For this research, you'll need to do some hunting and clicking around to find the most helpful sources, especially since different city, town, and county governments record and provide access to their documents in very different ways. Here are some general search strategies that will be helpful:
- Use some Boolean operators to improve your search results in Google and other search tools:
- Put phrases in quotation marks: "voter registration"
- Use AND to combine terms that you want to show up in every search result: Indiana AND legislation
- Use OR to give the search tool options: (sheriff OR police)
- Here's an example of a useful search string: ("county ordinance" OR "municipal code") AND news AND "food waste"
- Try including a couple of these terms in your search to find more relevant results:
- "County ordinance"
- "Municipal code"
- "New policy"
- "New regulation"
- News
- Cost
- Don't rely on just one source to understand an existing policy:
- Look for the original code, policy memo, or document on a government website
- Search on government websites for relevant meeting minutes, votes, and news releases
- Search for news coverage (local or state) of the issue
- Make sure you're looking at the most current codes, policies, and guidance
Policy databases
- American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: State and Local Policy DatabaseThis database from ACEEE highlights state and local policies that aim to encourage energy efficiency for the benefit of both the environment and economy. Click on a city to read more about relevant policies and plans.
- American Public Health Association: Topics & IssuesSearch or browse relevant topics and issues to find reports, fact sheets, policy briefs, and more from the APHA.
- Center for Business and Economic Research: Projects and publicationsSearch in or browse reports published by the CBER at Ball State University that largely focus on public policy and the economic outlook of Indiana.
- Healthy Food Policy Project: Policy DatabaseThis collaborative project funded by multiple federal agencies and departments compiles local laws relevant to health promotion and equity in context of the environment and economy. Use the filters on the left to narrow your results or browse through the brief summaries to find ideas for new policy proposals.
- IU Public Policy Institute: Research DatabaseBrowse through research reports prepared by the experts at the Public Policy Institute to find relevant policy proposals and analysis.
- The United States Conference of MayorsStart by clicking on Issues or Programs in the main navigation to locate a broad range of reports, data sets, and initiatives relevant to municipal governments and policy.
Local government sites
Searching for other city, town, or county government websites? Use Google to find the main website for the government entity, then browse and search each site. Look for pages and links to documents like meeting minutes, codes, and news releases.
News coverage & scholarship
- Google NewsUse Google News to find a wide range of sources on your topic.
Some search tips: Add words like ordinance, code, municipal, or county to your search string. Here's an example: Indiana AND ordinance AND recycling. You can also click on the dropdown arrow in the search bar to use Advanced Search features.
- HeinOnline Academic This link opens in a new windowThis database is a great place to locate law journal articles that discuss a broad range of public policies.
Here's a helpful strategy: start your search with ("county ordinance" OR "municipal code") AND your topic. This will return search results that discuss local and county policies about your topic. So a search might look like this: ("county ordinance" OR "municipal code") AND recycling. - EBSCO Discovery Service This link opens in a new windowAlso known as the giant search box on the Library website, this is the broadest search that you can do using Library search tools. Try using a similar search string that you would for HeinOnline, and you will get search results from academic journals, news and magazines, ebooks, and more. Use the filters on the left to narrow your results.
State & local context
- STATS IndianaFind relevant, reliable statistics for Indiana counties and regions to support your policy proposal. Key statistics include population demographics, education, housing, employment, and poverty levels.
- Indiana Code: 2021Browse or search all Public Laws through the 122nd Indiana General Assembly.
- Indiana Agency Reports to the General AssemblyLocate reports written by state agencies that are relevant to your policy proposal. These reports can provide helpful context on what is happening in Indiana and government agency priorities.
- The Terminal | AIM IndianaView legislative updates and municipal news provided by AIM (Accelerate Indiana Municipalities).
State laws & municipal codes
- HeinOnline: National Survey of State LawsThis survey of state laws is searchable and browsable by topic. These state laws can be great for generating ideas and understanding the broader state-level context for your policy proposals.
- MunicodeThis website hosts the municipal codes for more than 4,000 municipalities in the United States. This can be a good starting point, but you will likely also want to go to the municipality website for more documents and information.
