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CRIS Collections: Government Information
CRIS collects, manages, and provides access to government produced information, cartographic resources, and urban planning and public policy materials. Collections emphasize research and study of the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the state of California. The CRIS collections contain a wide variety of formats, including books, serials, pamphlets, sheet maps, microfiche, CD-ROMs, and online services.
The collections physically housed in CRIS (in both open and closed stacks) consist of maps, reference materials, and the most current monographs and serial issues. Lower use materials are housed in the stacks of the Young Research Library or in the Southern Regional Library Facility. For assistance in locating materials in any of the CRIS collections, inquire at the Reference Desk.
Official Publications of the United States Government
CRIS is a selective depository for U.S. federal government documents in paper, microfiche, and electronic formats. Depository collections date from 1932, but holdings of major historical Congressional and other sets are generally complete from their original starting dates. CRIS has detailed U.S. Decennial Census statistical reports from 1790 to the present, but does not collect the Census schedules (individual census records) on microfilm for 1790 to 1920. These are available at the National Archives, Pacific Southwest Regional Branch in Laguna Niguel, Calif. CRIS is also a primary information repository for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency public and technical documents related to the San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley Superfund project sites.
California State Publications
CRIS is a complete depository for California State documents and, along with UC Berkeley and the State Library, is one of three historical depositories in the state. CRIS's depository status began in 1945, but UCLA did acquire some California documents before that date. Because of its historic depository status, CRIS acquires and retains most of the documents which are available from California state agencies. All holdings of California documents are listed in the UCLA Library Catalog.
Official Publications of Other State Governments in the U.S.
Collecting is selective for other states and for interstate organizations and territories.
Official Publications of Local Governments in the U.S.
CRIS is a depository for California local government publications with holdings beginning in 1939. Collecting is selective for city and county documents from other states.
Official Publications of International Intergovernmental Organizations
CRIS collects materials comprehensively from more than 35 major international organizations. It has been a depository since 1946 for the United Nations, UNESCO (up to 1993), and the Food and Agriculture Organization. CRIS was designated a depository by the European Communities (now European Union) in the early 1960's. It also collects publications issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Council of Europe, and the Organization of American States.
Official Publications of Foreign Countries
CRIS collects national level materials and selectively at the state or provincial level, with emphasis on major world powers and on countries relating to UCLA area studies programs on Africa, Europe and Russia, Latin America, the Near and Middle East, and the Pacific Rim. It has been a selective depository for Canadian documents since 1961, and receives materials from Egypt, India, and Pakistan through a program administered by the Library of Congress.
Non-Governmental Organizations: Pamphlets and Newsletters
The NGO Pamphlet collection consists of current social science publications (in English, and usually 100 pages or less) from private, non-governmental organizations whose work represents a variety of political viewpoints and complements CRIS's government agencies collections. Broad subject areas covered include: public policy; government and politics; foreign relations and defense; social welfare; education; health; crime and criminals; economic policy; employment and labor relations; environment and natural resources; population; immigration; human rights, civil rights, minorities and ethnic groups; women; technology; communications; transportation; and housing. Pamphlets are arranged alphabetically by subject (Library of Congress Subject Headings) and may be located through a search in the UCLA Library Catalog. In addition, MGI also collects several hundred NGO newsletters and other periodical publications from the same organizations and in the same broad subject categories. Many of these are shelved in the main Periodicals stacks of the Young Research Library, while the remainder are housed in CRIS. All can be found through the UCLA Library Catalog. Lastly, in support of the UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations, CRIS also maintains several major labor relations reference services.
Non-Governmental Organizations: Campaign Literature
CRIS's Campaign Literature collection consists of brochures, pamphlets, and other materials issued by various candidates for Los Angeles area and California statewide offices, as well as U.S. Congressional and Presidential candidates. State and local area ballot measure materials are also collected. Holdings date back to 1908, but coverage is more complete beginning in the 1940's. There are records in the UCLA Library Catalog for candidates and ballot measures beginning with the elections of 1986. The online record indicates only that CRIS has a folder of material on the candidate or measure, but it does not record each piece of literature separately. As yet, there are no online records for pre-1986 elections, therefore users will need to visit or phone CRIS to check on availability of these holdings.
Urban Planning
CRIS collects materials in the field of urban planning that are intended to satisfy the reference needs of the discipline. The unit concentrates on acquiring resources that focus on the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. Many of the collection categories enumerated above contain materials useful to planners. In addition CRIS collects dictionaries, bibliographies, indexes to select journals, and municipal codes from selected California cities.