Above the doors to the Main Library are inscribed the words, "The Hope of Democracy Depends Upon
the Diffusion of Information and Knowledge." This accurately sums up the attitude of the founding
fathers of our federal states. The basic tenets of our form of government require free and easy
access to information concerning the workings of our government. It is very important to understand
that this belief is not a universal one. Despite the democratic forms of goverment of and in the
European Union, the information cultures from which these governments are formed do not universally
subscribe to the same beliefs about freedom of access. This is reflected in the access and use
policies that surround European Union publications.
Basic Tools for EU Research
Catalogs
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Online Catalog - The
Online Catalog of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides access to the physical
collection of over 11 million items in our collection. This includes the print versions of the
materials we have received as a depository library for the European Union. In addition, this
catalog links to over 75 libraries in the state of Illinois. You can use it to request books that
are not available on our campus, order copies of items that are checked out on our campus, to renew
items and check your account. There are over 700 subject headings that relate specifically to the
European Union with subheadings from Abbreviations to Yugoslavia.
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WorldCat -
This is an international database of materials that can be used to request items, both books and
photocopies of articles that are available. Interlibrary loans and photocopies of articles are
requested through the Illiad service. You need to call the Telephone Center (333-8400) to request
renewals of any books delivered to you from this database. You will also often receive electronic
copies of the articles you request.
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Online Research
Resources - This sites provides access to over 9,000 electronic journals, abstracting and
indexing services, newspaper resources, and reference sources subscribed to by the University
Library. The searching is fairly straightforward here with searches by subject, title, and keyword.
There is not a separate targeted subject listing for European Union studies, but you might find
useful resources under business, economics, geography, global studies, government, law, and
political science.
Abstracting and Indexing Services and Electronic Databases
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ABI/Inform -
Indexes journals and other writings in business, finance and economics. Several distinct databases
are available, but the key to success here is cross-searching several at the same time.
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Busness Source Elite - Identifies business, management, and
finance articles from scholarly journals, books, and newspapers. Additional subjects covered
include some EIU Country Reports, economics, accounting, and international business.
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EconLit -
Identifies articles, books, dissertations, and working papers in economics. The database covers the
literature in accounting, capital markets, econometrics, economic forecasting, government
regulations, labor economics, monetary theory, urban economics and more.
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Economists Online/Nereus - A very new database of economic
literature by the faculty of the London School of Economics, Tilburg University, Erasmus University
Rotterdam, Maastricht University, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, and Kiel Institute for World
Economics.
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EIU Country Intelligence - Provides quarterly analysis and
forecasts of the political, economic and business environment for nearly 200 countries. Quarterly
and annual statistics of at least 150 data points. Country Intelligence contains country reports
and profiles, risk ratings, licensing and trading information for the new economies, plus G-8 and
regional forecasts. An online newsletter, Business Middle East, is also included.
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Historical Abstracts - A useful database for the identification of
articles and books written since 1450 that emphasizes non-US resources. Use the subject search to
identify general terms and the keyword search to target your search.
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Hein Online -
Identifies law reviews and journal articles prior to the dates traditionally covered by Lexis and
Westlaw. Provides full text search capabilities. Also includes full text of treatises and
agreements, as well as U.S. Supreme Court reports since 1754 and Federal Register documents since
1936 and a specific search of international law titles. Provides full text search
capabilities.
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International Political Science Abstracts -
This indexing and abstracting service has been produced by the International Political Science
Association since 1951 in paper. The search engine is a little less intuitive than many others.
Tip: Use "EU" for descriptor searching, not "European Union" for greatest sucess.
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PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service) -
An easy to search, fairly comprehensive tool for accessing articles in the fields of policy
studies, international relations, government documents, dissertations, and other items that may be
of interest in the study of the European Union. Although not as robust in access to the full-text
of articles, it covers a wide range of material.
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Sociological Abstracts - Abstracts and indexes international
literature in the social and behavioral sciences including culture and social structure,
demography, and many other areas. Some full-text links and a good thesaurus are offered through
this database.
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SourceOECD -
Identifies statistics, papers and reports published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development.
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Web of
Knowledge - The Social Science Citation Index piece of this website provides the ability to
search for topical articles, authors, and can provide, in its cited reference search, an ability to
determine the most frequently cited authors in the field. It is, perhaps because of the inate power
of the searching, somewhat difficult to use.
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Worldwide Political Science Abstracts - This
database is a combination of ABC Pol-Sci and Political Science Abstracts brought to us via
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Subjects include political science, international relations, law,
public administration policy, and political economy among others. There is some linking to
full-text, as well as a useful thesaurus.
Newspaper Resources
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Library PressDisplay - National and international newspapers are
indexed here and you can see either the specific article you are interested in, or a digital
facsimile of the actual page. Includes 700 newspapers from 76 countries, many in the vernacular as
well as English.
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Access
World News - Select a source, a region, a country, or the whole world for news items of
interest.
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Historical New York Times - Digital reproductions of every issue from
cover to cover. Includes not just the news stories and editorials, but also the photos, graphics,
and advertisements, from 1851 to 1998.
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ISI
Emerging Markets - Identifies data, news and analysis from emerging market countries from both
government and private sources. Daily full text news articles, financial statements, industry
analyses, equity quotes, macroeconomic statistics, and market-specific information. Information in
both English and the local language.
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Lexis-Nexis Academic Index - Identifies articles from
journals, newspapers and reference books. A comprehensive source for news, business, and legal
information. Includes foreign news sources, major U.S. newspapers, regional U.S. news services,
radio and television transcripts, federal and state case law, medical, legislative and industry
news, annual reports from Securities and Exchange Commission and many other sources. Newspapers are
updated several times daily, and wire services hourly. Go to legal research for access to
CELEX (European Union Law).
Full-text Resources
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CIAO (Columbia International Affairs
Online) - A full-text database of working papers, policy briefs, journal articles, and
full-text book in the area of international affairs. This database is not know for flexible subject
searching, but can be extremely helpful in finding the grey literature in the area.
Resources for the European Union
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Europa - Web-site of the European
Union
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Lexis-Nexis Legal Resources - CELEX resources.
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EUR-lex - Access to European
law resources including the Official Journal and laws sorted by subject area.
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Eurostats - The mother
lode of statistical resources directly from the European Union. Tables, data, and publications are
available. Also look at Euroindicators while you are there. The Statistics of the Week include a
variety of reports and presentations. We have prepared
tutorials on the
type of materials available and how to search the site.
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UIUC
European Union links - Connects you to a wide variety of full-text and statistical resources
from and about the European Union and the world.
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Environment Daily - News service covering European environmental
policy, regulation and other topics including agriculture, air, biodiversity, biotechnology,
chemicals, climate, economic instruments, EU enlargement, marine resources, nuclear resources,
space/land, sustainability, and more.
UIUC Libraries with EU Resources
Miscellanea
University Library