checklist (Feb. 1979; ceased with v. 38, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 1996), by the Council of State Governments. Lexington, Ky.: The Council,
--Continues: Legislative research checklist (Chicago, Ill. : 1959) ISSN:0024-0486
--Continued by: Research checklist
HOLLIS Record
State List: The Electronic Source of State Publications. Coverage varies by state, generally 1990s- .
Monthly checklist of state publications (Title varies), 1910-1994). Library of Congress.
Documents (Lamont) | Harvard Depository | US Doc 5002.20
Online version
Searchable in HathiTrust Advanced Full Text search. Put Monthly checklist of state publications as Exact phrase in Title field and your keywords in Full Text field, adjust date limits. This works best when you have a particular proper name to search, as you cannot limit by state.
Index of economic material in documents of the states of the United States. [various dates, 1787-1904], by Adelaide R. Hasse. Washington: Carnegie institution of Washington, 1907 (Carnegie Institution of Washington publication 85).
Find paper copies in HOLLIS by searching: "Index of economic material in documents" (in "")
HathiTrust online version. Search the phrase (in “”) “Index of economic material in documents of the states of the United States” in Catalog search.
--California - Delaware - Illinois - Kentucky - Maine - Massachusetts - New Hampshire - New Jersey - New York - Ohio - Pennsylvania - Rhode Island - Vermont.
--This valuable source covers many topics.
Look for specialized subject bibliographies in the HOLLIS Catalog: Search, for example, <"government publications" Chicago bibliography> as a Subject Keyword search.. The term Bibliography MUST be searched as a Subject keyword: Change Limit to: anywhere to Limit to: subject.
Books describing state documents can be useful. Search in HOLLIS/WorldCat: State government publications -- United States -- Bibliography.'
Local and regional government information : how to find it, how to use it, edited by Mary Martin. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, 2005, 239 p. HOLLIS Record
Local university and city libraries may have research guides for city government publications. Go to local library websites and look for Research Guides
Examples:
Chicago Government Information
New York - Researching: Government & Historical Documents (Fordham)
Baltimore
How can I search for municipal ordinances? (HKS guide)
Index to municipal legislation; a cumulative, alphabetical, subject index of municipal ordnance, proposed or adapted by city councils, boards of aldermen, city commissions and similar bodies, as recorded in their printed official proceedings and journals, by Frederick Rex. Municipal Reference Library (Chicago, Ill.) [Chicago] 1937, 250 pp.
HathiTrust Full text
Many city documents are accessible via the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and the various state digital portals.
In Hathitrust catalog search you can search keywords: police report, and Limit To: Full view only. On the left side of the Results page, you can limit to Place of Publication: United States. Be careful with date limitations. If you want a report for 1950, the report series may have started in, say, 1923, and 1923 will be the date on the HathiTrust record.
The Internet Archive contains many full text state and city documents. Search Creator: state name, then narrow by date and topic on the left.
City Documents in HOLLIS and WorldCat
City names can be searched as Author keyword, but this usually retrieves too many publications of NGOs, learned societies and other entities. You can do a keyword search on state or city plus department name, by searching likely department name terms and finding the proper name
For a small city or town a keyword search on the name may not produce too many records to go through individually. But usually you will need to limit your search.
In HOLLIS, choose the option to “Starts with/Browse” and then choose “By author” from the dropdown menu on the left and type in your city (Fall River Mass). Use the proper state abbreviations). This allows you to browse through the various departments.
The vast Loeb Design Library pamphlet collection (roughly 1930s-2008) includes many city documents. Find with HOLLIS Library Catalog Advanced Search searches of the form:
Code: Library + Collection: desvf
AND
Author contains: Chicago
For material not available at Harvard, search in: WorldCat (the OCLC Union Catalog) which includes catalog records from over 45,000 libraries worldwide but largely U.S. Includes books, periodicals, archives and manuscripts, maps, videotapes, computer readable files, etc. Includes Boston-area libraries. For InterLibrary Loan, put the Accession no. (at the bottom of the record) in the Interlibrary Loan Request form.
WorldCat does not offer an Author browse. The Library of Congress catalog can be browsed (AUTHORs/CREATORS beginning with) to find material not held by Harvard. The Department names can then be searched in WorldCat. Hit the Check Access Options button for an Interlibrary Loan request. Many state library and city library catalogs offer Author browses and often collections of digitized documents
Reference and Statistics
Index to Current Urban Documents, 1972-1992
HOLLIS Record
Tufts has the online version.
City-Data. Largely post-1990s information.
The Municipal year book, 1934- . Washington: International City Management Association.
HOLLIS Record
Internet Archive Full Text
Municipal year book, 1902 giving the population, assessed valuation, principal officials, & ownership of public utilities also information regarding the water supply, sewerage, street cleaning, street sprinkling, garbage, fire & underground electric service in all incorporated places in the United States, & in all New England towns of 3,000 population & upwards by the census of 1900 ... , ed. by M.N. Baker. NY: The Engineering News Publishing Company.
HathiTrust Full Text
County and city data book. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1947- .
Latest edition in Reference; backfile in stacks. Includes number and % of work force in manufacturing
HOLLIS Record
Online version
Online version
2007 and 2000 ed.
Cities supplement, Statistical abstract of the United States: selected data for cities having 25,000 or more inhabitants in 1940. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1944, 47 p.
HOLLIS record
Public documents of Massachusetts
State Library of Massachusetts has a vast collection of digitized documents in its DSpace collection.
Public documents of Massachusetts. Boston : Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1858-
Google Books version
HathiTrust Version 1835, 1845, 1857, 1863-1918
FindIt@Harvard
Documents are arranged by number (examples):
- Board of Charity 17
- District Police reports: 32
- Board of police for Fall River (1895- ) 58
- Board of police for Boston 49
- Annual reports concerning prison labor 41
- Commissioners of Prisons 13
Others are listed in:
Catalogue of annual reports contained in the Massachusetts public documents; also of special reports and papers for 1898-1899. Prepared by the Massachusetts Library Club and issued by the Massachusetts State Library. Boston, A.L.A. Publishing Board, 1901.
Google Books version
FindIt@Harvard
Preceded by:
Documents submitted to the General Court. Boston : s.n., -1857 (Boston : William White, Printer to the State) (We have 1846-1856)
HOLLIS Record
(General Court is the legislature)
Index and guide to Massachusetts State legislative documents, 1802-1882. Compiled by Francis X. Blouin, Jr. Boston, Massachusetts State Library, 1972, 186 l.
HOLLIS Record
Index to Massachusetts legislative documents, 1883-1899, by Leonard Adams. Amherst, Mass. : University Library, University of Massachusetts, 1994, 214 p.
HOLLIS Record
Documents of the City of Boston
Oscar Handlin offers a valuable overview of Boston documents on pp. p. 297-362 in:
Boston’s immigrants, 1790-1880 : a study in acculturation. Rev. and enl. ed., 50th anniversary ed. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1991, xvii, 382 p.
HOLLIS Record 1991 ed.
HOLLIS Record 1979 rev. ed.
HOLLIS Record 1959 rev. ed.
Organization of the city government of Boston for the year .. 1872-1933
HOLLIS Record
Documents of the City of Boston
HathiTrust Version 1836 1837,1850,1845, 1853-1922
HOLLIS Record 1838-1899
And also use the index
Boston City documents – Index 1834-1886
HathiTrust Version
A HOLLIS search on "Documents of the City of Boston" yields much additional material, as does a HathiTrust catalog search on Author: Boston and Keyword: Documents.