Internet Resources for Politics, Political Science, and Political Scientists

Abstract

Summary A typology of information needs for political science allows academic librarians to match local and Internet resources with materials relevant to public users, non-major undergraduates, political science majors, graduate students, and professional political scientists. Recognizing public and non-specialist users, we may distinguish needs for information about politics from that which is specifically political science information. Second, the needs of majors, graduate students, and political science professionals often fall within the bounds created by the discipline's generally recognized subfields. Finally, as academics, graduate students and professionals have functional needs for information that helps them teach, publish, and participate in professional affairs. Because the number of potentially relevant topics is singularly broad and the literature of the discipline spans two and a half millennia, this article emphasizes gateway or directory Web sites appropriate to each type of information need.