An Integrated Spectrophotometric Survey of Nearby Star-Forming Galaxies

We present integrated optical spectrophotometry for a sample of 417 nearby galaxies. Our observations consist of spatially integrated, S/N = 10− 100 spectroscopy between 3600 and 6900 Å at ∼ 8 Å FWHM resolution. In addition, we present nuclear (2. 5 × 2. 5) spectroscopy for 153 of these objects. Our sample targets a diverse range of galaxy types, including starbursts, peculiar galaxies, interacting/merging systems, dusty, infrared-luminous galaxies, and a significant number of normal galaxies. We use population synthesis to model and subtract the stellar continuum underlying the nebular emission lines. This technique results in emission-line measurements reliably corrected for stellar absorption. Here, we present the integrated and nuclear spectra, the nebular emission-line fluxes and equivalent widths, and a comprehensive compilation of ancillary data available in the literature for our sample. In a series of subsequent papers we use these data to study optical star-formation rate indicators, nebular abundance diagnostics, the luminosity-metallicity relation, the dust properties of normal and starburst galaxies, and the star-formation histories of infrared-luminous galaxies. Subject headings: atlases — galaxies: fundamental parameters — galaxies: ISM — galaxies: starburst — galaxies: stellar content — techniques: spectroscopic