FEDSTATS is a comprehensive site designed to find statistics from more than 70 federal government agencies.
The University of California at San Diego has a useful guide to statistical sources on the WWW.
The Michigan Documents Center has a comprehensive site for all sorts of statistical sources on the WWW.
The Economic Statistics Briefing Room. ESBR is an excellent source for current economic information, especially economic indicators. Well worth a visit.
1. As part of a bibliographic instruction session, you have been asked to introduce LexisNexis Statistical [UT database] to a librarian audience. Provide an overview and a sample exercise to show how the database works.
2. A patron needs information on changes in freight car loadings
over time in the United States. You think that car loadings are the
number of rail road freight cars loaded for shipment. What statistics
can you find for the last 20 years? You might begin with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Discuss your search strategy as well. How many car loadings were there in the most recent year available? Other sources?
3. A patron wonders how safe Southwest Airlines is compared to other national carriers. Can you find statistical information on airline safety? You might begin with the FAA Aviation Safety Data.
4. The patron has come back and wants to know about transportation
fatalities by mode. For example, how safe is railroad travel versus bus
travel? What can you discover?
5. A user wishes to know how many of the top 100 banks are located in the Southeast. You might begin with the Federal Reserve National Information Center, but consider other sources.
6. A user needs to locate the most recent issue of the Southeastern Manufacturing Survey. Where can you find this title? Characterize it and evaluate its utility.
*7. A student has asked for historical information on crime in the United States, especially murders. Are the number of murders increasing or decreasing over time? You reach for Historical Statistics of the United States [HA 202 .A385 or online]. What about the NCJRS Abstracts Database? Are these good sources? Other useful sources?
8. A user wants to know more about car theft in the United States, especially in the last few years. Most useful sources?
9. A student journalist is interested in statistics on crime on college and university campuses? What can you discover?
10. A user needs to know the murder rates of Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville for the most recent years available. Which sources are most useful? Why?
11. When speaking to a group of library science students, you have been asked about the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book and the County and City Data Book.
The students are under the impression that these two works are merely
convenience packages that contain pretty much the same information as
found in the Statistical Abstract of the United States. Specifically, what can be found in these two sources that is not duplicated in the Statistical Abstract?
12. A patron is looking for cost of living information. In particular, she needs to compare the cost of living in Knoxville, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the last year or so. Where can this information be found? Which city has been the least expensive?
13. A patron is interested in the economic importance of burley tobacco in Tennessee and how that has changed over time. What sources were most useful for this search? What did you find?
14. A student needs to find specifics on current unemployment rates, broken down by age and occupation, for your state. Which department and agency produces such data? Where can you find it?
15. What are the top five agricultural commodities in your state? Which counties have the most agricultural sales? Which sources were most useful? Why?
16. How many pigs are there in the United States? What is the difference between a pig and a hog?
17. A patron is interested in the number and percentage of male African-Americans and Hispanics who have graduated from high school and how that has changed over time. What sources were most useful for this search? What did you find?
18. A user needs statistics over time on the number and percentage of male elementary school teachers.
19. A patron needs "vital statistics" for a school report. He thought that vital statistics were those that were more important. What would you find in a collection of vital statistics of the United States? Which source would be your best starting point for this information?
20. How long does the typical U.S. male live? How long does the typical U.S. female live?
21. A user needs help in using the Federal Reserve Economic Data website. Evaluate ease of use and utility of this site.
22. A harried library science student needs to find the "Beige Book." What is it? Where can she find it?
23. A patron needs information on the public debt of the United States. In particular, he needs to know the most recent amount of the public debt. What source is most useful for this query? What is the answer?
24. How many women in the U.S. suffer from breast cancer? How has this changed over time.
25. An undergraduate student needs help in finding and using "Economic Indicators." You might begin with the CEA Economic Indicators website. Specifically, what are economic indicators? Other useful sources?
26. A local business person needs information on the NACIS classification system. In particular, she wants to know the SIC and NACIS codes for retail bookstores. Are there WWW sources to answer this query?
27. You have been asked to help a user answer the question: "how many households in the U.S. have air conditioning" and "how does this vary from region to region." Most useful sources?
28. A user needs to know how many Americans suffer from hay fever each year.
29. You need to find a table that shows the Consumer Price Index for Southern Urban Cities, especially Knoxville. You might begin with the Bureau of Labor Statistics WWW site.
30. A social studies teacher is looking for statistics on earning comparisons between male and female employees. You might begin with the Department of Labor Women's Bureau.
31. A student needs to know how to define "poor" and then how many poor people are in the U.S. You might begin with the Institute for Research on Poverty. Other useful sources?
