Sample exercise: Locate government information useful in completing class assignments.
The Federal Government produces a tremendous amount of information each year. Information in both print and electronic format is available on a wide range of topics including technical disciplines, social sciences, and humanities. Information ranges from statistics to news releases to analysis and research. This informational material is collectively know as Government Documents. Most of the information generated by the Federal Government is available to the public through the Superintendent of Documents system. Some information, such as information classified in the interest of national security, is not available to the public.
The Government Printing Office (GPO) is responsible for the acquisition, printing and distribution of all government documents. According to the GPO, their mission is to "inform the Nation by producing, procuring, and disseminating printed and electronic publications of the Congress as well as the executive departments and establishments of the Federal Government." The selected publications are made available to the public both online and through Federal Depository Libraries in each state.
This research guide is designed to introduce methods to locate federal government information. The following topics will be presented:
Locating print documents
Locating online resources
Examples of popular online documents
LOCATING PRINT DOCUMENTS
Government documents in print format are primarily made available to the public through the Federal Depository Library program. Many large public and university libraries are designated Depository Libraries. These libraries receive certain materials published by the various Federal departments and agencies. Any member of the public can visit these depository libraries and use the Federal depository collections.
You'll find these collections filled with information on careers, consumer information, education, health, legal and regulatory information, demographics, technology, and countless other subjects. An alternative to using library-based government documents is to order documents from the Superintendent of Documents.
The best way to identify print government documents is the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications available online from the Government Printing Office at the GPO Access Web site. Search by keyword, title, SuDoc number, or date to find specific items of interest. Then you can locate a depository library near you that has the publication in its collection. To locate depository libraries, use the GPO directory: Locate a Federal Depository Library. You can also use your local depository library's online catalog to search for government publications in the collection. Many of these catalogs are available via the Web.
Each government document is classified using the Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) Classification System. This system provides the basis for how the documents are arranged on the shelves in a library. The documents or publications are grouped together according to the the government department (or agency or commission) that issued the publication.
According to the U.S. Government Printing Office's Explanation of the Superintendent of Documents Classification System, the SuDoc numbering system "is designed to group together publications by the same government author. Each executive department and agency, the Judiciary, Congress, and other major independent establishments are assigned a unique alphabetical identifier, based on the nature of the organization. For example, 'A' is used for the Agriculture Department, 'JU' for Judiciary, and 'NS' for National Science Foundation. The letters 'X' and 'Y' are reserved for Congress, and the letter 'Z' is not used."
An example of a SuDoc number is: Y 4.C 73/8:105-115.
Staff at the depository library will help users locate specific government documents on the shelves. See An Explanation of the Superintendent of Documents Classification System for complete information about SuDoc numbers.
LOCATING ONLINE DOCUMENTS
A great deal of Government information is readily available on the Internet from many agency and departmental Web sites. All branches of government -- legislative, executive, and judicial -- maintain sites with many full-text publications available. The Internet has enabled expanded public access for government documents and information and predictions are that, in the future, searching the Web will become the primary means of locating government information.
There are several approaches you can take to locating online government information:
Search by Department or Agency (author)
Search by title
Search by topic
Searching by Department or Agency
If you are interested in locating documents produced by a particular U.S. Government department or agency, try one of the following starting points:
GPO Access (motto: Keeping America Informed) offers several search methods including lists of documents organized by branch of government. For example, under "What's Available" users can select Legislative, Executive, or Judical to begin drilling down to documents from specific departments and agencies. [In Virtual Library > Books > Digital Collections]
FirstGov is the U.S. Government's official Web portal. It offers organized links to both federal and state online information. Use the site's "A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies" for a complete alphabetical list of organizations in the federal executive, legislative and judicial branches. Links go to home pages of departments, agencies, boards and commissions and quasi-official agencies. If you prefer, you can also view an organizational directory of the federal government. [In Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Government]
Google Uncle Sam is a special search service that allows you to narrow your search to only .gov or .mil sites.
Searching by title
If you are interested in locating a specific document by title, try one of the following starting points:
The Catalog is a search and retrieval service that provides bibliographic records of U.S. Government information products. Use it to link to Federal agency online resources or identify materials distributed to Federal Depository Libraries. Coverage begins with January 1994 and new records are added daily. [In Virtual Library > Books > Digital Collections > GPO Access > Catalog]
New Electronic Titles (NET) includes Web-accessible U.S. Government publications of public interest or educational value. Browse and link directly to these new titles, which have been cataloged and indexed in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. [In Virtual Library > Books > Digital Collections]
Searching by topic
If you are interested in locating an online document on a particular topic, try one of the following starting points:
The Documents Center has organized "Federal Government Resources on the Web" by topics (some state government resources are included as well). The site also offers a collection of links to documents in the news which is very useful for current event topics.
This site offers links to government documents, agencies, and department arranged by topic areas. Click on topics such as consumer information, scientific and technical reports, and statistics to link to organized collections further categorized by subtopics.
This service arranges U.S. Government sites by topic. You can browse through an alphabetical list of topics and be lead to a collection of relevant sites. For example, the topic "Computer Security" offers links to over a dozen government and military Web sites that provide information on the topic. [In Virtual Library > Books > Digital Collections > GPO Access > Government Documents Student Research Guide
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POPULAR GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
The following items are some government documents that are frequently used by ITT Technical Institute students, faculty, and staff:
As the National Data Book it contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. Selected international data are also included. The Abstract is also your Guide to Sources of other data from the Census Bureau, other Federal agencies, and private organizations. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Statistics]
The County and City Data Book provides official population, housing, and other data from the 2000 Census all U.S. counties, cities with 25,000 or more inhabitants, and places of 2,500 or more inhabitants. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Statistics]
The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. Revised every two years, the Handbook describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Careers]
A publication of the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. It includes data on unemployment, change in payroll employment, average hourly earning, consumer price index, producer price index, U.S. import price index, employment cost index, and productivity. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Economics]
The World Factbook is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of U.S. Government officials and is made available to the public. It provides information, maps, and statistics on more than 250 countries and other entities of the world. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Encyclopedias]
Online versions of books published by the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Series. The publications present a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, and political systems of selected countries. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Books > Digital Collections]
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Government]
The Federal Register is a legal newspaper published every business day by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It contains Federal agency regulations; proposed rules and notices; and Executive orders, proclamations and other Presidential documents. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Government]
A subject directory of government periodical titles compiled by University of Louisville's Ekstrom Library. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Periodicals > Web collections and indexes]
Citing Government Documents
Government documents can be more difficult to cite properly than standard books and journals because they don't always provide all the standard information found in other publications.The following Web sites offer information about and examples of goverment document citations:
Provided by the Government Documents Department, Regional Depository Library, University of Memphis. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Style Manuals]
Provided by the Government Documents Department, University of North Texas Libraries. [In ITT Tech Virtual Library > Reference Resources > Style Manuals]
For additional information about locating government documents and links to many online government resources, please see:
A pathfinder by the Internet Public Library.
Federal and state government information.