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Print Resource Subscription Database

New Database Trial

We’ve been lucky enough to get a 30 day trial to the IMF e-library which “contains publications from recent years as well as statistical resources: Balance of Payments, Direction of Trade, Government Finance Statistics, and International Financial Statistics.”  The trial expires July 22nd.  Please check it out and fill out the feedback form to let us know what you think.

Meanwhile, the IMF’s International Statistics are available via cd-rom at call no.: HG1 .I55 CD-ROM.  Note, this cd is mounted on the Data Services website and is limited to current UBC students, faculty & staff members.

You can also check out the print copies of the International Financial Statistics Yearbook at call no.: HG1 .I552

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Online Resource (Free)

International Demography stats from US Census Bureau

It’s always exciting to discover a reliable source of international statistics!  The US Census bureau has a great database of demographic indicators for “countries and areas of the world with a population of 5,000 or more.”  Indicators are:

  • Birth, death, and growth rates, migration rates, infant mortality, and life expectancy
  • Fertility rates
  • Total population and population by age and sex

And, always vital when dealing with sources of international statistics – the Census Bureau evaluate national census/survey results and accurately date them to ensure consistent  data across countries.   Data is currently available in table format; after July 1, 2009 you can also generate “population pyramids!”

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News Online Resource (Free)

UN names Canada as major producer of “Party Drugs”

The United Nations has just released the 2009 World Drug Report and has named Canada, particularly the West Coast as  a major producer and exporter of ecstasy and methamphetamine. See the full report here.

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Online Resource (Free)

Canada Gazette – Digitization project

This isn’t exactly news, since this project began in 2007, but it was news to me!  According to a statement on the Gazette website “the Canada Gazette Directorate is working in partnership with LAC to digitize all issues dating from 1841 to 1997, so as to make them accessible to the public.”

The project is slated to be completed at the end of 2009, so not all the issues from this time range are available yet.  When the website was launched in May 2008,  only 30% of the collection had been digitized.  Presumably at this late date, the project is much further along….  In any event, the collection digitized thus far is available for keyword searching at: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/canada-gazette/index-e.html

Issues from 1997 to present are available on the Canada Gazette website at: http://www.gazette.gc.ca/index-eng.html

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Online Resource (Free)

Crushing Statistics – StatsCan

Hmmm… let’s file this under “learn something new.” I must admit when I read this headline in StatsCan’s  The Daily, I was expecting to read an abstract about workplace safety or to find some sort of accident statistics table at the very least.  Not so.  Crushing in this circumstance refers to the amount of oilseeds crushed by canola producers in Canada – 320,201 metric tonnes in May 2009.

This oilseed data appears in the free monthly publication, Cereals and Oilseeds Review (22-007-X) along with “grain marketing data and commentary on the major Canadian grains and their products, exports and imports, cash and futures prices and domestic use data.  A monthly situation report provides industry highlights. Each issue is an up-to-date source of information for grain analysts, traders, agri-business and the farm community”   Note, the Review is usually available 2 months after its issue date. 

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Online Resource (Free)

US Budget 2010

GPO Access has just posted the official PDF version of the 2010 Budget of the United States Government on its site.  The Budget “is a collection of documents that contains the budget message of the President, information about the President’s budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications that have been issued throughout the fiscal year.”  The budget document is browsable by chapter and also includes some statistical tables in excel  spreadsheet format.

FYI, budgets from 1996 onwards are also available on site.

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Online Resource (Free)

GPO Access Content Migration

GPO Access is in the process of moving information into a new database: Federal Digital System (FDsys).  Some collections are no longer available in GPO Access, one is available  in both and the rest are set to be moved into FDsys by the end of 2009.

According to the GPO FDsys “is an advanced digital system that will enable GPO to manage Government information from all three branches of the U.S. Government.”

For a complete list of collections that have made the move to FDsys (and are no longer findable in GPO Access) see: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action

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Online Resource (Free)

New Treaty Database from the UN

The UN recently put up a database of Diplomatic Conferences which will provide the searcher with access to documents/background information on the negotiation of 12  international treaties.  The oldest conference contained in the database is the Law of the Sea, 1958 and the most recent is Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court, 1998.  Other conference topics include treaties between IGOs, consular relations and succession of states.  Note, this database is only available from the United Nations Diplomatic Conferences website – mysteriously, no links to it are available from the UN Treaties site…. 😉

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Online Resource (Free)

2008 Employment Equity Act Annual Report released

 The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Labour, today tabled the 21st Annual Report on the Employment Equity Act in the House of Commons. 

“The report examines the hiring, retention and promotion of the four groups designated under the legislation: women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. The findings in the report, which analyzes 2007 data, indicate that improvements have been made in the representation of Aboriginal peoples and members of visible minorities, and that efforts must continue in order to increase the representation levels of women and persons with disabilities in the workforce. ”

You can read the full report at labour.gc.ca

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Online Resource (Free)

US Govt Accountability Office (GAO)

Thanks to our fellow govpubs  bloggers at the University of Colorado, I’ve discovered a great website for anyone looking into current events south of the border.  The GAO “is known as ‘the investigative arm of Congress’ and ‘the congressional watchdog.’  GAO supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people.”

  • The site provides links to full-text versions of various relevant government manuals, such as the auditing standards, internal controls standards and Federal appropriations law manuals.
  • Also has a vast array of GAO reports and testimonies on topics such as Federal bankruptcy judges, influenza pandemic, veterans affairs, taxation, public housing, telecommunications, health care, climate change and terrorism.
  • Only the most recent reports are available through the “reports & testimonies” page.
  • Use the “topics collections” tab to browse older reports by subject.  Site also provides GAO legal decisions and testimonies from its Comptroller General.

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