Selected Internet Sources for Federal Government Information
General
WEBLUIS (July 1976 – present)
http://webluis.fcla.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/fclwlv3/wlv3/CM02/DGgen/DBwebluis/P1homeTo identify and locate a government document owned by the university library, use WEBLUIS. This online catalog contains records for all the government information products received from the Government Printing Office since July 1976 and Florida documents received through the Florida depository library program.
For earlier federal documents, the paper Monthly Catalog and its indexes located in the Documents Department must be used. Nevertheless, the library catalog records are extremely useful since familiar search commands and strategies can be used. WEBLUIS records may also include a linked URL to any online version of the document.
One caveat, federal documents records are loaded directly from a computer tape issued by the GPO. This tape occasionally contains records of documents that the library has not received. The documents staff can help clarify any problems.
FirstGov
http://firstgov.gov/This site is the primary portal for the Federal Government. It allows access by topic, agency, or various search strategies.
GPO Access
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/index.htmlGPO Access is the online presence of the Government Printing Office. In its role as the primary disseminator of federal information, GPO maintains online versions of many government documents and databases. Information from all three branches of the Federal Government is indexed.
University of Florida Documents Department
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/docs/This URL is our index page providing general links to federal, state, local, foreign, and international government information on the Internet. Direct links are provided to some frequently used sources.
Search Engines
GOVBOT
http://ciir2.cs.umass.edu/Govbot/GOVBOT, developed by the Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval at the University of Massachusetts, is an internet search engine that indexes hundreds of thousands federal government and military web pages.
Pathway Indexer
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/search/index.htmlThe GPO version of an Internet search engine, Pathway Indexer searches over 1350 official U.S. Federal agency and military Internet sites.
Federal Web Locator
http://www.infoctr.edu/fwl/A product of Villanova Center for Information Law and Policy, This search engine allows Boolean searching as well as browsing.
Commercial Search Engines
GoogleGovernment
SearchGov.com
SearchMil.com
Usgovsearchhttp://www.google.com/unclesam
http://www.searchgov.com
http://www.searchmil.com
http://usgovsearch.northernlight.com/publibaccess/
Together, these search engines index any pages ending in the federal government domains of ".gov" and ".mil".
Lists of Federal Agencies
First Gov
http://firstgov.govLouisiana State University Libraries
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.htmlThis LSU site is maintained in conjunction with the GPO.
Federal Web Locator
http://www.infoctr.edu/fwl/University of Florida Documents Department
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/docs/fedinfo.htmlYahoo
http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__Government/Agencies/
Executive Branch
Presidential Documents
The Executive Office of the President
http://www.whitehouse.govThe public Internet presence for the President. Contains information about the Office of the President (http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/OP_Home.html). Check the "Highlighted Presidential Remarks" for speeches and statements (http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/OP_Speeches.html). Also search the White House virtual library (http://library.whitehouse.gov/library/index.html).
Federal Register
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.htmlThe Federal Register and the Code of Regulations contain much more than presidential documents. The FR is the daily printed bulletin board of the executive branch. It includes notices, announcements, proposed and final regulations, and presidential documents. The online version has proclamations and executive orders from 1995.
Code of Federal Regulations
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/db2.htmlThe CFR is also the codified collection of the general and permanent regulations issued by the executive departments and agencies. Presidential documents published in the Federal Register are codified annually (December) in Title 3 of the CFR. The online version has presidential documents from 1995.
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/db2.htmlThe weekly compilation contains messages to Congress, transcripts of press conferences and speeches, press releases and other statements. It is issued every Monday. The online version dates back to 1993.
The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
http://www.gpo.gov/nara/pubpaps/srchpaps.htmlIncludes the President's daily schedule and meetings, when announced, and other items of general interest issued by the Office of the Press Secretary; the President's nominations submitted to the Senate; materials released by the Office of the Press Secretary that are not printed full-text in the book; and proclamations, Executive orders, and other Presidential documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary and published in the Federal Register. The online version covers only the Clinton administration. The Public Papers of the Presidents for previous administrations is available on CD-ROM in the documents department.
Agency Documents
Federal Register
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.htmlYou can find notices, announcements, proposed and final regulations issued by the various federal agencies in the Federal Register.
Code of Federal Regulations
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/db2.htmlOnce proposed regulations become final, they are codified in the Federal register.
