The Federal Depository Library Program safeguards one of  our nation’s strongest traditions – the public’s right to know. Since it was established in the mid 1800’s, the FDLP has collected, organized, and preserved information produced by all parts of the Federal Government, and assisted people in locating and using it.

As a participant in the FDLP, ESCC provides no-fee access as well as assistance in locating specific information. Collections include documents in print and electronic formats in a wide range of topics.

Below are several of the more popular databases and publications with their URLs and/or Superintendent of Documents Call Numbers (italicized). The latter would be used to access the print format of the document within the library.

Alabama Virtual Library

General Information

Library Resources

Library Services

Reference Sites

Periodicals

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Government Documents

LRC Home

Basic Collection
http://www.fdlp.gov/basicollection
A list of titles constituting the Basic Collection was developed in 1977 to identify the most basic Federal documents for inclusion in depository collections. These documents are vital sources of information that support the public's right to know about the workings and essential activities of their Federal Government. Titles designated as part of the Basic Collection are indicated below with “Basic Collection” following the title.   A list of titles constituting the Basic Collection was developed in 1977 to identify the most basic Federal documents for inclusion in depository collections. These documents are vital sources of information that support the public's right to know about the workings and essential activities of their Federal Government. Titles designated as part of the Basic Collection are indicated below with “Basic Collection” following the title.

United States Government Manual. Basic CollectionWashington, 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 Government Documents section. 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.

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 or most recent president. Each volume in the series contains the papers and speeches of the President of the United States as the documents were issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the specified time period.
1993 to present http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/search.html .

In addition, from 1977 onward, the material appearing in the previous Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (see below) is incorporated into the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States.

Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents. Basic Collection  This website is frequently updated as information is released by the White House press office to Federal Register editors. The documents are edited for accuracy and annotated with additional information in order to provide an authoritative record of the Presidency. Included are:

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.  Previously included in the Basic Collection, as of January 29, 2009, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents became the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents (see above).

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.

Access selected historical documents and Charters of Freedom such as The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

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.

“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 17th 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.

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. New, revised editions are published every ten years. Cumulative supplements are released biennially in order to keep current. The source  provides 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.

There 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
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, 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, Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress, and Budget of the United States Government (part of the Basic Collection).

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. The site includes proclamations, speeches and addresses.

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.

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.

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
On this site, a product of the U. S. Census Bureau, you will find data sources for population, housing, economic, and geographic data.

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids       Basic Collection        http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
Produced for 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: https://www.cfda.gov/index?cck=1&au=&ck 
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is a government-wide collection 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://catalog.gpo.gov/F?RN=876761633
(Jan. 1994 to April 2005) THE BASIC INDEX for government publications, the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) is searched similar to the method of searching WebCat, our ESCC online catalog. WebCat is used to search for books and audio-visual resources in our ESCC collection. Many government publications can be found via WebCat; however, not all of the publications we receive are cataloged and included in WebCat. For those items and other government publications, search with the CGP.

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. (Some are quite lengthy, so be sure to check the description for number of pages!) Additionally, the locate libraries feature enables users to find libraries by state or area code that can make print publications available for their use. More than 500,000 records generated since July 1976 are contained in the CGP and it is updated daily. The catalog will grow to include records for publications dating back to the late 1800s, making the CGP the central point for locating new and historical Government publications.

Census of Population and Housing       Basic Collection                                          http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/index.html  links to the following:

• Census of Population and Housing: Population & Housing Unit Counts (all states, U.S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-3)  
• Census of Population and Housing: Summary Population & Housing Characteristics (all states, U.S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-1)
• Census of Population and Housing: Summary Social, Economic, & Housing Characteristics (all states, U.S. Summary, and Puerto Rico) (Series PHC-2
• Census of Population and Housing: Social, Economic, & Housing Characteristics (Island Areas) (Series PHC-4)

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 Government Documents section in the Enterprise Library.

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. The Daily Digest 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 and 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 Government Documents area in the Enterprise Library.

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, which contain additional and/or revised recommendations, can be issued to the Congress.

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 Agencies Directory       http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/index.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/
FirstGov is 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 one of 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 directory links to popular government documents 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. The 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
The U.S. GPO (Government Printing Office) 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                                    Online at  http://www.bls.gov/OCO/ and Ref HF5381 .U62 in the Reference section of the Enterprise Library.   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. The Handbook is revised every two years. 

Social Security Handbook: Your Basic Guide to the Social Security Programs        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/    Access to authoritative business, trade, and economic information from across the Federal Government.

Statistical Abstract of the United States        Basic Collection         http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ 
The site includes statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States and selected international data are also included. The Abstract is a 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 Government Documents area in the Enterprise Library.

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.

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.