Government Documents and Information

Find government documents, general state and federal government and legislative information. For more government information check the guide to Census Information or see the guide to Political Science.

Locate Documents

Federal

GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cgp/advanced.html
The Government Printing Office is responsible for creating disseminating, and preserving Federal information products. Information from Congress and other Federal agencies are available online (increasingly) and through Federal Depository Libraries.

Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html
The basic documents defining United States democracy. A core group of current and historical Government publications available for free, permanent, public access via GPO Access, including the Constitution, the Gettysberg Address, the Federalist Papers, American FactFinder, the Emancipation Proclamation, Presidential Inagurations, and much more.

Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.gov
U.S. Legislative information, including the full text of legislation and the Congressional Record, as well as bill summaries and status. Includes information about the legislative process and text of some historical documents. A service of the Library of Congress.

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html
U.S. Congressional documents and debates from 1774 - 1875. Full-text online from the Library of Congress American Memory Project.

FirstGov: The US Government's Official Web Portal
http://firstgov.gov/
All-inclusive source of information about the United States Federal Government including links to government department and agency web pages.

U. S. Government Manual
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html
Official handbook of the federal government. Comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Additional information on boards, commissions, committees, international organizations, and quasi-official agencies.

Government: Legislative and Statistical Information Guide
http://www.stkate.edu/library/guides/govern.html
A guide to sources for finding federal bills and other legislative information and for locating federal government statistical information.

State

Minnesota North Star
http://www.state.mn.us/
The official website of the state of Minnesota. Government information and services. Links to state offices, tourist information, and forms.

Legislative Reference Library
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/
The official website of the Library of the Minnesota State Legislature. State documents, guides to Minnesota issues, and historical legislative and state government data. Links to the World offers selected resources on topics of interest.

Minnesota Legislative Manual (The Blue Book)
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/BlueBookOnline.htm
The Minnesota Legislative Manual online. Summary information on the federal government, state office holders, state legislature, state agenices, local government, and voting. In html and .pdf formats. Includes the Minnesota State Constitution.

State and Local Governments on the Net
http://www.statelocalgov.net/
Directory to state and local government websites around the country. The Minnesota link includes sections on Minnesota government news, services, directories, and offices, among others.

Minnesota Legislation and Bill Status
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legis.asp
Search current and past House and Senate Bills. From the Minnesota Legislature.

Minnesota Planning
http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/
Current and future Minnesota policy issues from the Department of Administration: census, population, crime statistics, environment and land management. Also includes custom map feature.

Minnesota State Court System
http://www.courts.state.mn.us/home/
Find current and archived court opinions from the State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Minnesota State Legislature
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/
Links to the Minnesota House and Senate, Minnesota statutes and laws, directories, and other state government information.

Minnesota Statutes, Session Laws, and Rules
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/statutes.asp
Search Minnesota Statutes by keyword or number, browse Session laws, and find Minnesota Rules.

• Not sure what the difference is between a statute and a law? See Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature

MinnStats
http://www.mnstats.state.mn.us
A repository of socio-economic data produced by state of Minnesota agencies, a project of the Economic Resource Group.

Local

Local Government on Minnesota North Star
The official website of the state of Minnesota. Government information and services. Links to state offices, tourist information, and forms.

Local Governments from Firstgov.gov
http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/Local.shtml
Links to local governments around the nation. Includes American Hometowns, National League of Cities, and National Association of Counties, among others.

Other States

Council of State Governments
http://www.csg.org/
A non-partisan, non-profit organization designed to facilitate communication with state leaders. Also includes StateNews, continuously updated news about the states.

State and Local Governments from Firstgov.gov
http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/State_and_Territories.shtml
Links to state government homepages (including Minnesota), as well as U.S. Territories and Outlying Areas. Also includes links to state and local resources.

Stateline
http://www.stateline.org/
Non-partisan daily reports of developments in state government. Areas covered include education, taxes/budget, healthcare, welfare reform, land use and election reform.

