LibGuides: Government Information: Federal Government Information

Federal Government Basics

Understanding how the government operates can guide you in finding relevant government information. Explore the links below to learn more about the structure and functions of the U.S. Federal Government.

The Dirksen Congressional Center The Dirksen Congressional Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting research and scholarship to advance the public understanding of the U.S. Congress.
Glossary of Legislative Terms Brief explanations of legislative terms from Congress.com
The Legislative Process - A 9 section series of videos from Congress.com describing he Legislative Process. Sections include: 1. Overview of the Legislative Process; 2. Introduction and Referral of Bills; 3. Committee Consideration; 4. Calendars and Scheduling; 5.House Floor; 6. Senate Floor; 7. Executive Business in the Senate; 8. Resolving Differences; 9. Presidential Actions
List of Federal Government Agencies - University of the District of Columbia A government agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization within a national or state government. These agencies are responsible for oversight or administration of a specific sector, field, or area of study. Most government agencies are meant to be non-political but the direction and intention of their work may change depending on which political party makes up the majority of elected officials. The work of many government agencies is mandated and directed by law. Agencies may work individually on in cooperation with other agencies or non-government entities on their assigned work.
Structure of the U.S. Government - FDLP Resource Guides This guide shows the structure of the U.S. Government, including the three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. Below is a general flowchart.
U.S. Government Manual The United States Government Manual has been the "official handbook" of the Federal Government. This annual publication describes the structure and function of the Federal government.

Government Information Sources

Most government information is published online. If you are using an Internet search engine to find government iformation, 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.
Federal Depository Library Program (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.

U.S. Government Databases

GPO MetaLib MetaLib is a federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online.

Technical Reports

Science.gov Science.gov is an official website of the U.S. government providing ready access to the massive stores of federally funded scientific research results, without needing to know which agency funded the research. Research results include scientific and technical reports, peer-reviewed scholarly publications, digital data, software, conference presentations and proceedings, and other scientific and technical information that federal agencies publish resulting from their research investments.
Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL) The Technical Report Archive & Image Library (TRAIL) identifies, acquires, catalogs, digitizes and provides unrestricted access to U.S. government agency technical reports. TRAIL currently consists of over four dozen member institutions whose annual membership fees and volunteered staff time further the efforts of the project.

Economic Documents

Budget of the U.S. Issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Budget of the United States Government is a collection of documents that contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications that have been issued throughout the fiscal year. Other related and supporting budget publications are included, which may vary from year to year. GPO has signed and certified the PDF files to assure users that the online documents are official and authentic.
Economic Indicators
FRASER FRASER is a digital library of U.S. economic, financial, and banking history—particularly the history of the Federal Reserve System. Providing economic information and data to the public is an important mission for the St. Louis Fed started by former St. Louis Fed Research Director Homer Jones in 1958. FRASER began as a data preservation and accessibility project of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 2004 and now provides access to data and policy documents from the Federal Reserve System and many other institutions.