U.S. Government Documents
The University of West Florida Library is a depository for selected United
States and Florida Documents. Government documents and their locations in the
library are identified in the WebLUIS online catalog. The Documents
Department, located on the first floor of the library, contains a selected
number of microfiche, Electronic Media, and printed government publications. To
provide a wider accessibility to government information, many documents are being
published on the Internet, but historical documents largely remain in print or
microfiche versions only. This list attempts to identify some of the more
popular printed and electronic tools for researching topics relating to the U.S.
government. For official records relating to regulatory, statutory and
judicial law consult UWF Library ELi page Law, and for statistical government publications, consult: Statistics.
Research Guides
- Federal Database Finder. 1995. (Ref. QA 76.9 D32 F4)
- A directory of free and fee-based databases and files available from the
federal government
- Government Publications and Their Use. 2nd rev. ed. 1969. (Ref.
Z 1223 Z7 S3)
- A standard and indispensable guide to the identification of major
publications of the branches of government, with emphasis on Congressional
publications
- Guide to U.S. Government Publications. 1999. (Ref. Z 1223
Z7 A574) & Emerald Coast Library
- By Donna Andriot, this list annotates the important series, periodicals
and reference tools published by U.S. government agencies.
- Introduction to United States Government Information Sources. 1996.
(Ref. Z 1223 Z7 M674)
- A guide to publications with notes of privately published bibliographic
sources. The detailed index is useful to students and specialists.
- Subject Guide to U.S. Government Reference Sources.
(netLibrary)
- This is a selective guide to items produced by the U.S. government to
help readers identify and understand the scope of key government reference sources
produced by the U.S. government. The emphasis is on Access.
- Tapping the Government Grapevine. 1998. (Ref. J 83 R7)
& Emerald Coast Library
- A directory of sources that are helpful in using government documents
and locating government information
- Using Government Information Sources. 1994. (Ref. J 83 S45)
- A basic reference to the use of government documents, this lists sources
for specific topics as well as specific strategies for finding additional
information.
Research Guides - Online Tutorials
Bibliographies
- Bibliographies
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/a_three_sections_with_teasers/biblio.htm
- This website connects to bibliographies compiled to guide researchers and
readers to resources on the Senate and House, the Capitol and Washington, D.C.,
and federal and state government.
Catalogs and Indexes
- Agency Publications Indexes
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/api/index.html
- Search the indexes created by Federal agencies to identify their
publications. Some databases provide indexing to related non-government
literature
- Catalog of the Public Documents of the Congress and of all Departments
of the Government of the United States, 1893-1940. (Ref. Z 1223 A13)
- A "dictionary catalog" with entries by subjects, persons, and governmental
departments. Also known as Document Catalog, it was preceded by
Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United States Government,
1881-1893 (Ref. Z 1223 A13 1962) and A Descriptive Catalogue of the
Government Publications of the United States, 1774-1881 (Ref. Z 1223
A1962).
- Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1976. 1978.
(Ref. Z 1223 Z7 C45)
- A dual media edition of the Public Documents Library shelf list of the
Government Printing Office. Bound volumes provide indexing by Superintendent
of Documents classification number, U.S. Government author-organizations,
departmental and master keywords and serial titles and provide a table of
contents to the microfilm reels which contain this shelf list (Microfilm
779).
- Congressional Universe. 1969-
- This database which is only available to UWF affiliates, is a current
record of publications, records, bills, hearings and laws published by
Congress. See also Congressional Information Service. C.I.S.
Annual. 1970/1991. (Ref. Z 1223 Z7 C66)
- Congressional Information Service. C. I. S. U.S. Serial Set Index.
1975-1979. (Ref. Z 1223 Z7 C26 )
- A subject index to Senate and House documents, 1789-1969. The Serial Set
is located in the Government Documents microforms.
- Documents Office Classification. 1977. (Ref. Z 697 G7 P6)
- Includes an explanation of the Superintendent of Documents classification
system and an alphabetical index of U.S. Government author
organizations
- Federal Depository Library Program Specialized Collections of Full
Text Information
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/ec/scfti.html
- Links are provided to the full text of Federal Government information at GPO
or other offical sites.
- Government Periodicals on the Web
- http://www.lib.auburn.edu/madd/docs/govperiodicals.html
- Provides links to online periodical publications of the federal
government
- Government Reports Announcements and Index. 1988-1992.
(Ref. U.S. Doc. C 51.9/3)
- Dialog:File 6
- A semi-monthly journal abstracting government-sponsored research reports
in 22 broad subject fields. Earlier titles: Government Reports
Announcements and Index. The Dialog website is entitled
NTIS Service.
