LibGuides: Government Information Resources: Federal

Federal Government Basics

Understanding how the government works can help you determine where to look for government information. Check out the links list below to learn more about how the U.S. Federal Government works.

CongressLink
The Dirksen Congressional Center provides resources to help the public understand Congress.
Interactive Learning Modules
These tools from the Center on Congress at Indiana University explain the function and activities of the U.S. Congress.
The Legislative Process
The Library of Congress has created a series of videos that explain how a bill becomes a law.
Our Government
The three branches of the United States government are: the executive branch (the President and most Federal agencies), the legislative branch (Congress), and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court and federal courts). This site explains how they work together.
U.S. Government Manual
Use this resource to learn more about federal agencies. This annual publication describes the structure and function of the Federal government. It describes the responsibilities of each agency.

Presidential Documents

About the White House
The American Presidency Project
Browse or search for Presidential documents and communications going back to 1789. This resource is provided by UC Santa Barbara.
Compilation of Presidential Documents
Official proclamations, remarks, letters, and other communications from the President.
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1993-
Presidential Libraries
Presidents of the United States
This resource guide includes links to digitized documents and images along with related reading suggestions.

Current Government Information

Most government information is now published online. If you are using an Internet search engine, be sure to check that you're looking at a legitimate resource. Keep in mind that Federal government websites typically (but not exclusively!) have addresses that end in .gov. Here are a few places to get started.

govinfo
govinfo is a service of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), which is a Federal agency in the legislative branch. govinfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
FDLP Basic Collection
Every Federal depository library is required to have the titles in the "basic collection" accessible for immediate use. These titles are vital sources of information that support the public's right to know about the workings and essential activities of the Federal Government. This list is subject to change.
USA.gov
The official web portal of the United States government. An excellent resource to find information and forms for governments at the local, state, and federal level.
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This is the official portal to Federal government websites. It is useful for locating agency web content.
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
The catalog of the U.S. Government Printing Office provides indexing for most Federal publications from 1976 forward, and a selection of brief records for earlier documents. This resource also links directly to many publications available in digital formats.
UA Libraries Catalog
Search for materials owned by UA Libraries.

Technical Reports

Science.gov
Federal search portal for scientific and technical resources.
Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL)
Contains digitized federal technical reports issued prior to 1975.

Economic Documents

FRASER
The archive of the Federal Reserve includes full-text documents and data.
Budget of the U.S.
The official Budget of the U.S. includes documentation from the President that documents government expenditures from prior years and proposes expenditure levels for the upcoming fiscal year.
Economic Indicators