“ Human Beings with the Tears Wiped Off” Locating Statistics in Health, Education, and Criminal Justice Valery King Government Information/Social Sciences Oregon State University Libraries November 2008

Session Outcomes Become familiar with standard Federal data resources Learn of some places and methods to find useful statistical data in: Education Health Crime and Criminal Justice Get in a little practice and some feedback

Become familiar with standard Federal data resources

Learn of some places and methods to find useful statistical data in:

Education

Health

Crime and Criminal Justice

Get in a little practice and some feedback

Basic Resources Statistical Abstract of the United States http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ THE place to start Pathway to more information

Statistical Abstract of the United States http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

THE place to start

Pathway to more information

Basic Resources County and City Data Book http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html data for all U.S. states, counties, and cities with a population of 25,000 or more additional data for places with a population of 100,000 or more Supplements SA

County and City Data Book http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html

data for all U.S. states, counties, and cities with a population of 25,000 or more

additional data for places with a population of 100,000 or more

Supplements SA

Approach 1: searching by Subject/Keyword Some sites for finding government information include: USA.gov ( http://www.usa.gov/ ) Drill down by audience and topic Or search by keywords FedStats ( http://www.fedstats.gov ) topic links A-Z or search across agency websites

Some sites for finding government information include:

USA.gov ( http://www.usa.gov/ )

Drill down by audience and topic

Or search by keywords

FedStats ( http://www.fedstats.gov )

topic links A-Z

or search across agency websites

Approach 2: search by Agency collecting the information Who is interested in collecting information on the subject? FedStats ( http://www.fedstats.gov/ ) Agencies by Subject, or Agencies listed alphabetically Has links to Kids’ Pages Data Access Tools for more experienced statistics users

Who is interested in collecting information on the subject?

FedStats ( http://www.fedstats.gov/ )

Agencies by Subject, or Agencies listed alphabetically

Has links to Kids’ Pages

Data Access Tools for more experienced statistics users

Health Digest Website Health, United States National trends Annual Print or online ( http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm ) National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

Digest

Website

Health, United States

National trends

Annual

Print or online ( http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm )

National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

Education Digest Website Digest of Education Statistics Annual compilation Government and private sources Print, or online at http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/digest/ National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/ Covers all levels (K-Grad), libraries, international

Digest

Website

Digest of Education Statistics

Annual compilation

Government and private sources

Print, or online at http://nces.ed.gov/Programs/digest/

National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/

Covers all levels (K-Grad), libraries, international

Crime and Criminal Justice Digest Website(s) Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/ Bureau of Justice Statistics http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ Federal Bureau of Investigation – researchers page at http://www.fbi.gov/research.htm

Digest

Website(s)

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/

Bureau of Justice Statistics http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

Federal Bureau of Investigation – researchers page at http://www.fbi.gov/research.htm

Statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off. ~Paul Brodeur, Outrageous Misconduct There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up. ~Rex Stout, Death of a Doxy Statistics means never having to say you're certain. ~ unknown Statistics is the grammar of science. ~ Karl Pearson It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off. ~Paul Brodeur, Outrageous Misconduct

There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up. ~Rex Stout, Death of a Doxy

Statistics means never having to say you're certain. ~ unknown

Statistics is the grammar of science. ~ Karl Pearson

It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Valery King [email_address] Oregon State University Libraries 121 The Valley Library Corvallis, OR 97331

Valery King

[email_address]

Oregon State University Libraries

121 The Valley Library

Corvallis, OR 97331