United States Government Manual. Basic Collection Washington, DC : U.S. GPO. This manual is published annually. The tangible product is physically located in the reference section of the Enterprise LRC, and assigned Library of Congress call number REF JK 421 .A3. The most current edition is in the regular reference section and previous editions are located in the “Retired Reference” section, which is located adjacent to the closed stacks. Online access is available at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html (1995 to present).
As the official handbook of the Federal Government, this 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; as well as boards, commissions, and committees.
Executive Branch
Official U.S. Executive Branch Web Sites http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/fedgov.html
This site provides access to Executive Branch sites only and strives to be, but may not be, totally comprehensive. Agencies are often included because they request to be listed.
The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/
The President is the administrative head of the executive branch of the Government, which includes numerous agencies, both temporary and permanent, as well as fourteen executive departments.
Federal Register. Basic Collection Washington , DC : [Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration] : U.S. GPO. Published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
This is the official publication for Presidential Documents and Executive Orders, as well as Notices, Rules and Proposed Rules from Federal agencies and organizations.
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. Basic Collection Washington , DC : U.S. GPO.
Physically located in the Government Documents area of the Enterprise LRC are volumes from Herbert Hoover to the current president. Each volume in the series contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the specified time period.
Legislative Branch
Legislative Branch Internet Resources http://thomas.loc.gov/home/legbranch/legbranch.html
Thomas : Legislative Information on the Internet http://thomas.loc.gov/
Thomas provides full-text web access to current and recent Congressional information in the areas of legislation, the Congressional Record, and committee information. Coverage begins with the 103 rd Congress. Selected historical documents, including the U.S. Constitution, are also available.
Congress
“The Congress of the United States was created by Article I, section 1, of the Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 .....The first Congress under the Constitution met on March 4, 1789 , in the Federal Hall in New York City . The membership then consisted of 20 Senators and 59 Representatives.” – U.S. Government Manual.
U.S. House of Representatives http://www.house.gov/ “The House of Representatives comprises 435 Representatives. The number representing each State is determined by population, but every State is entitled to at least one Representative. Members are elected by the people for two-year terms, all terms running for the same period. A Representative must be at least 25 years of age, must reside in the State from which they are chosen, and must have been a citizen for at least seven years.” – U.S. Government Manual.
U.S. Senate http://www.senate.gov/ “The Senate is composed of 100 Members, two from each State, who are elected to serve for a term of six years. Senators were originally chosen by the State legislatures. This procedure was changed by the 17 th Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1913, which made the election of Senators a function of the people. There are three classes of Senators, and a new class is elected every two years. Senators must be residents of the State from which they are chosen, must be at least 30 years of age, and must have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years.” – U.S. Government Manual. |
Congressional Record Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html
Historically, the Congressional Record has not been a verbatim transcript of the proceedings of the congress. Now (since 1995), the House uses a different typeface to differentiate statements not actually delivered.
Records of Congress www.archives.gov/records_of_congress/index.html
The records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate document the history of the legislative branch beginning with the First Congress in 1789. Although the records remain the legal property of the House and Senate, they are preserved and made available by the Center for Legislative Archives. Other records from legislative branch support organizations, including the Publications of the U.S. Government from the Government Printing Office, are also preserved at the Center.
Judicial Branch
Constitution of the United States: Analysis and Interpretation Basic Collection
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/browse2002.html#2002
This resource is prepared by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, with new, revised editions published every ten years. Until a new full edition is published, cumulative supplements are released biennially to update previously printed information. Provided are annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 28, 2002, with a 2004 Supplement for Cases Decided to June 29, 2004.
Provided are annotations of cases based on the Amendments to the Constitution, including but not limited to: Bill of Rights; Religion and Expression; Bearing Arms; Quartering Soldiers; Search and Seizure; Rights of Persons; Rights of Accused in Criminal Prosecutions; Suits Against States; Election of President; Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection; Income Tax; Prohibition of Intoxicating Liquors; and Congressional Pay Limitation.
U.S. Courts: The Federal Judiciary http://www.uscourts.gov/
This site is a clearinghouse for information about U.S. federal courts including news, press releases, publications, directories, long-range planning documents.
