LibGuides: Factual and Investigative Research Guide: Statistics & Archives

Internet Archive

Doing research? Afraid the website you're using will remove content? Maybe you notice that the website already removed content.

Use the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine to explore more than 439 billion web pages saved over time. You can also capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Government websites, content, and information can also be found:

Tips for Using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine in Your Next Investigation

Investigating the Recent Historical Past: Using the Internet Archive Wayback Machine for Litigation Research

End of Term Web Archive: US Federal Web Domain at Presidential Transitions
The End of Term Web Archive contains federal government websites (.gov, .mil, etc) in the Legislative, Executive, or Judicial branches of the government. Websites that were at risk of changing (i.e., whitehouse.gov) or disappearing altogether during government transitions were captured. Local government websites, or any other site not part of the federal government domain were out of scope.
National Archives' Congressional & Federal Government Web Harvests
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) conducted a web harvest (i.e. capture) of Federal Agency public websites in 2004. Starting in 2006, NARA began conducting web harvests of Congressional websites at the end of each Congress.
CyberCemetery
The CyberCemetery is an archive of government websites that have ceased operation (usually websites of defunct government agencies and commissions that have issued a final report). Last updated in 2009.

Statistical Data

Statistical or empirical data can assist researchers in verifying, supporting, or discrediting facts in litigation. There are a few resources that can help you to locate this information.

Google Datasets
Dataset Search lets you find datasets wherever they’re hosted, whether it’s a publisher's site, a digital library, or an author's personal web page.
Census Bureau
The leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy.
Federal Court Cases: Integrated Database Series
The purpose of this data collection is to provide an official public record of the business of the federal courts. The data originate from 100 court offices throughout the United States. Information was obtained at two points in the life of a case: filing and termination. The termination data contain information on both filing and terminations, while the pending data contain only filing information. For the appellate and civil data, the unit of analysis is a single case. The unit of analysis for the criminal data is a single defendant.
Statistics & Reports of the US Courts
The materials provide information related to the work of the U.S. courts. Data appear in detailed statistical tables and charts, and many reports offer analyses of key data.
Court Statistics Project
Explore national state court caseload trends, composition, and key caseload measures.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Criminal Justice statistics
Historical Weather Data
Climate Data Online (CDO) provides free access to NCDC's archive of global historical weather and climate data in addition to station history information. These data include quality controlled daily, monthly, seasonal, and yearly measurements of temperature, precipitation, wind, and degree days as well as radar data and 30-year Climate Normals. Customers can also order most of these data as certified hard copies for legal use.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address
The FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC) is the official public source for flood hazard information produced in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Use the MSC to find your official flood map, access a range of other flood hazard products, and take advantage of tools for better understanding flood risk.
NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS)
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) is a new and essential component of our Climate, Water, and Weather Services. AHPS is a web-based suite of accurate and information-rich forecast products. They display the magnitude and uncertainty of occurrence of floods or droughts, from hours to days and months, in advance. These graphical products are useful information and planning tools for many economic and emergency managers. These new products will enable government agencies, private institutions, and individuals to make more informed decisions about risk based policies and actions to mitigate the dangers posed by floods and droughts.
Data by Subject guide via Rutgers Libraries
The Data by Subject guide lists data resources appropriate to specific academic disciplines. It will continue to expand over time as new subjects are added. Currently, pages are available for: Criminal Justice, Economics, Political Science, and Social work.
Data.gov
Official site for U.S. government open data, as well as tools for analysis, visualizations, and application development.
IPUMS
IPUMS provides census and survey data from around the world integrated across time and space. IPUMS integration and documentation makes it easy to study change, conduct comparative research, merge information across data types, and analyze individuals within family and community context.

Archival Research

Sometimes, old newspapers can assist in the fact-finding process. Newspapers are good for accounts of what happened on a particular day or for confirming vital statistics.

You might be able to find older newspapers on microfilm (or microfiche) at local libraries. Folks at local libraries may also be able to help you find where you might be able to find older newspapers in micro-formats.

Before sourcing micro-format resources, see if there is an online archive:

Google News Archive
Browse by Newspaper. Content coverage differs by publisher. Approximate dates covered: 1900-2003.
Newspapers guide via Rutgers University Libraries
This guide will lead to many newspaper sites with online searchable archives, as well as to physical collections of newspapers. Also links to other guides' related resources.