- Index to U.S. Government Periodicals. 1970-1987. (Ref Z1223 Z7
I38)
- Indexes articles in 180 selected periodicals published by the federal
government
- Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. 1895-1993.
(Ref. Z 1223 A18)
- Also: 1976-
FirstSearch
- 1994-
http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
- Also known as the GPO Monthly Catalog, this is the most nearly complete
listing of departmental and Congressional publications. Published monthly with
annual indexes. Cumulative indexes to these monthly publications are:
Cumulative Title Index to United States Public Documents, 1789-1976
(Ref. Z 1223 Z7 L47); Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of
United States Government Publications, 1895-1899. (Ref. Z 1223 A1819), and
1900-1971. (Ref. Z 1223 A182).
- PAIS International. (Public Affairs Information Service).
1972-
Cambridge
- A useful subject index to citations from public policy/public affairs
publications
- Popular Names of U.S. Government Reports, A Catalog. 4th ed. 1984.
(U. S. Doc. LC 6.2:G 74/984)
- Arranged alphabetically by popular name, entries include
annotations.
- United States Government Publications: A Monthly Catalogue. Reprint
ed.1978. (Ref. Z 1223 A12)
- A significant non-official publication commonly known as Hickcox's
Monthly Catalogue, compiled by John H. Hickcox, 1885-1894. Lacks complete
coverage but cites publications not listed elsewhere and adds Superintendent of
Documents classification numbers
Frequently Requested Sources
- Budget of the United States Government. Annual. 1966- (Ref. Desk U.S.
Doc. PREX 2.8)
- Also 1996-
http://www.gpo.gov/usbudget/index.html
- Comprehensive details with narratives explanations of United States
budget items
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Annual. 2002. (Ref. Desk U.S.
Doc. PREX 2.20:)
- Also http://www.cfda.gov
- Contains more than 1200 programs, projects, services, and activities which
provide assistance or benefits to the American public through over 50 federal
agencies
- Code of Federal Regulations. Current. (Ref. KF 70 A3)
- Also http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html
- Also check Federal Register Online,
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html,
to keep current with the most recent changes in the regulations.
- Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources. 1993. (Ref. J
9.5 G37)
- Provides examples and instructions for writing bibliographic citations to
government publications
- CQ Researcher. 2001. (Ref. Desk H 35 E352);
1991-2001. (Periodicals H 35 E352)
- Also 1991-
CQ Press
- Covers the most current and controversial issues with insight into
all sides. Includes bibliographies
- CQ Weekly Report. 1956-. (Periodicals 2nd Floor JK 1
C15 and Microforms)
- Also 1983-
CQ Press
- Dictionary of Occupational Titles. 1991. (Ref. HB 2595 U543)
& Emerald Coast Library
- Also
http://www.wave.net/upg/immigration/dot_index.html
- Provides definitions and job requirements of positions in the labor
force. The printed source has been replaced by the Occupational
Information Network (O*Net) database
http://www.onetcenter.org.
- Fed Biz Opps (formerly Commerce Business Daily)
http://www.fedbizopps.gov
- Also CBD Archives
http://www.fbodaily.com/cbd/archive
- Lists notices of proposed government procurement actions, contract awards
and sales of government property. Some related resources are:
DMS/FI Contract Awards (Dialog: File 588) for non classified
U.S. prime contract actions and
Federal Acquisition Regulations
(Dialog: File 665) for regulations relating to
government acquisitions of supplies and services.
See also Bidnet http://www.bidnet.com.
- Federal Register. Current. (Ref.KF 70 A2).
1936-June 2001 (Microfilm 540)
- Also 1980-
Lexis Nexis Congressional Universe
- National Archives. 1994-
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
- The Federal Register is a daily publication which contains proposed, interim and
final rules and regulations. A monthly index which cumulates quarterly and annually
is provided.
- Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970.
1975. (U.S. Doc. C 3.134/2:H 62/789-970)
- This covers such areas as population, vital statistics, migration,
national income, social statistics, agriculture, etc.
- How Congress Works. 1998. (Ref. JK 1021 H69)
- Explains the legislative process, the committee system and congressional
rules in detail
- How Our Laws are Made. 2000. (U.S. Doc. Y 1.1/7:106-197)
- Also http://thomas.loc.gov
- Click on "How Congress Makes Laws." This guide provides basic
information on the federal lawmaking process.
- Minerals Yearbooks. 1959-2001. (U.S. Doc. I 28.37)
- And Current edition
http://minerals.er.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/myb.html
- This annual publication reviews the mineral and material industries
in the United States. In the web site click on the volume no., then on the
state or country, then on the year.
- National Library of Medicine. (Medline).
