Activity 13: Statistical Abstract of the United States

Search and browse the online Statistical Abstract of the United States. Reflect on what you find — content, ease of use, availability of help, etc.
Does your library still have print copies of the older editions of the Statistical Abstract? Have you used the print version before (for your own information or while helping a customer)? How do you think using the online version compares to using the print editions?

 

1) Yes, we do have older print copies of the Statistical Abstract.

2) Yes, I have used the print version way back when.

3) The online seems nicer for searching and is more interactive than just the pdf copies which are essentially the static books, but put on to a computer platform. You can get more up to date information, although need to watch for the relative standard of error: Mean RSE : the Relative Standard Error of the mean wage estimates, a measure of the reliability or precision of the mean wage estimates. The relative standard error is defined as the ratio of the standard error to the survey estimate. For example, a relative standard error of 10 percent implies that the standard error is one-tenth as large as the survey estimate. You can also see more years of data when you use spreadsheets as it isn't as limited as a printed page and you can see how to cite the information and have links to other data and press releases about the data. The ProQuest LibGuide is pretty helpful.