 

 

NASCIO State Search
http://www.nascio.org/stateSearch/
A topical clearinghouse of state government information on the Internet.

International

United Nations
http://www.un.org/
The official website of the United Nations.

United Nations Bibliographic Information System (UNBISnet)
http://unbisnet.un.org/
Catalog of United Nations(UN) documents and publications indexed by the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library and the Library of the UN Office at Geneva.

United Nations Documentation Center
http://www.un.org/documents/
General Assembly and Council documents of the United Nations.

Europa: Gateway to the European Union
http://europa.eu.int/index_en.htm
The official website of the European Union.

Europa: Gateway to the EU - Publications
http://publications.eu.int/
Click on the "EN" to access official publications in English. Also available are General Publications about the European Union,Official publications by the European Union, and a Portal to publications by the European Union and its agencies.

European Union Documents
http://europa.eu.int/documents/index_en.htm
All the documents available from the European Union. The site is divided into three sections and contains links to legislation, activity reports, brochures, audio-visual material, internal documents, archives, and more.

International Governmental Organizations
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internat/igo.html
Gateway site put out by Northwestern University Library. Extensive list of international governmental organizations arranged alphabetically, with links to their websites.

[top]

Agencies and Departments

Federal Agencies

Federal Agency List
http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml
A linked list provided by the federal government to all federal agencies and departments. The Federal Agencies Directory

Federal Agencies Directory
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html
Put out by the LSU Libraries provides access to all agency and department websites in addition to quasi-offical and independent agencies, judicial, excutive, and legislative, as well as boards, commissions, and committees. The Directory may be viewed alphabetically or hierarchically.

State Agencies

Minnesota State Agency List (through Minnesota North Star)
The official website of the state of Minnesota links to State Agencies. Accessed through the Minnesota North Star site - Government tab.

[top]

Executive Branch

Federal

The President and the White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
The offical website of the president and vice-president. Includes links to speeches, press releases, news, and current issues. The site includes pages for the First Lady and the Vice-president's wife.

The Executive Branch
http://www.thisnation.com/executive.html
From ThisNation.com. An overview and guide to the executive branch of the federal government.

A Guide to Presidential Documents
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/presidential_documents/website_guide.html
Put together by NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) this guide includes links to executive orders, proclamataions, public papers, and more.

Executive Office of the President
http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/Federal/Executive/EOP.shtml
From Firstgov.gov. Offices, agencies, councils, and cabinets connected to the executive office.

U.S. Executive Agencies and Regulations
http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/usexec.html
From the Law Library of Congress. Guide to presidential, regulatory, and other executive resources and information.

State

Minnesota North Star
http://www.state.mn.us/
The official website of the state of Minnesota. Government information and services. Links to state offices, tourist information, and forms.

Office of the Governor of Minnesota
http://www.governor.state.mn.us/
The official website of the governor and lieutent governor of Minnesota. Links to the governor's cabinet, legislation. Also links to executive orders and the Minnesota state budget.

[top]

Judicial Branch

Federal

Supreme Court of the United States
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
Information about the Supreme Court, as well as links to decisions, arguments, opinions, and court rules.

U.S. Courts
http://www.uscourts.gov/
Gateway to federal courts including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Court, and Bankruptcy Court. Includes a library and a newsroom.

FedWorld.gov: Supreme Court Decisions 1937-1975
http://www.fedworld.gov/supcourt/
Managed by National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Searchable full text of Supreme Court decisions from 1937-1975. Decisions may be searched by keyword or by case.

How the Supreme Court Works
http://www.supremecourthistory.org/03_how/subs_how/03_a.html
An in-depth look at the Supreme Court, its structure, types of cases, appointments, and role. From the Supreme Court Historical Society.

Oyez: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/frontpage
A gateway site to the Supreme Court. Includes information on dockets, justices, and cases. Includes all court recorded audio since 1995, and a virtual tour of the Supreme Court building.