Catalog of United States Government Publications (MOCAT)
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/cgp/index.htmlTo identify and locate a government title, use the Catalog of United States Government Publications, formerly known as the Monthly Catalog. MOCAT is the most complete listing of federal government documents. It is produced by the Government Printing Office and includes government titles shipped to depository libraries. This web version is the descendent of a paper catalog that has been published in some format since 1895 and is retrospective to January 1994. MOCAT can be searched by using keywords, numbers, and initials. One of the most useful online features is the inclusion of the URL for any online titles.
MOCAT does not include every title produced by Federal agencies. Many documents are not sent to the GPO for publication and distribution; but are printed and distributed by the individual originating agency. MOCAT does not provide abstracts, or index individual articles that appear in government periodicals. Nor does it effectively index government databases, technical reports, and special publications of some agencies such as the Department of Defense. These documents can be difficult to track down. But a comprehensive search cannot ignore their existence. Check the agency web site for a complete search.
New Electronic Titles
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/net/index.htmlThe NET weekly list is a “new accessions list” for brand-new FDLP online titles. It consists of online products that are new to the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). In general, a title disseminated solely in online format will be listed in NET. However, an NET listing does not mean that the title has no print equivalent anywhere.
NTIS Database
http://www.fedworld.gov/
http://www.ntis.gov/search.htmCambridge Scientific Abstracts
http://gateway.fcla.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/~fclwptl/Webgateway/Webgateway?CSAMOCAT includes only about ten percent of the technical reports issued by government agencies. These reports resulting from federally funded research are collected and published by the National Technical Information Service, an agency of the Commerce Department (http://www.ntis.gov/index.html ) . NTIS sells these reports, but provides an online index and search engine to identify titles on specific subjects for reports published since 1990. The documents department has a large collection of these reports and will order additional titles on microfiche for university faculty and students.
The Cambridge Scientific Abstracts contains a commercial version of the NTIS database available to University of Florida students and faculty. It covers reports published since 1960. Connect through WebLuis or from the URL above. Upon connection search the "Alphabetical List" and check "NTIS." Cambridge Scientific Abstracts must be accessed through a UF computer account.
Uncle Sam
http://www.lib.memphis.edu/gpo/mig.htmSome agencies that now publish formerly paper-based materials only on the Internet have neglected to inform the GPO so the record in MOCAT may be incorrect. This can mislead a searcher to assume a title is not available online. To ameliorate this problem, the documents librarians at the University of Memphis have produced a list of government documents that have migrated from paper to electronic formats.
A searcher must know either the title of the document or the SuDocs number to use this service; so use Uncle Sam in conjunction with MOCAT or an agency index. But once a document is identified, Uncle Sam provides a link to the document's URL.
The Columbia University U.S. Government Ready Reference Collection
http://www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/indiv/dsc/readyref.htmlColumbia University maintains a list of links to commonly used federal government titles categorized by topic.
Northwestern University Government Publications and Maps
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/resource/federal/title.htmlNorthwestern University provides a more extensive list of electronic titles.
Government Information Locator Service (GILS)
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/gils/index.htmlGILS is a decentralized collection of agency based information locators using network technology and international standards to direct users to relevant information resources within the Federal Government. Because this collection is decentralized, the GPO is attempting to provide a single point of entry to access, or link to, all U.S. Federal GILS databases. Not all agencies have mounted their GILS records on the GPO Access server and some are not easily accessible. Because not all agencies have provided information on location of their GILS records at this time, this cannot be considered a comprehensive database.
The GILS service does not locate a document specifically. It provides metadata for federal information. GILS records identify public information resources, describe the information available in these resources, and assist in obtaining the information. If they are online, a URL may be given. GILS are often used to find out whom to contact about a specific topic in a particular agency.
Legislative Branch
Congressional Universe
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/cisCongressional Universe is the online counterpart to Congressional Masterfile. Its coverage extends to 1968 for most information. It contains the full text of proposed legislation and hearing testimony, legislative histories, abstracts of hearing reports, and biographical and financial information on the members of Congress. It is fully searchable.
Congressional Universe is a subscription service available to University of Florida students and faculty. It must be accessed through a UF computer account.
Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.govCongressional documents directly from the Congress. Thomas is provided by the Library of Congress and is the primary electronic source for congressional information. It provides indexing and full text access to public laws, bills, roll call votes, and the Congressional Record. Most of the publications are covered back to the 101st Congress (1989 – 1990).
