Government Publications
Ask a Librarian
This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code)
Finding Federal Government Documents
Use the navigation menu to jump to resources for a specific branch of government or topic.
- GovInfo.govA portal to free public access to official government publications from all three branches of the Federal Government provided by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO)
- USA.gov This link opens in a new windowUSA.gov is the official U.S. gateway & search engine for all government information on the internet.
- Military & Government Collection (EBSCO) This link opens in a new windowThe Military & Government Collection provides current news pertaining to all branches of the military.
- Catalog of U.S. Government Publications This link opens in a new windowThis online catalog consists of bibliographic records published in the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications.
Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch includes all of Congress, both the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office. Congress is responsible for the creation and implementation of all statute law. For more information see:
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include law, political science, government, and related fields. Find hearing transcripts and submitted testimony, Committee reports, Bills, Public laws, Selected committee prints, Congressional documents, Congressional Record, Federal Register, Current Code of Federal Regulations, and the current US Code.
- Congress.gov (formerly THOMAS) This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include law, government, political science, history, and reference. Find bill summaries & status, full text of bills, major legislation enacted into law and more.
- Congressional DirectoryOfficial directory of the U.S. Congress. Includes biographies of members, committee memberships, etc.
Executive Branch
The Executive Branch includes the offices of the President, Vice President, and most of the Executive agencies such as the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of Health & Human Services, etc.
More resources for Executive Branch documents can be found in the Finding Federal Government Documents section above.
- United States Government ManualEntries give information on agencies of the federal government.
Encyclopedia of Federal Agencies and Commissions by Call Number: Click title to check availabilityPublication Date: 2004
Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch includes not only the network of circuit and appeals courts culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court, but also specialized courts such as the U.S. Tax Court, the Customs Court, etc.
The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions by Call Number: Click title to check availabilityPublication Date: 2009
Historical Documents (Finding Aids)
In the early years of the U.S. Government Publishing Office, most publications didn’t have SuDocs call numbers and weren’t well indexed. Many important documents were published in two versions: a departmental edition and a "serial set" version. Since the publications in the serial set were bound together randomly rather than in numerical order, using one of the finding aids below is the best way to locate the right volume. If you can’t find a digitized version of the document you need, a librarian is happy to help—just use the Ask a Librarian option above.
- Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909Call Number: Click title to check availabilityPublication Date: 1911Arranged by SuDocs number with Departmental Index in back. Good for tracking agency histories and identifying missing or skipped numbers in series.
- A Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Publications of the United States, September 5, 1774-March 4, 1881 byCall Number: Click title to check availabilityPublication Date: 1885Arranged by year and publication date with subject index.
- A Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United States Government, 1881-1893 byCall Number: Click title to check availabilityPublication Date: 1905Arranged by subject with author index.
- Monthly catalog, aka Catalogue of United States Public Documents byCall Number: Online AccessPublication Date: 1895-dateDate coverage for electronic version varies; older titles are being added retroactively. Earlier years do NOT give SuDoc call numbers for publications.
- Catalog of the Public Documents of the Congress and of all Departments of the Government of the United States byCall Number: Online AccessPublication Date: 1893-1940Covers 1893-1940 publications in great detail. Arranged by year and subject
- Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications, 1900-1971Call Number: Click title to check availabilityPublication Date: 1973-1975Subject indexing is better than in early volumes of the Monthly Catalog; saves you from having to search individual years or months.
- Cumulative Title Index to United States Public Documents, 1789-1976Call Number: Online AccessPublication Date: 1979-1982Covers 1789-1976. Since the Monthly Catalog had NO title indexing for the earlier years, this is invaluable.
- Guide to U.S. Government PublicationsCall Number: Click title to check availabilityPublication Date: 1976-2002Helps track series and publication changes as the issuing departments change throughout time, affecting call numbers assigned to a title. You may need to consult all editions to get complete info.
Scientific & Technical Information
- Science.gov"Science.gov searches over 60 databases and over 2,200 scientific websites to provide users with access to more than 200 million pages of authoritative federal science information including research and development results."
- OSTI.govU.S. Energy Department science, technology, and engineering reports.
- U.S. Patent and Trademark OfficeSearch full-text patents since 1976 and PDF image patents since 1790.
Technical Reports
- NASA Technical Reports ServerCitations and reports dating back to approximately 1916.
- National Technical Information Service (NTIS): National Technical Reports LibraryContains government-funded reports on scientific, technical, engineering, and business topics from 1964 to the present. It also contains many unpublished progress reports required for federal research grants. Reports come from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as private research companies. Not all reports are available for free download. If you need help accessing a report, use the Ask a Librarian link above.
- Technical Report Archive & Image Library(TRAIL) contains pre-1975 technical reports
Geography
- USGS Publications Warehouse"The Publications Warehouse provides an index to official, USGS-authored publications of the U.S. Geological Survey. This includes USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and conference proceedings." Materials published by USGS are available for free, but non-USGS published content may need to be accessed elsewhere.
- USGS Topographic MapsMaps of the United States created with GIS data by the National Geospatial Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Resourcesaeronautical and nautical charts, topographic maps, etc.
Government Statistics
- StatistaLibrarian recommended! Subjects covered include media, business, finance, politics, and a variety of other areas of interest. Find infographics, statistics, and data on over 80,000 topics from over 18,000 sources.
- Data.govFind, download, and use datasets that are generated and held by the Federal Government. Data.gov provides descriptions of the Federal datasets (metadata), information about how to access the datasets, and tools that leverage government datasets.
Many government agencies publish statistics, including the Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Center for Health Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, and the Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Their websites offer free access to data and reports. If you need help finding government statistics, a librarian is happy to assist—just use the Ask a Librarian option above.