Imaging and Spectroscopic Observations of the Case Survey Blue/Emission- Line Galaxies

We present CCD imaging and spectroscopic data for 176 blue and/or emission-line galaxies from Lists I and II of the Case Northern Sky Survey. Our sample consists of all Case galaxies which lie in the region which overlaps the original Slice of the Universe survey. We use the observational data to investigate the physical properties of the galaxies selected by the survey, to compare with various parameters published in the survey lists, and to investigate the selection characteristics and completeness limit of the survey. The majority of the Case galaxies are energized by regions of active star formation; only 5% of the sample are Seyfert galaxies. The dual selection techniques used (both UV-excess and emission lines) allow the survey to detect star-forming galaxies with a wide range of properties and evolutionary states. In particular, the Case survey selects galaxies with lower levels of activity than most previous surveys. The survey also includes a larger fraction of intermediate and low-luminosity galaxies than would be present in a purely magnitude- limited sample. Although galaxies as faint as m_B_ = 19 are present in the sample, the completeness limit of the UV-excess selected portion of the survey is closer to m_B_ = 16. The luminosity function of the Case galaxies is derived and compared with that of the "normal" field galaxies in the same volume of space. The shape of the Case luminosity function is similar to that for the field sample. A surprising result is that 31% of the field galaxy population can be accounted for by galaxies of the type selected in the Case survey.