Supreme Court of the United States http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
“The Supreme Court is comprised of the Chief Justice of the United States and such number of Associate Justices as may be fixed by Congress, which is currently fixed at eight. The President nominates the Justices with the advice and consent of the Senate.” – U.S. Government Manual
Background Information and History (Basic Reference Tools)
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html
In order to make these records more easily accessible to students, scholars, and interested citizens, this online site brings together the records and acts of Congress from the Journals of the Continental Congress through The Congressional Globe, which ceased publication with the 42nd Congress in 1873.
Core Documents of U.S. Democracy http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html
Access a core group of current and historical government publications that define our democratic society, including, among others: Articles of Confederation, The Bill of Rights, A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873, The Constitution of the United States of America, The Declaration of Independence, Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789, Emancipation Proclamation, The Federalist Papers, The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress, Budget of the United States Government Basic Collection PREX 2.8:,Codification of Presidential Proclamations Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders, April 13, 1945 through January 20, 1989, George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799, "I Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations, and Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress.
A Chronology of U.S. Historical Documents http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/
A listing of pre-Colonial era documents (e.g., the Magna Carta) to the present with Internet links when possible.
Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Basic Collection
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/index.html
The Constitution of the United States comprises the primary law of the U.S. Federal Government. It also describes the three chief branches of the Federal Government and their jurisdictions. In addition, it lays out the basic rights of citizens of the United States . The Constitution of the United States is the oldest Federal constitution in existence and was framed by a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen original states in Philadelphia in May 1787. The Constitution is the landmark legal document of the United States.
Current Awareness (News Sources)
Bills in the News http://thomas.loc.gov/home/textonly.html
Current bills (and public laws from several previous Congresses) recently receiving coverage in newspapers and in TV and radio news. Bills are from the 106th Congress unless otherwise noted; Public laws show the Congress of their passage in their title: i.e. P.L. 104-95 was passed into law in the 104th Congress .
C-SPAN http://www.c-span.org/
This site provides access to information about the C-SPAN program, plus current events, and discussions of public affairs.
Documents in the News http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/docnews.html
Links to resources about government issues making headlines. Maintained by the University of Michigan Library.
Roll Call http://www.rollcall.com
Roll Call is widely considered the leading source for Congressional news and information both inside the Beltway and beyond. In 1996, building on the solid reputation of the newsprint version, Roll Call launched a companion Web edition. The leading stories from the newspaper are posted every Monday and Thursday, along with editorials, election news, commentary, cartoons and classifieds.
Government Indexes and Databases (Searching Tools)
A-Z Resource List http://www.gpoaccess.gov/about/index.html
Use GPO Access to search or browse official, full-text information from the three branches of the Federal Government. Databases are updated based on their print equivalent and generally date back to 1994.
American FactFinder Basic Collection http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en
Here you will find sources for population, housing, economic, and geographic data.
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids Basic Collection http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
Geared towards K-12 students, parents and teachers, this site provides useful information about how laws are made, the election process, government branches, and other topics.
Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the United States , Colonial Times to 1970* - Basic Collection
Part 1 http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/CT1970p1-01.pdf
Part 2 http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/CT1970p2-01.pdf
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Basic Collection PREX 2.20: http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/SYSTEM.PDF_CATALOG_DYN.show The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. It contains financial and non-financial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal government.
Catalog of United States Government Publications Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cgp/index.html
(Jan. 1994 to April 2005) This is THE BASIC INDEX for government publications. Titles are arranged by classification number under issuing agency. Indexing is by subject, title, keyword, author, series number and various other access points. The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications provides an index to print and electronic publications created by Federal agencies. When available, links are provided to the full-text of these publications. Additionally, the locate libraries feature enables users to find libraries by state or area code that can make print publications available for their use. On March 9, 2006 , the Superintendent of Documents announced the launch of the enhanced version of the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) (http://catalog.gpo.gov/). This version of the CGP is the online public access catalog (OPAC) module of the Government Printing Office's (GPO) new integrated library system (ILS). The OPAC contains cataloging records from 1994 - April 2005 and will provide increased searching capability, more precise results, and increased coverage of records dating from July 1976, with new records added daily. There also are plans to provide coverage of the pre-July 1976 records.