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nlmhome.html
- The National Library of Medicine provides free access to the most
current Medline database through PubMed
http://fusionmx.lib.uwf.edu/databases/db.cfm?PubMed.
These files can also be searched in
MEDLINEplus http://fusionmx.lib.uwf.edu/databases/db.cfm?MedlinePlus,
Cambridge,
or FirstSearch.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook. 1998- (Ref. Desk U.S. Doc.
L 2.3/4) & Emerald Coast Library
- Also 2002/2003
http://www.bls.gov/oco
- Provides career information relating to a variety of occupations and gives
the nature of work, job outlook, earnings and sources for additional
information. See also Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 1966-, (Periodicals 2nd floor HF
5382.5 U5 O3) and 1999-
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/about.htm.
- Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual. 1987.
(Ref. Desk HF 1042 A55) & Emerald Coast Library
- And Current issue
http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
- Details the codes established by the government to identify products
and industries. The North American Industry Classification System
(NAICS) (Ref. Desk U.S. Doc. PREX 2.6/4:IN 27/2002),
http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html,
and http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html
which provides a more detailed breakdown of products, is gradually
replacing the SIC system.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States. 1940-. Annual.
(Ref. Desk U.S. Doc. C 3.134 or Ref. HA 202 U58) & Emerald Coast Library
- Also 1878-
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab.html
- This annual publication summarizes statistics collected by the federal
government. The website is useful for recent data but the printed
copies are available for previous years.
- United States Government Manual. Annual.
(Ref. Desk U.S. Doc. AE 2.108/2)& Emerald Coast Library
- Also 1995/1996-
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html
- The official handbook of federal agencies lists branches of government,
independent agencies, and selected international organizations with names
of officials and organization charts of the larger departments.
- United States Statutes at Large. 1937-. (Ref. KF 50 U5)
- See also the United States Code. 2000. (Ref. KF 62 2000 A2)
1994- http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/index.html,
and Public and Private Laws 1995-
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/index.html.
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. 1993-
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html
- World Factbook. (CIA). 2002. Annual (Ref. Desk U.S. Doc.
PREX 3.15/2)
- And Current issue
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
- Published by the CIA, this document includes background information and
statistics on countries of the world.
Directories
Legislative Branch
Judicial Branch
Embassies and Diplomatic Officials:
Federal Agencies, Departments and Officials:
Congressional Publications
- Congressional Bills
1993/1994-
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/bills/index.html
- All published versions of bills from 1993 to present
- U.S. Congress Congressional Record. Dec.1873-Oct.1976.
(Periodicals Microfilm 26); 1977-. (U.S. Doc. Microfiche X/a)
- Also 1994-
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html
1989- http://thomas.loc.gov/home/r108query.html
- A record of Debates and Proceedings in Congress which includes messages to
the Congress and voting records as well as Extension of Remarks, Daily Digest,
and Lobby List, published daily while Congress is in session. Biweekly indexes
contain a History of Bills and Resolutions section. Preceded by Debates and Proceedings
in the Congress of the United States, 1789-1824 (MF 24A); Register of
Debates in Congress, 1824-1837 (MF 24A); and Congressional Globe,
1833-1873 (MF 25)
- U. S. Congress Serial Set. 1789-1969. (U.S. Doc.
Microfiche)
- A series of numbered House and Senate reports and documents, by session of
Congress. Indexed by CIS U.S. Serial Set Index, 1789-1969 (Ref. Z 1223
Z7 C26 1975). Continued by U.S. Congress Reports. 1987. (U.S. Doc.
Microfiche Y 1.). The House and Senate reports, by session of Congress,
continues coverage of the U.S. Serial Set, above.
| U.S. Serial Set Full Text Access |
| Years |
Congress Sessions |
Name |
Location (Microfiche) |
| 1789-1838 |
1 to 25 |
American State Papers |
Drawer SS-1 |
| 1817-1969 |
15 to 91-1 |
U.S. Serial Set |
Drawers SS-1 to 18 |
| 1970-1974 |
91-2 to 93 |
CIS Collection |
Drawer SS-19 |
| 1976-1980 |
94 to 96 |
CIS Collection |
Drawers SS-20-25 |
| 1981-present |
97 to present |
U.S. Congress Reports |
Drawers Y-1 to end |
| 1789-1917 |
1 to 65 |
Readex U.S. Serial Set |
Online - American State Papers
U.S. Serial Set |
| 1995-present |
105 to present |
U.S. Congress Reports, Hearings |
Online - Lexis-Nexis Congressional |
- U.S. Congress Hearings. 1981-. (U.S. Doc. Microfiche Y 4.)