Findlaw: Supreme Court Opinions
http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html
View decisions and opinions by the Supreme Court. Includes a searchable database of Supreme Court decisions since 1893, and links to the Findlaw: Supreme Court Center which includes dockets, case indexes, rules, briefs, and the court's calendar. Check out the court resources from Findlaw.

Federal Judicial Branch
http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/Federal/Judicial.shtml
Guide to the judicial branch of the federal government from Firstgov.gov. Includes links to numerous courts and information about the courts.

State

Minnesota Judicial Branch
http://www.courts.state.mn.us/home/
Find current and archived court opinions from the State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Links to district and U.S. courts, judges biographies, and the history of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Minnesota State Law Library
http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/
Search the library's catalog and library publications. Links to appellate court opinions, including full-text searching of court opinions since May 1996. Also includes links to ordinances, and Minnesota appellate court briefs.

Findlaw: Minnesota Courts
http://www.findlaw.com/11stategov/mn/courts.html
Findlaw's page on Minnesota courts. Includes links to federal and state courts in Minnesota, as well as links to court news and related case summaries.

Lawmoose: Minnesota Judges Directory
http://www.lawmoose.com/index.cfm?Action=Judges.Home&CKS=MNLaw
Directory of judges in Minnesota. Listed by court type and judicial district - covers Federal and State Court and Administrative Law. Put out by Lawmoose - Home of the Minnesota Legal Web.

[top]

Legislative Branch

Federal

The United States Senate
http://www.senate.gov/
The offical website of the Senate. Includes links to senators, legislation, committees and more. The reference tab includes links to information on Congress and the government.

The United States House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
The offical website of the House of Representatives. Includes links to representatives, committess, schedules, and legislative information. The site includes the House directory.

Federal Legislative Branch
http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/Federal/Legislative.shtml
From Fristgov.gov. Guide to the legislative branch of the federal government. Includes Congress and agencies supporting Congress.

State

Minnesota Senate
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/
The official website of the Minnesota Senate. Senate member pages, committees, rules, schedules, and legislation. Also includes links to live and archive video and audio coverage of Senate floor sessions and committee meetings.

Minnesota House of Representatives
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/
The official website of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Representative pages, committees, task forces, schedules, and legislation. Also includes links to live and archive audio and video of House floor sessions and committee meetings, and session statistics back to the 79th legislative session.

[top]

Primary Source Documents

American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/
From the Library of Congress. A national digital project which documents the American experience through written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music. Browse the collection by topic, time period, or place.

NARA: National Archives and Record Administration
http://www.archives.gov/index.html
The National Archives houses the country's historic documents. Direct access to the Federal Register. Go to the Research Room for genealogy, veteran's service records, and the archival research catalog. Links to grant information, online exhibits such as the Charters of Freedom which includes the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. Links to the digital classroom, records of Congress, and the presidential libraries and museums.

100 Milestone Documents
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/index.php?flash=true&
Digital images of 100 documents of importance to the American people. Included among the 100 documents are the Monroe Doctrine, Dred Scott v. Sanford, the Homestead Act, the Gettysburg Address, the United Nations Charter, Brown v. Board of Education, and the Civil Rights Act.

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/
Search the Public Papers of the Presidents back to 1992.

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html
Put out by NARA's Office of the Federal Register and the Government Printing Office (GPO). Searchable by year from 1993 forward; from 2001 forward, documents may be clicked on by browsing the weekly table of contents.

[top]

Special Collections and Other Useful Links

Federal

FedStats.gov
http://www.fedstats.gov/
Gateway to statistics from over 100 federal agencies. Includes topic lists, map lists, geographic lists, and agency lists, among others.

Tribal Government Websites
http://www.firstgov.gov/Government/State_Local/Tribal_Sites.shtml
Gateway to tribal government websites around the country.

