NR320 - Natural Resources History and Policy
A guide for NR320.
Getting Started
These are encyclopedia-type resources that provide an introduction to natural resources and policy topics.
- Congressional Publications (ProQuest)Coverage: 1789- Present This is a database of hearings, committee prints, reports, documents and other Congressional resources. Provides full text of hearings and citations and selected full text for other publication types. Primary source content on a variety of natural resources topics. Look at the "Topic Pages" for an overview of different aspects of a variety of subjects, including environmental policy legislation. Tip: Search for the full name of the piece of legislation, not the abbreviation. For example, search for National Environmental Policy Act, NOT NEPA.
- HeinOnlineCoverage: 1754 to present
Legal history and government documents, law journals, the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, classic treatises, international trade, foreign relations, U.S. Presidents, and much more. - CQ Researcher OnlineInformation on policy issues including natural resources. Contents can be searched or browsed.
News Sources
- US North Central NewsstreamCoverage: Varies Provides full text access to a variety of newspapers, primarily from the North Central United States. This resource includes several local Colorado and Wyoming newspapers, including: Denver Post, the Coloradoan (Fort Collins), Colorado Daily (Boulder), Daily Camera (Boulder), and Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne, WY).
- High Country News (Online)Covers the Rocky Mountain West and includes articles from 2002 to present. Older articles are in print at the library, and may be requested by using interlibrary loan.
- NewsBank Access World NewsNewspapers and some magazine articles. The geographic search feature may be helpful if you are focusing on a regional topic or issue.
- Additional News SourcesLinks to other news sources available through CSU Libraries.
Article Databases
Use these databases to find a variety of information types, but primarily scholarly journal articles.
- HeinOnlineCoverage: 1754 to present
Legal history and government documents, law journals, the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, classic treatises, international trade, foreign relations, U.S. Presidents, and much more. - Nexis UniIncludes law and policy sources, as well as news and business information. To search only legal journals, choose the "Law Reviews" option to the left of the Guided Search box.
- JSTORMultidiscplinary coverage including science, history, and policy, but generally does not include items published within the last 5 years.
- CAB Abstracts Complete (1910 to present) This link opens in a new windowIncludes scientific research articles on a variety of natural resources topics.
- Environmental Science Database (ProQuest)Broad coverage of environmental science, natural resources, and related subjects.
- Find more databasesView all of the databases available through CSU Libraries. Browse databases for specific topic areas such as forestry or water by using the Subject drop-down menu, pictured at the left of the screenshot below.
Government Publications
Two government entities that produce documents relevant to natural resources policy are listed below. Other agencies may also produce useful publications.
Government Accountability Office
This agency creates reports on topics of interest to all areas of government, including natural resources.
- Government Accountability Office (GAO) ReportsThe linked website allows you to browse or search GAO documents.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
The CRS writes documents to inform Congress on a variety of subjects. As of 2021, no single comprehensive collection of reports is freely available, but several large collections are listed below. Each has different search or browse features as well as different content, so you may want to try several.
- CRS Reports from congress.govComprehensive coverage of R-series (in-depth) reports from 2018 onward. Older materials and other types of reports continue to be added.
- University of North Texas CRS ReportsMore than 40,000 reports from 1965 through 2018, with many options for browsing and searching.
- Federation of American Scientists CRS ReportsIncludes selected reports from 1990s to the present, arranged by topic. Use Control+F or Command+F to search for keywords within the lists of reports.
- National Agricultural Law Center CRS ReportsContains reports on topics related to agriculture, arranged by subject. Does not include the most recent reports. Use Control+F or Command+F to search for keywords within the lists.
- CRSReports.comLarge collection of reports with a simple search interface. May not have the newest reports.
More Resources for Finding Government Publications
- Government Information Research GuideEverything you need to know to locate government information at CSU and beyond.
- Search the U.S. GovernmentSearch all federal, state, and local government websites with one search, including those without the .gov suffix.
Books & More
- Primo Advanced SearchFind materials in the CSU Libraries catalog by using the "Books and More" option. To search the catalog and some additional library resources, choose the "Almost Everything" option.
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