Government Documents

Friedsam Memorial Library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. The library is also a selective New York State Depository for government publications. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 United States Code).  The physical collection is located on the second floor of the library near the blue stacks. You can also use online resources through this page or through our online catalog. Reference librarians can assist you in finding what you need in the collection.

The following list suggests the best sites to find government information available online for federal, state, international, and foreign levels of government.

 

Sections

1. Federal Government: General Information 
2. Federal Government: Legislative and Regulatory Information  
3. State Information 
4. International and Foreign Information 
5. Statistical Resources 
6. Additional Resources -- including the Basic Collection List 

Federal Government: General Information

• Frequently Used Sites Related to U.S. Federal Government Information (American Library Association. Government Documents Round Table)
• Federal Agency Directory (Louisiana State University)
• Supreme Court of the United States 
• United States House of Representatives 
• United States Senate 
• The White House 

 

Federal Government: Legislative and Regulatory Information

• Code of Federal Regulations (U.S. Government Printing Office)
• Congress.org [Searchable directories and current awareness] (CQ Roll Call)
• FDSYS--Federal Digital System (U.S. Government Printing Office)
• The Federal Register (U.S. Government Printing Office)
• Legislative Branch Internet Resources (Library of Congress--THOMAS)
• THOMAS (Search and retrieve legislation--Library of Congress)

 

State Information

• Information For All States:
  • State Constitutions, Statutes and Related Legislative Information (Cornell University Law School--Legal Information Institute)
  • State Government Collections:
  • American Law Sources Online (ALSO) (LawSource.com)
  • State Resources (FindLaw for Legal Professionals)
  • State and Local Government on the Net  
  • State & U.S. Government Information, by Topic (USA.gov)
   
• New York State:
  • New York State Agency Databases (New York State Government Information Locator Service)
  • New York State Digital Collections (New York State Library)
  • New York State Documents--includes link to catalog and other finding aids (New York State Library)
  • New York State Government Information (New York State Library)
   

International and Foreign Information

• Country Studies (Library of Congress)
• Governments on the WWW (Comprehensive database of national government institutions)
• U.S. State Department Home Page  
• United Nations 

 

Statistical Resources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics  
• Business & Economics Data Starting Points (Mansfield University)
• Fedstats (Search engine for government statistics and data)
• InfoNation (United Nations)
• National Center for Education Statistics  
• National Center for Health Statistics  
• Statistical Agencies & Information (Univ. of North Texas)
• U.S. Census Bureau 

 

Additional Resources

• "Agency Approach" to Locating Government Information on the Internet (tutorial from Western Illinois University Library)
• GODORT CD-ROM Documentation Service (Univ. of Iowa)
• USAGov (search engine for government information)
• Resources of Use to Government Documents Librarans (ALA GODORT)

 

Basic Collection List

Publications included in the Basic Collection are vital sources of information that support the public's right to know about the workings and essential activities of their Federal Government. The Basic Collection serves as a good resource when developing and maintaining a depository collection.

• American FactFinder 
• Ben's Guide to U. S. Government for Kids 
• Budget of the United States Government 
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 
• Catalog of U. S. Government Publications 
• Census of Population and Housing: Population & Housing Unit Counts (all states, U. S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-3): 2000 [2010 data not yet released]
• Census of Population and Housing: Summary Population & Housing Characteristics (all states, U. S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-1):  2000 and 2010 
• Census of Population and Housing: Summary Social, Economic, & Housing Characteristics (all states, U. S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-2): 2000 and 2010 
• Census of Population and Housing: Social, Economic, & Housing Characteristics (Island Areas) (Series PHC-4): 2000 [2010 data not yet released]
• Code of Federal Regulations 
• Compilation of Presidential Documents 
• Congressional Directory 
• Congressional Record (daily)
• Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation--2002 edition; 2010 supplement 
• County and City Data Book 
• Economic Indicators 
• Economic Report of the President 
• Federal Digital System 
• Federal Register (daily)
• Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (Bicentennial Edition) -- Part1 and Part 2  [Large downloads--PDF files]
• Occupational Outlook Handbook 
• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States 
• Social Security Handbook 
• Statistical Abstract of the United States (through end of program, 2011)
• United States Statutes at Large 
• United States Code 
• United States Government Manual 
• United States Reports [Supreme Court]
• USA Counties 

 

  

The design of this page was based on a template from the American Library Association, Government Document Round Table (GODORT), available at:   http://www.ala.org/godort/godortcommittees/gitco/govinfotemplate