Grants.gov
http://www.grants.gov/
An electronic storefront for federally-administered grants. May be browsed by topic or searched. Also includes federal grant notification service.

Ben's Guide
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/
Provides information for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. The site explains how our government works, symbols of government, how laws are made, and serves as a gateway to related government websites and agencies.

Kids.gov
http://www.kids.gov/
Gateway to government websites for kids!

InfoUSA
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/
Put out by the U.S. Department of State. Information on American society, political processes, and official U.S. policies and culture.

InfoUSA: Outline of U.S. Government
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/outusgov/
Put out by the U.S. Department of State. An overview of U.S. government. Includes a look at the Constitution, the role of citizens, the Supreme Court, and the three branches of government.

National Contact Center
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/call/phone.htm
Gatewau site to federal directory information put out by the Federal Citizen Information Center. Includes agencies, commissions, Congress, and general government directories.

State

Historical Information on the Minnesota Legislature
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/histleg/histdat.asp
Put out by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Offers historic information on House and Senate leadership, party control, sessions, and women in the legislature.

Historic Information on Minnesota State Government http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/mngov/mngov.asp
Put out by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Offers historic information on governors, leutinent governors, secretaries of state, attorney generals, state auditors, state treasurers, and state of the state addresses.

Resources on Minnesota Issues
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/issues/issues.asp
Put out by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Offers information and resources on topics of interest and importance to Minnesota, such as crime, feedlots, stadiums, light rail transit, and legal age.

Other

ThisNation
http://www.thisnation.com/
Comprehensive guide to American government and politics on the Internet.

National Atlas
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/
Various methods of mapping the nation. Includes printable maps and maps you can create yourself. Can view maps relating to agriculture, climate, environment, transportation, and more.

[top]

Minnesota Legislative Manual (Blue Book)
REF JK6130 .A36 (year)
Current year at reference desk. 1995-2002 in Reference. Older editions in stacks.
Current and past two years also available online: www.sos.state.mn.us/BlueBookOnline.htm
Comprehensive Minnesota government information.

The Municipal Year Book
REF JS344 .C5 A24 (year)
Authoritative source book for local government data and developments including budgets, salaries, and directories.

State and Metropolitan Area Data Book
REF HA202 .S84
Available online: www.census.gov/statab/www/smadb.html
The State and Metropolitan Data Book is also a Statistical Abstract Supplement that is published intermittently. It provides information and statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of state and metropolitan areas of the United States.

[top]

Federal Government Information

Online Federal Government Information
Congressional Directory
http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/cong016.html
Current and past congressional directories available online from the United States Congress. Also available in print format: JK1011

CyberCemetery
http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/
A partnership with the US Government Printing Office and the University of North Texas Libraries to provide permanent access to electronic documents and websites of federal agencies and commissions. Listed alphabetically and by category.

Federal Register
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
The official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other presidential documents. Includes records back to 1994.

FedWorld.gov
http://www.fedworld.gov/
Gateway to Government agencies and information, managed by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).

GPO Access
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
Full-text databases and access to US Government documents: Congressional Directory, Congressional Bills, United States Code, Federal Register, and others.

Internet Law Library
http://lectlaw.com/inll/1.htm
Originally created by the US House of Representatives, the Internet Law Library is now hosted by a number of sites. Includes Federal laws, state laws, and the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register, and various other government files. Also contains links to treaties and laws of other nations.

Uncle Sam
http://www.google.com/unclesam
Powered by Google, this web search engine retrieves websites with URLs ending in .gov or .mil.

US Blue Pages
http://www.usbluepages.gov/
Directory of US Government agencies, services, and officials.

[top]

Print Information for Federal Government

Budget of the United States Government
REF HJ2051 .A59 (2004)
Past two editions in Reference. Older editions in stacks.
Available online:http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/
From the Executive Office of the President. Includes budget highlights and the budgets of Federal agencies.

