Where do I go to find this hearing?

When you see a reference to a person testifying before Congress, that typically refers to a hearing held by a congressional committee. Transcripts of hearings may be found in print or online, depending on the age of the hearing.

For hearings before the mid-1990's, use the ProQuest Congressional database to track down the name and SuDoc call number of the hearing. The library has many of these, and they will be in print on Level 1 of the library.

For hearings after the mid-1990's, ProQuest Congressional remains a good tool to track down the hearing. After that date, the transcript of the hearing may be available in a digital form and may be linked from the database. If you prefer, the library typically also has a paper copy at the SuDoc call number listed in the database.

For very recent hearings (held within the past 6 months), check the committee website directly for recordings of the hearing, prepared statements, and other information. The LexisNexis Academic database often has an early transcript for particularly newsworthy hearings.

Do you have this (Forest Service, BLM, EPA) report?

Since the library has been a federal depository library for a long time, the odds are good that we have it. Try a search in the library catalog for the title. If it is an older report (pre-1976), try WorldCat to confirm the citation information and to get a suggested government call number in case the Mansfield Library catalog doesn't list the report.

If we don't have the report, you can also borrow a copy of the report through placing an interlibrary loan request.

Where should I start when looking for a statistic?

A good place to start is the Mansfield Library Government Information - Statistics guide.  It links to a number of useful websites, organized by place and subject.

The most current version of the Statistical Abstract of the United States is available in PDF and XLS form at the U.S. Census Bureau website and is an "authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States."

Vanderbilt University also has a strong list of statistics websites organized by topic.

How do I find the original bill?

THOMAS, the Library of Congress's legislative portal, is a good place to start looking for information on recent bills (1989-present).  Bills may also be found at FDsys (1993-present). 

Older bills can be challenging to track down. Bills are sometimes read into the Congressional Record when they are introduced. You can access the Congressional Record on Level 1 at call number X 1.1 or through the Hein Online database. If the bill is not in Congressional Record, you may need to contact the Center for Research Libraries or the National Archives for assistance.

How can I find old Census materials?

How old? Compiled statistics or individual responses?

The U.S. Census Bureau has digitized the decennial census volumes dating back to the 1790s, which provides access to population, housing, and other core demographic statistics. The Montana Census and Economic Information Center (CEIC) provides quick access to historical statistics for Montana. The UVA Historical Census Browser is a great tool for retrieving common statistics down to the county level. The library has many other Census volumes on Level 1 of the library

For individual responses to the Census for 1930 and earlier, the library has the microfilm reels for Montana on Level 1 of the library at call number 312.0973 U58p. Also, if you have a Missoula Public Library card, you can access these individual Census records through the public library's subscription to the Heritage Quest database.

Do you have government aerial photos?

For most of the aerial photos to which Mansfield library has access, you will need to talk with Archives & Special Collections. They are located on the 4th floor, Mansfield Library (on the University of Montana-Missoula campus) or can be reached at 406 243 2053 (phone), 406 243 4067 (fax), or library.archives@umontana.edu.

A good online resource for modern Montana is the USGS Aerial Photos of Montana collection from the MT.gov website.