Government Information at Gelman
Gelman Library has been a U.S. Federal Depository Library
since 1984. As a selective depository, the Library receives only some
of the documents published by the government, chosen to support the research
and teaching mission of the University.
The closest regional depository containing a complete collection of government
documents is at McKeldin
Library at The University of Maryland at College
Park.
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Subject Librarian:
Tina Plottel
Location: Gelman Library
E-mail: plottel@gwu.edu
Phone: 202-994-2294
Updated: April 2006
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All documents except for Congressional materials
are shelved according to their subject on the 4th, 5th and
6th floors of Gelman. Congressional materials with a call number
beginning with a Y (example: Y 4.ED
8/1:109-16) are shelved in the basement of Gelman.
Members of the general public may use the U.S. Depository
materials by identifying their need at the Access Services Desk at the
entrance of the library.
For updates on government information available
at GW, check the government documents librarian's blog at: http://gelmangovdocs.blogspot.com
This guide is arranged in the following sections:
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The URL for this page is http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/service/govdocs/index.html.
FirstGov
Location: http://firstgovsearch.gov/search?v%3Aproject=firstgov&form=advanced-firstgov&v%3Aframe=form
All government information is published by the Government Publication Office.
To search for government information electronically maintained on agency websites,
use First Gov's search engine powered by Vivisimo.
GPOAccess
Location: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
To search for government publications, use the Catalog of U.S.
Government Publications.
The Executive Branch of the United States government include
the
President, Vice President, the Cabinet, and the and the executive
departments and government
agencies.
General publications of the Executive Branch are:
The Federal Register
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html (1994 to Present); J1 .A2 in the stacks
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. It is updated daily by 6 a.m. and
is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Code of Federal
Regulations
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html; or JK 416 .C6
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the classification of the general
and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments
and agencies of the Federal Government. It is a quarterly publication divided
into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation.
United States
Government Manual
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html; or JK 421 .A3
The United States Government Manual is the official handbook of the Federal
Government, including 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. It is published yearly in late summer.
Publications of the President are:
Budget of
the United States
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/index.html (1997 to Present); or HJ 2051 .A59
The most recent print copy of the Budget is located on the Ready Reference
shelf and also in the Reference Stacks. Issues dating back to 1923 are located
in the stacks.
Economic Report
of the President
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/eop/index.html; or HC 106.5 .A272
Annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors.
The most recent print copy is located on the Ready Reference shelf and also
in the Reference Stacks. Issues dating back to 1951 are located in the stacks
on the 4th floor of Gelman.
Public Papers
of the President of the United States
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/index.html; or J 80 .A283
Papers and speeches of the President beginning with the Hoover administration.
GPO provides electronic access from George H. W. Bush to the present. However,
University of Michigan (Online:http://www.hti.umich.edu/p/ppotpus/)
collection begins with the Hoover papers.
Weekly Compilation
of Presidential Documents
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html; also available at J 80
.A284
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.
The executive departments and government agencies also publish material via
the Government Printing Office. The following is a list of agency websites as
well as significant publications.
Department of Agriculture
Location: http://www.usda.gov/
Census
of Agriculture
Location: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Census_of_Agriculture/index.asp; or
REF HD 1753 1997 .A3
Historical Census of Agriculture in the stacks starting at HD 1753 1925A
Department of Commerce
Location: http://www.doc.gov/ (Includes Census
Bureau. See the Census
Research Guide for significant publications).
Department of Defense
Location: http://www.defenselink.mil/
Department of Education
Location: http://www.ed.gov
No Child
Left Behind Act
Location: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml?src=pb
No Child Left Behind: A Desktop Reference
Location: LB2806.22 .N6 2002
Related hearings can be found by searching the Aladin Catalog, and are
located in the basement of Gelman.
National
Center for Education Statistics
Location: http://nces.ed.gov/
Department of Energy
Location: http://www.energy.gov/ (Includes DOE
Information Bridge)
Department of Health and Human
Services
Location: http://www.os.dhhs.gov/
Department of Homeland
Security
Location: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Location: Online: http://www.hud.gov/
Department of Interior
Location: http://www.doi.gov/ (Includes Bureau
of Indian Affairs, National Park Service,
and United States Geological Survey)
Department of Justice
Location: http://www.usdog.gov
Americans with Disabilities Act
Location: http://www.ada.gov/
Related hearings can be found by searching the Aladin Catalog, and are
located in the basement of Gelman
Department of Labor including
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Outlook
Handbook
Location: http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm; also available in at HF 5381
.A1 O36 (recent edition in REF, earlier editions in Stacks)
The Occupational Outlook Handbook is source for career information,
revised every two years.
Department of State
Location: http://www.state.gov/
Foreign Relations of
the United States
Location: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/; also at JX 233 .A3
The FRUS is the official record of major United States foreign policy decisions
dating back to 1861. The most recent volumes contain declassified records.
