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Government Publications

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This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code)

Finding Federal Government Documents

Use the navigation menu to jump to resources for a specific branch of government or topic.

Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch includes all of Congress, both the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office.   Congress is responsible for the creation and implementation of all statute law.  For more information see:

Executive Branch

The Executive Branch includes the offices of the President, Vice President, and most of the Executive agencies such as the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Department of Health & Human Services, etc. 

More resources for Executive Branch documents can be found in the Finding Federal Government Documents section above.

Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch includes not only the network of circuit and appeals courts culminating in the  U.S. Supreme Court,  but also specialized courts such as the U.S. Tax Court, the Customs Court, etc.

Historical Documents (Finding Aids)

In the early years of the U.S. Government Publishing Office, most publications didn’t have SuDocs call numbers and weren’t well indexed. Many important documents were published in two versions: a departmental edition and a "serial set" version. Since the publications in the serial set were bound together randomly rather than in numerical order, using one of the finding aids below is the best way to locate the right volume. If you can’t find a digitized version of the document you need, a librarian is happy to help—just use the Ask a Librarian option above.

Scientific & Technical Information

Technical Reports

Geography

Government Statistics

Many government agencies publish statistics, including the Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Center for Health Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, and the Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Their websites offer free access to data and reports. If you need help finding government statistics, a librarian is happy to assist—just use the Ask a Librarian option above.