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Government Documents & Information  

A guide to finding and evaluating government documents and information.
Last Updated: May 16, 2012 URL: http://libguides.lib.pacific.edu/govdocs Print Guide RSS UpdatesShareThis

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Welcome!

This guide will help you locate information published by the government or governmental agencies.  

Many recent publications are available online, but older publications (esp. those published before 1976) may be available in hard copy.

 

Key Government Documents

  • United States Consitution
    Although the Constitution is available in many formats, you can download a copy with explanatory annotations from the Government Printing Office (GPO).
  • U.S. Government Manual
    The U.S. Government manual is a helpful source of up-to-date information about each branch of government the activities and functions of each department and office.
 

Branches of Government

The federal government is defined by the U.S. Constitution as having three equal branches:

Legislative Branch: This branch of the Federal Government is commonly known as Congress. Congress is composed of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Executive Branch: This branch includes the Office of the President of the United States and the departments and agencies that make regulations. The White House offers a helpful overview of the activities of the Executive Branch.

Judicial Branch: The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the land and the only part of the federal judiciary specifically required by the Constitution. The rest of the Federal Judiciary is established at the discretion of Congress.

Here is a helpful primer about the Federal Court System from the United States Courts.

 

Government Information Portals

To search for documents from multiple branches of the government as well as departments and agencies, try these indexes.

  • Legal Information Institute
    A starting point for legal information, hosted by Cornell University Law School.
  • GPO MetaLib Federated Search
    Searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online.
  • GPO Access
    Offers links to documents, serials and databases from the Government Printing Office. Includes a useful A-Z listing of its resources.
  • CGP (Catalog of U.S. Government Publications)
    A searchable database providing bibliographic information for U.S. Government publications beginning with January 1994. Includes links to electronic titles.

Subject Guide

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Nicole Grady
 
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