For volumes online, consult this index: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/c1716.htm
Department of Transportation
Location: http://www.dot.gov/
Department of Treasury
Location: http://www.ustreas.gov/ (Including Internal
Revenue Service)
Department of Veterans Affairs
Location: http://www.va.gov/
Some government offices are given Cabinet Rank, which means the heads of these
departments may attend cabinet meetings. According to the White
House's website, these departments include but are not limited to:
Office of the
Vice President
Location: http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident/
Office of Management and Budget
Location: http://www.omb.gov
Environmental Protection Agency
Location: http://www.epa.gov
The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme
Court and the lower Federal Courts.
For structural information, see Understanding
the Federal Courts (Online: http://www.uscourts.gov/understand02/index.html).
Items of interest to the Judicial Branch are:
Constitution
of the United States of America
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/index.html
As the primary law of the land, the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787. It
details the three branches of government and outlines the basic rights of citizens
of the United States. An electronic exhibit of the Constitution can be found
at the National
Archive website.
Judicial Branch
Resources on GPO
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/judicial.html
Includes Supreme Court publications and dockets as well as Trial and Appellate
court documents.
Court Decisions and Opinions
U.S. Supreme
Court Decisions 1937-1975
Location: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/supcrt/
U.S. Supreme
Court Decisions 1992-2000
Location: http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/court01.htm
Recent Supreme Court Decisions
from 1990 on are provided through Cornell University Law School's Legal Information
Institute, which also provides an on-line
glossary of legal terms.
U.S.
Supreme Court Opinions
Location: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/opinions.html
Court opinions explain the ruling term for their decisions, as well as those
justices who dissented.
Federal and State Court Decisions
Federal and
State Court Locator
Location: http://law.richmond.edu/legal/courtopin.htm
Provided by the William Taylor Muse Law Library at the University of Richmond.
The House Judiciary Committee
and the Senate Judiciary Committee
play significant roles in the judicial process, conducting important hearings
such as impeachment (the House) and confirmation of judges (Senate).
Print Resources
The following items are not government publications, but provide definitions
and references to significant cases. They are located in the Reference Stacks
at Gelman:
Supreme Court A to Z
Location: REF KF 8542 .A35 S8 1998
Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court
Location: REF 8742 .A35 S5 2005
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the Supreme Court
Location: REF KF8742 .W567 1997 v.1 & 2
The Legislative Branch consists of the United States Congress: the House
of Representatives and the Senate.
THOMAS
Location: http://thomas.loc.gov/
THOMAS is an inclusive legislative information website provided by the
Library of Congress. Bills can be searched according to text, sponsorship
and status, and the site also includes the text of public and private laws,
roll call votes, the Congressional Record, and all documents related to the
legislative process. Coverage generally begins with the 104th Congress (1995)
unless otherwise noted.
Lexis-Nexis
Congressional
Location: ALADIN
This database is a comprehensive source of Congressional information, including bills, House and Senate documents, committee hearings and prints, and legislative histories. Coverage begins with the 91st Congress (1969-1970) and continues to the present.
Publications of the Legislative Branch are:
Congressional
Record
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html; also at REF J 11 .A5
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates
of the United States Congress. It has been published since 1873 and is published
daily when Congress is in session. 1994 to the present is available via
GPO Access.
Congressional
Serial Set
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/index.html; also in Government
Document Microfiche, 3rd Floor Periodicals, Y1. 1/2
The Serial Set is the bound House and Senate reports that relate to bills,
presidential communications and executive publications, treaties and non-government
publications.
Public and Private
Laws
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/index.html (1995 to the present);
also in REF KF 50 .A12
The most recent year is kept until replaced by the Statutes at Large. Public
and Private Laws are Congressional bills once they are signed into law by
the President. Private laws deal with bills affecting individuals, families,
or small groups of people, while public laws affect the population as a whole.
Statutes at
Large
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/statutes/index.html (108th Congress only:
2003-2004); also in REF KF 50 .A123
Officially titled the United States Statutes at Large, this publication is
the permanent collection of all public and private laws. Published chronologically
according to the date the law was enacted, the Statutes at Large also includes
resolutions and Presidential Proclamations that are concurrent with these
laws.
U.S. Code
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/index.html (1994-present); also
in REF K 44 .C4 (most recent edition and supplements)
Every six years, public laws are are published in the United States Code.
A yearly supplement is published for interim years.
Congressional
Hearings
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/chearings/index.html (1995-Present); also,
Congressional Hearings are located in the basement of Gelman. House Documents.
Search Aladin for specific hearings, or use Lexis-Nexis
Congressional for transcripts.
House Documents
Calendars
of the U.S. House of Representatives and History of Legislation
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/calendars/house/index.html (1995 to Present)
The House Calendar is published daily by 8a.m. while Congress is in session.
House Journal
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/hjournal/index.html (1991-1999)
Required by the Constitution, the House Journal is a record of the daily legislative
proceedings of the House.
Rules and
Precedents that Govern the House of Representatives
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/precedents/index.html
The House of Representatives is required by the Constitution to keep a record
of all rules and precedents set forth during its proceedings.
Senate Documents
Senate
Calendar of Business
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/calendars/senate/index.html (1995 to Present)
The Senate Calendar is published daily while Congress is in session, and contains
action items.
Senate Manual
Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/smanual/index.html
Rules, laws, resolutions of the Senate.
For more information, call the Reference Desk at 202-994-6048 or use the E-mail
Reference Form. This page is maintained by Tina
Plottel.
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