Congressional Quarterly's Washington Information Directory 2003-2004
REF F192.3 .W33 (2003-2004)
Subject areas are divided into three information sources: agencies, Congress, and nonprofit organizations. Includes index.

CQ Almanac
REF JK1 .C66 (year)
1997-2001 in Reference. Older editions in stacks.
A comprehensive analysis of congressional action for a given year including records of House and Senate votes.

CQ Weekly Report
(Periodicals collection)
Weekly information on current policy, Bills, and House and Senate votes.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
REF HA202 (year)
Current year at Reference Desk. 1997-2001 in Reference. Older editions to 1913 in stacks.
Available online:http://www.census.gov/statab/www/
A standard summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. A reference source and guide to other statistical publications and information.

United States Government Manual
REF JK421 .A3 (year)
Current year at Reference desk. Previous year in Reference.
Available online: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html
Comprehensive source for government information including the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, legislative, judicial, and executive branches, and other government departments, corporations, and agencies.

The Oxford Guide to the United States Government
REF JK9 .P384 (2001)
Authoritative information on key figures and events, the US Presidency, Congress, Supreme Court, and other government agencies. Includes index.

 [top]

Sources About Using Government Documents

The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources : A Manual for Writers & Librarians
REF Desk J9.5 .G37 1993
Since government document publications do not always follow standard publishing practices, this manual is designed to supplement standard style/citation manuals for writers, librarians, government documents specialists, and others who are citing government information sources.

Encyclopedia of the U. S. Census
REF HA37 .U55 E53 2000
A comprehensive one-volume work that provides ready reference on the US Decennial Census. Designed to be a concise and accurate way to answer questions about the US Census, past and present.

Government Information on the Internet
REF ZA5075 .N68 2001
Contains thousands of entries for government web sites including descriptions and current URLs. Includes index.

U.S. Government on the Web
REF ZA5075 .H47 2003
A guide to the wealth of information available to the public via various government organizations and departments.

Guide to U.S. Government Publications
REF Z1223.Z7 A574 2001
A comprehensive annotated guide to the important series, periodicals, and reference tools published by US government agencies.

Introduction to United States Government Information Sources
REF J83 .M674 1999
Provides information on general and specific, print and non-print federal government information sources. Designed for use by library school students, information professionals, and researchers.

Using Government Information Sources : Print and Electronic
REF J83 .S4 2000
A reference guide to US government information for beginners and experienced researchers. Provides guide to popular government documents and related search strategies.

[top]

---

 

Federal Sources

Congressional Quarterly's Washington Information Directory 2003-2004

REF F192.3 .W33 (2003-2004). Subject areas are divided into three information sources: agencies, Congress, and nonprofit organizations. Includes index.

CQ Almanac

REF JK1 .C66 (year). 1997-2001 in Reference. Older editions in stacks.

A comprehensive analysis of congressional action for a given year including records of House and Senate votes.

CQ Almanac Plus

REF JK1 .C66 (year). 2001-2003 in Reference. A comprehensive analysis of congressional action for a given year including records of House and Senate votes.

CQ Weekly Report

(Periodicals collection)

Weekly information on current policy, Bills, and House and Senate votes.

United States Government Manual

REF JK421 .A3 (year) Current year at reference desk. Previous year in Reference.

Comprehensive source for government information including the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, legislative, judicial, and executive branches, and other government departments, corporations, and agencies. Current and past editions also available online: The United State Government Manual

The Oxford Guide to United States Government

REF JK9 .P384 (2001)

Authoritative information on key figures and events, the US Presidency, Congress, Supreme Court, and other government agencies. Includes index.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State and Local Sources

Minnesota Legislative Manual (Blue Book)

REF JK6130 .A36 (year) Current year at reference desk. 2001-2005 in Reference. Older editions in stacks.Comprehensive Minnesota government information. Current and past two years also available online: Blue Book Online

The Municipal Year Book

REF JS344 .C5 A24 (year)

Authoritative source book for local government data and developments including budgets, salaries, and directories.