Census of Population and Housing Basic Collection
- Census of Population and Housing: Population & Housing Unit Counts (all states, U.S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-3) > http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/index.html
- Census of Population and Housing: Summary Population & Housing Characteristics (all states, U.S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-1) > http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/index.html
- Census of Population and Housing: Summary Social, Economic, & Housing Characteristics (all states, U.S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-2) > http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/index.html
- Census of Population and Housing: Social, Economic, & Housing Characteristics (Island Areas) (Series PHC-4) > http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/index.html
Code of Federal Regulations Basic Collection
AE 2.106/3: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis.
Each title is divided into chapters, which usually bear the name of the issuing agency. Each chapter is further subdivided into parts that cover specific regulatory areas. Large parts may be subdivided into subparts. All parts are organized in sections, and most citations in the CFR are provided at the section level. A list of agencies and where they appear in the CFR may be found in Appendix C of the U.S. Government Manual.
Congressional Directory Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/index.html (1995 to present)
One of the oldest working handbooks in the United States government, the Congressional Directory is the official directory of the U.S. Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP). Published since 1888, the Congressional Directory presents short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, and additional data, such as committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, and room and telephone numbers. The most recent publication, in tangible format, is available in the Reference section; previous publications are in the Retired Reference section, located adjacent to the Closed Stacks in the Enterprise LRC.
Congressional Record (daily) Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html
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. GPO Access contains Congressional Record volumes from 140 (1994) to the present. At the back of each daily issue is the "Daily Digest," which summarizes the day's floor and committee activities.
County and City Data Book Basic Collection http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html
In one convenient place for your school project, business plan, or other tasks, official population and housing data from the 2000 Census plus business and other data for-- All U.S. counties, Cities with 25,000 or more inhabitants, and
Places of 2,500 or more inhabitants. The most recent publication, in tangible format, is available in the Reference section; previous publications are in the Retired Reference section, located adjacent to the Closed Stacks in the Enterprise LRC.
Economic Indicators Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/indicators/index.html
Available from April 1995 forward, this monthly compilation is prepared for the Joint Economic Committee by the Council of Economic Advisors and provides economic information on prices, wages, production, business activity, purchasing power, credit, money and Federal finance.
Economic Report of the President Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/eop/
The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. The Economic Report of the President is transmitted to Congress no later than ten days after the submission of the Budget of the United States Government. Supplementary reports can be issued to the Congress which contain additional and/or revised recommendations.
Federal Register (daily) Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
Federal Resources Organized by Topic http://www.gpoaccess.gov/topics/index.html
This service arranges U.S. Government information by topic and allows researchers to choose from three different sources. The Federal Publications for Sale list is also known as The Subject Bibliography Index.
Federal Government Agencies Directory http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html
An exhaustive directory to the web pages of current, active, existing U.S. Federal Government agencies as represented in the United States Government Manual. Included are smaller breakdowns for Legislative, Judicial, Executive, Independent, Quasi-Official, and Boards Commissions and Committees.
FedWorld http://www.fedworld.gov/
FedWorld is a central access point for searching, locating, ordering and acquiring government and business information. Many specific government databases can be searched from this page. It includes a rather eclectic selection of resources, and by no means does it demonstrate the entire breadth of government resources. The difficulty with FedWorld is knowing what data and resources are available from it as opposed to other sites.
FirstGov http://firstgov.gov/
The official U.S. gateway to all government information and is the catalyst for a growing electronic government. Users can search more than 51 million web pages from federal and state governments, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Most of these pages are not available on commercial websites. FirstGov has the most comprehensive searching capabilities of government information anywhere on the Internet.
Frequently Used Sites Related to U.S. Federal Government Information http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/romans/fdtf/ This is a directory of links to popular government documents on the Internet. These links are organized by topics including major government indexes, business, crime, census, congress, consumer information, copyright, education, foreign countries, health, impeachment, natural resources, law, scientific reports, and tax forms. This service/site is provided by the Federal Documents Task Force (FDTF) and the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT).
