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Finding Government
Information
The United States Government is
the largest publisher in the world and the largest producer of statistics.
For over one hundred years the federal government has made the information
it publishes available to the public through a system of depository
libraries, clearinghouses, information centers, and archival programs.
Though many have used such facilities, these resources have remained
underutilized.
The technological advancements
of recent years have made these rich resources more accessible. Today about
half of all federal government publications can be found in electronic
format. The following is a list of publications in Stapleton Library or on
the Web.
Indexes to Federal Government Information
The publications of any of the 8,000 federal
governmental bodies that produce publications may be found through the
following indexes:
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Marcive
WebDOCS' Monthly Catalog -- bibliographic information for publications
issued by the federal government between 1975 and the present, consult
Marcive WebDOCS, a commercial version of the Monthly Catalog, the most
comprehensive index to the publications of the federal government. In
addition to author, title, subject, and agency access to such material, it
provides links to the electronic equivalent of these sources.
-
FirstGov--the first-ever government web site to provide the public
with easy, one-stop access to all online U.S. Federal Government
resources.
Background and Organizational Information
on the Federal Government
Knowledge of the organization of the
government itself may be the key to finding relevant information. Material
on the organization and personnel of the government, the mission of specific
agencies and how to contact them can be found through the following books
and web sites.
-
Government Manual—information
on structure and activities of the federal government. Ask at the
reference desk in Stapleton Library for paper edition.
- Washington Information Directory—contains
information on the structure and activities of the federal government as
well as government-related organizations. Ask at the reference desk in
Stapleton Library.
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Agency web
sites--most government bodies have their own web sites that are
valuable sources of information on their mission, personnel, and services.
See following examples:
US
Department of Agriculture
US Department of Health and Human Services
Background and Organizational Information
on Pennsylvania Government
Federal
Legislative Activity
The following publications and web sites
offer information on U.S. legislators and the legislative process:
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Congressional
Directory. Directory of members of Congress. Ask at reference desk for
most recent copy in Stapleton Library.
- House of
Representatives Web Page
- Senate
Web Page
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Congressional Record—proceedings of debates and daily digest of the
United State House and Senate.
- Thomas--
status of federal legislation
- CIS Index The hearings, documents, and
reports of the United States Senate and House of Representatives provide
valuable, authoritative information on nearly every topic, but can be
difficult to locate. The CIS Index analyzes and reprints in its
microfiche collection, the publications created through the activities of
Congress and makes finding them much easier. To access the bibliographic
records, descriptive annotations, and the actual publication on
microfiche:
- Consult the index under subject, title,
or name, and record the entry number.
- Look in the abstract volume under the
entry number and read the abstract.
- If you want to read the publication
microfiche, request it in the Serials Department by the collection name
(CIS) entry number, and year of the index.
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Legislative
Histories Tutorial University of Michigan
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How Our Laws Are
Made--outlines the legislative process
State Legislative Activity
U.S. Laws and Legislation
The statutes enacted into law define much of
our personal and professional activities. To find the laws currently in
effect or as they were passed, use the following books and sites:
Laws and Legislation of Pennsylvania
Government
- Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes
Annotated—lists current Pennsylvania State laws by subject. [REF]
KFP30 1930 .A44
- Laws of the General Assembly of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-- lists Pennsylvania laws as they are
enacted. [REF] KFP25 .A23
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Pennsylvania History of House and Senate Bills--information on
Pennsylvania legislation.
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Lexis Nexis Academic-provide access to U.S. legislation currently in
effect. Choose Legal Research and State Codes and
Pennsylvania.
Regulations issued by the Agencies of the
Federal Government
Regulations are sometimes known as
quasi-legislation or bureaucratic law. Authorized by presidential executive
orders to be written by executive agencies, they are legally binding. It is
their nature to appear, disappear, and reappear with dizzying frequency. To
find them consult the following books and cites:
Regulations issued by the State of
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania Code—lists current Pennsylvania regulations by subject.
[REF] KFP35 1970 .A23348.748023 P3845e
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Pennsylvania Bulletin--lists new and proposed Pennsylvania
regulations. Pennsylvania Documents Area
Statistical Information
To find the statistics produced by the
largest publisher in the world, consult the following books and sites:
Sources of Grant Information
Social Studies Educators
Finding Government Information Published Prior to 1976
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