GPO Access
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/legislative.htmlAgain, the Government Printing Office is responsible for presenting any Congressional documents that the Congress authorizes. The same publications and databases available through Congressional Universe and Thomas are available from the GPO. Most of the congressional information at GPO Access only goes back as far as the 103rd Congress (1993 – 1994). Check the individual databases to identify available dates.
United States Senate
http://www.senate.govThe official site of the Senate is the source for information about members, email addresses, calendars, and committees.
United States House of Representatives
http://www.house.govThis is the House counterpart to the site above, but it is more comprehensive.
Congressional Masterfile 1 (1789 – 1969)
Congressional Masterfile 2 (1970 – 1998)
Available on CD-ROM in the documents department, CM 1 indexes congressional documents from 1789 to 1969. It includes both published and unpublished congressional hearing reports, committee prints and other informational publications related to matters before the Congress, the American State Papers and the U.S. Serial Set (serialized congressional documents including early annual executive department reports, reports of western exploration, Indian wars, Civil War, etc.).
CM 2 indexes and abstracts congressional information since 1970. Accesses congressional documents and reports, committee reports and prints, public laws, legislative histories and reports of congressional offices such as the Congressional Budget Office. The database can be searched over a number of fields including the names or affiliation of witnesses appearing before committees. CM 2 is now available online in Congressional Universe. Choose CIS Indexes.
Judicial Branch and Legal Information
U.S. Code
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/cong013.html
http://uscode.house.gov/The codified laws of the United States. These laws are arranged in various "Titles" based loosely on the subject of the law.
Supreme Court
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/This is the definitive site for the current activities of the Supreme Court. It has opinions and orders from 1999 and transcripts of oral arguments present before the court.
U.S. Courts
http://www.uscourts.govThe primary Internet site for the federal courts other than the Supreme Court. This site has links to every Federal Court with a web page (go to http://www.uscourts.gov/allinks.html#all).
Supreme Court Opinions, 1937-1975
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/supcrt/index.htmlSupreme Court Opinions, 1893 – present
http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.htmllii hermes, 1990 – 2000 (580 earlier decisions)
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/This site, located at Cornell University, has the latest decisions that can be browsed by topic and searched by keyword. This site also includes 580 historic decisions dating back to 1789.
U.S. Courts of Appeal Decisions, 1995 - present
http://www.law.emory.edu/fedcircuit/Emory University maintains this database of decisions by the different Federal Courts of Appeal. Browse by date and party or search by keyword.
LEXIS®-NEXIS® Academic Universe
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/cisLEXIS®-NEXIS® Academic Universe provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information. Known for its full text collection of newspapers and magazines, its full text searchable database of federal and state case law, codes, and constitutions are also useful for government research.
LEXIS®-NEXIS® Academic Universe is a subscription service available to University of Florida students and faculty. It must be accessed through a UF computer account.
University of Florida Legal Information Center
http://www.law.ufl.edu/General page with links to various court sites.
Statistical Information
U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.govThe Census Bureau is the nation's leading collector of demographic and economic information. It has led the federal government in posting its information products to the Internet. Huge web site with many features and services. Two of the most used services are listed below.
Census Data (by geographic designation)
http://venus.census.gov/cdrom/lookupStatistical Abstract of the United States
http://www.census.gov/statab/www/The printed version is the venerated source for federal statistics. The online version is the same in .pdf format.
FEDSTATS
http://www.fedstats.govFEDSTATS is a one-stop location for federal statistics from over 70 agencies. Topics can be searched or browsed.
STAT-USA
http://www.stat-usa.govA subscription service providing a range of commercial, economic, social, and environmental data from a number of federal agencies. It also includes the National Trade Database (NTDB), a huge collection of data and reports concerning international trade.
There is a fee for STAT-USA, but depository libraries receive a single free subscription for use in the library. See the staff of the Documents department. The NTDB is also available on CD-ROM.
Government Information Sharing Project at Oregon State University
http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu/Demographic tables taken from the Census CD-ROMs and other Census Bureau publications with an easy point and click interface.
Statistical Universe
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/cisOnline database replacing the respected Statistical Masterfile, it indexes and abstracts over 100,000 publications containing statistical information. The database includes American Statistics Index (ASI), federal documents, and Statistical Reference Index (SRI), largely state documents with some private sources.
Statistical Universe is a subscription service available to University of Florida students and faculty. It must be accessed through a UF computer account.
White House Statistics Briefing Rooms
The White House briefing rooms gather and summarize current Federal statistics.
University of Florida Documents Department
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/docs/us_statistics.html