Government Periodicals on the Web http://library.louisville.edu/government/periodicals/periodall.html
This site provides access to an extensive directory of U.S. government periodicals which are now full-text on the Internet.
GPO Access Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html
GPO Access is a service of the U.S. GPO that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published version. Information retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction, unless specifically noted. Most documents are full-text. GPO Access is a part of Keeping America Informed, which has even more federal government information.
Occupational Outlook Handbook Basic Collection http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps4235/
Public Papers of the President Basic Collection AE 2.114: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/search.html
The Public Papers of the Presidents is published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and is the official publication of United States Presidents' public writings, addresses, and remarks. Each Public Papers volume contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States that were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the specified time period. The material is presented in chronological order, and the dates shown in the headings are the dates of the documents or events. In instances when the release date differs from the date of the document itself, that fact is shown in the text note.
Sales Product Catalog Basic Collection http://bookstore.gpo.gov/index.html
U.S. Government publications available for purchase from the U.S. Government Printing Office.
Slip Laws (public and private laws) Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/index.html
Public and private laws are prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). GPO Access contains the text of public and private laws enacted from the 104th Congress to the present. The database for the current session of Congress is updated when the publication of a slip law is authorized by OFR.
Social Security Handbook Basic Collection SSA 1.8/3 http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/
STAT-USA (Password required from librarian) Basic Collection http://www.stat-usa.gov/
Statistical Abstract of the United States Basic Collection http://www.census.gov/statab/www/
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. The most recent publication, in tangible format, is available in the Reference section; previous publications are in the Retired Reference section, located adjacent to the Closed Stacks in the Enterprise LRC.
Subject Bibliographies Basic Collection http://bookstore.gpo.gov/sb/sale180.html
This index matches general topics with the approximately 150 subject bibliographies that are used to categorize the publications, subscriptions, and electronic products for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). All subject bibliography listings are paired with numbers. Clicking on a subject bibliography link will take you to the current list of sales products for that topic.
United States Code Basic Collection Y 1.2/5: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/index.html
The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States . It is divided by broad subjects into 50 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since 1926, the United States Code has been published every six years. In between editions, annual cumulative supplements are published in order to present the most current information.
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Basic Collection http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html
The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is published every Monday and is the official publication of presidential statements, messages, remarks, and other materials released by the White House Press Secretary.
United States Reports Basic Collection http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/boundvolumes.html
The bound volumes of the United States Reports contain the fourth and final generation of the Court's opinions. However, the materials collected here contain not just opinions, but the full text, from cover through index, of bound volumes 502 et seq., including all of the opinions, orders, and other materials issued for the Court's 1991 Term and subsequent years. Additional volumes will be included here after they are published in print form.
Caution: Only the printed bound volumes of the United States Reports contain the final, official opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States . In case of discrepancies between a bound volume and the materials included here--or any other version of the same materials, whether print or electronic, official or unofficial--the printed bound volume controls.
USA Counties Basic Collection http://www.census.gov/statab/www/county.html
Over 5,000 data items covering all 3,142 counties in the United States . Many items provide several years of data. Sources include Census Bureau, other government agencies and private organizations .
Additional Indexes and Databases
The Alabama Virtual Library http://www.avl.lib.al.us
This Alabama state-sponsored database of databases is accessible without password on the campuses of EOCC. Current offsite access to the AVL, however, is password restricted. Passwords are provided upon request to EOCC students from an EOCC librarian. Other Alabama citizens may access passwords from an Alabama public library. The collection of databases includes “Military & Government Collection”, which provides access to numerous military and government publications.
Government Information http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/us/federal.htm
Provided by the University of Colorado at Boulder , this subject directory gives information by government and nongovernmental sites.
InfoMine http://infomine.ucr.edu/search/govpubsearch.phtml
INFOMINE is a database developed by the librarians at the University of California , Riverside . It is easy to use and currently contains over 9,500 records covering most academic disciplines with a large section devoted to government information. It is known globally for its high quality scholarly and educational collection. Allows searching and browsing by subject, keyword, or title. |
