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Contact Paula Dempsey to set up a zoom with one or more members of your group - the earlier the better! dempseyp@uic.edu
Paula can work with you to:
1. What issue(s) does the organization work on?
Tip: Brainstorm multiple ways to express the issue (e.g., not just Homelessness but also Housing or Gentrification).
2. How have sociologists studied the organization or the issue(s) they are working on?
Tip: Researchers often keep the name of the organization confidential. If you don’t find the organization by name, use keywords for the issue instead.
Political, social, and public policy issues, especially any topics that are or might become the subject of legislation.
3. Who funds the organization and what is their budget spent on?
Tip: Set up a free account on GuideStar www.guidestar.org to download IRS 990 forms; scroll down to see funders and annual budget.
4. What does local press have to say about the organization or the issue(s) they work on?
Tip: Newspapers have different political slants – don’t rely on just one: https://researchguides.uic.edu/newspapers/titles
Explore local history with the new full-color digital archive of the Chicago Sun Times. You can search this archive in the library or remotely through the library website. This new digital archive covers January 1, 2019 and will grow going forward (there is a 90 day embargo from publication date).
5. What are the demographics of the communities the organization serves?
Tip: The library has several platforms to allow you to map communities and sub-communities (e.g., teens, older people, single parents).
A web-based mapping, analytics, and data visualization application with 100,000+ data variables, including demographic data from the US Census dating back to 1980, the American Community Survey (ACS), consumer spending data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX), and D&B's Points-of-Interest business directory providing access to over 5 million US business profiles. Additionally, users have access to the MRI-SimmonsLOCAL consumer behavior dataset, which includes data on over 8,000 brands, 450 categories and detailed lifestyle data, the PRIZM Premier marketing segmentation system, and the Community Lifestages dataset. The CDC PLACES health data delivered by SimplyAnalytics provides 27 diverse health measures, including Health Outcomes, Prevention, Health Risk Behaviors, and Health Status. Data is largely available down to the block group level, and custom locations can be created.
To save your searches, you need to sign up for an account using your UIC email address.
Access restricted to 5 concurrent users.
Social Explorer provides access to current and historical census data and demographic information. Create maps and reports to better illustrate, analyze and understand demography and social change.
Note: Social Explorer has developed a new libguide. To see the new libguide, you can go this link here