- Transcript of testimony given before Congressional committees, these
hearings are received from the major standing committees and from select and
special committees as appointed in both the House and Senate. Preceded by
CIS Microfiche Hearings Library 1976-1980. (U.S. Doc. Microfiche)
U.S. Government Internet Sites
- Bills and Other Legislative Information
http://lib.mansfield.edu/bills.html
- Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html -
This is an excellent and interesting site which links to basic Federal Government
documents including the Constitution, U.S.Code, the Budget, and Presidential
papers and inaugurations.
- Documents Center University of Michigan
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs - A central reference
and referral point for government information whether local, state, federal,
foreign or international
- Documents in the News 1995-
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/docnews.html
- Duke University Documents Hotlist
http://www.lib.duke.edu/pdmt/federal
- Federal Agency Index
http://washlaw.edu - Homepages, publications,
charts and forms
- Federal Agencies Directory (LSU)
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html
- Federal Citizen Information Center (FIC)
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/call
- Federal Court Locator
http://www.law.villanova.edu/library/researchandstudyguides/federalcourtlocator.asp
- FEDSTATS http://www.fedstats.gov - Gateway to statistics from
over 100 U.S. Federal agencies
- Fedworld http://www.fedworld.gov - An index of federal government sites,
especially in science
- FIRSTGOV http://firstgov.gov - A one
step access to online federal government resources
- Frequently Used Sites Related to U.S. Federal Government
Information
http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/romans/fdtf
- GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html -
"Official Federal Government information at your fingertips"
- Government Publications Library Univ. of Colorado
http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/us/federal.htm
- Historical Documents
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/const/mdbquery.html
- Infomine: Government Information
http://infomine.ucr.edu/search/govpubsearch.phtml
- Scholarly Internet resource collections
- LawCrawler
http://lawcrawler.lp.findlaw.com -
Searches legal information
- National Law Net
http://www.lawsites.com
- Roll Call
http://www.rollcall.com - Current issues of this
newspaper which covers Capitol Hill events
- Uncle Sam - Forms from the Feds
http://exlibris.memphis.edu/resource/unclesam/forms.html
- Downloadable government electronic forms
- Uncle Sam - Migrating Government
Publications http://exlibris.memphis.edu/resource/unclesam/migrating/mig.html -
Lists and links to U.S. government publications that are online,
full text editions, searchable by name and by SuDoc number
- U.S. Federal Courts Finder
http://www.law.emory.edu/FEDCTS
- The Virtual Reference Desk Government Documents
http://virtualref.com/govdocs
- Yahoo! Government
http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__Government
Agency Sites
Executive Branch
Executive Agencies
Independent Agencies
Judicial Branch
Use
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe as
the preferred index for judicial materials.
Legislative Branch
Use
Lexis-Nexis Congressional Universe as your
primary indexing tool to find congressional materials.
Guides to State Publications
For more information about the State of Florida and
about local government use the UWF Library
ELi pages Florida Government Documents and
Pensacola Area Information
Bibliography
- Monthly Checklist of State Publications. 1914-1994.
(Ref. Z 1223.5 A1 U5)
- A list of publications received by the Library of Congress, arranged
alphabetically by states, territories or possessions with an annual index
Guides to State Publications — Internet Sites for State Governments
Tools for Depository Libraries
- Documents Dataminer
- http://govdoc.wichita.edu/ddm/GdocFrames.asp
- Includes GPO Classification List and other aids for managing a
depository library
- Federal Depository Library Program Administration
- http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/ec/scfti.html
- Provides regulations and instructions useful to depository
libraries
- Florida Electronic Federal Depository Library
- http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/fefdl
- Provides access to federal and Florida State and local government
information, and supports Federal Depository Libraries with useful
links.
- GPO New Electronic Titles
- http://catalog.gpo.gov/F?func=file&file_name=find-net&local_base=NEWTITLE
- Lists the latest online publications added to the Depository
Program
- Government Information Locator Service (GILS)
- http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/gils/index.html
- An effort to identify, locate, and describe publicly available Federal
information resources, including electronic information resources
- U.S. Government Printing Office Ordering Information
- http://bookstore.gpo.gov/help/index.jsp
- Lists publications for sale by the Government Printing Office. Formerly
titled GPO Publications Reference File. See also
U.S. Government Online Bookstore
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/index.jsp.
- GPO Shipping Lists
- http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/sl/slister.html
- Provides copies of all shipping lists sent to depository libraries
- Government Documents Librarianship
- http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/doclibs.html
- Provides links to professional sites for Government Document librarians
Shari Johnson,
Business/Government Documents Librarian
University of West Florida Library
Date Last Updated: January 2005
Links Maintained by Bryan Reingruber: May 2006
