What are government documents?
A U.S. government document may be broadly defined as any publication (in print, on microfiche, or electronic) issued at government expense or published under the authority of a governmental body. Included are official papers that record the actions or deliberations of government (such as the Congressional Record), informational publications (like the many statistical compilations of the Bureau of the Census), and reports of research done under government contract.
The United States Government, often through the Government Publishing Office (GPO) and its predecessor agencies has provided open access to much U.S. information since 1790.
U. S. Government Manual
The official handbook of the federal government, the U.S. Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees.
Government Documents on the Web
- FDLP Basic CollectionThis is a collection of the most important resources from the federal depository library program.
- GovInfoGovinfo is a service of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), which is a Federal agency in the legislative branch. Govinfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. It includes access to these documents: U.S. Budget, Code of Federal Regulations, Congressional Documents, Economic Indicators, Economic Reports, Federal Register, History of Bills, Public and Private Laws, Public, Papers of the Presidents, Supreme Court Decisions (1937-1975), U.S. Code, U.S. Statutes at Large, and more.
- HathiTrust Digital LibraryHathiTrust provides free access to U.S. federal documents. Some subjects include U.S. Federal Documents, U.S. Census of Population: 1950, U.S.Congressional Serial Set, Bureau of Indian Affairs publications, U.S.Environmental Protection Agency publications, Foreign, Relations of the United States, Statistical Abstract of the United States, U.S. Civil Rights Commission
- USA.govUSA.gov is your online guide to government information and services.
“This library is a congressionaly designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code)”
