Government Documents in Your Library

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VLA Paraprofessional Forum May 24, 2004
Government Documents in Your Library
Lily McGovern Mcgovernl_at_ndu.edu
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Government Document or Publication
Any document issued by, under the authority of,
or at the expense of a recognized government.
Government documents include publications from
states, the federal government, and
transnational or international organizations
such as the United Nations
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Are you or your customers interested in ?
Laws and rules the govern us
Current events
Taxes
Financial aid
Space
Agriculture
Energy
The environment
Statistics
Scandals
History
Drugs
Food Stamps
Social security
Parks
Veterans benefits
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United States Government Manual
Http//www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/
As the official handbook of the Federal
Government, the United States Government Manual
provides comprehensive information on the
agencies of the legislative, judicial, and
executive branches. It also includes information
on quasi-official agencies, international
organizations in which the United States
participates, and boards, commissions, and
committees. The Manual begins with reprints of
the Declaration of Independence and the U.S.
Constitution. The new edition of the Manual is
available annually in late summer.
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Example from the United States Government Manual
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH CONGRESS One Hundred and
Eighth Congress, First Session The Senate The
Capitol, Washington, DC 20510 Phone,
2022243121. Internet, www.senate.gov. President
of the Senate (Vice President of the United
States) DICK CHENEY President pro tempore TED
STEVENS Majority Leader BILL FRIST Minority
Leader THOMAS DASCHLE Secretary of the Senate
EMILY REYNOLDS Sergeant at Arms BILL
PICKLE Secretary for the Majority DAVID J.
SCHIAPPA Secretary for the Minority MARTIN
PAONE Chaplain (VACANCY)
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Example continued
The House of Representatives The Capitol,
Washington, DC 20515 Phone, 2022253121.
Internet, www.house.gov. The Speaker J. DENNIS
HASTERT Clerk JEFF TRANDAHL Sergeant at Arms
WILSON L. LIVINGOOD Chief Administrative Officer
JAMES M. EAGEN III Chaplain REV. DANIEL P.
COUGHLIN The Congress of the United States was
created by Article I, section 1, of
the Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional
Convention on September 17, 1787,providing that
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be
vested in a Congress of the United States, which
shall consist of a Senate and House of
Representatives.The first Congress under the
Constitution met on March 4, 1789, in the Federal
Hall in New York City. The membership then
consisted of 20 1 Senators and 59
Representatives.
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The Council on Environmental Quality formulates
and recommends national policies to promote the
improvement of the quality of the
environment. The Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) was established within the Executive Office
of the President by the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.). The Environmental Quality Improvement Act
of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.) established the
Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ) to provide
professional and administrative support for the
Council. The Council and OEQ are collectively
referred to as the Council on Environmental
Quality, and the CEQ Chair, who is appointed by
the President, serves as the Director of OEQ. The
Council develops policies which bring into
productive harmony the Nations social, economic,
and environmental priorities, with the goal of
improving the quality of Federal decisionmaking.
As required by NEPA, CEQ evaluates, coordinates,
and mediates Federal activities advises and
assists the President on both national and
international environmental policy matters and
prepares the Presidents annual environmental
quality report to Congress. In addition, it
oversees Federal agency and department
implementation of NEPA.  
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Organization of the Federal Government
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Federal Government

• Executive Branch
• Judicial Branch
• Legislative Branch

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Executive Office of the President

• The President
• The Vice President
• The White House Home Page
• Offices within the Executive Office of the
  President
• The President's Cabinet

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Some Presidential Documents
Executive Orders About Executive Orders (from
NARA) Weekly Compilation of Presidential
Documents The Weekly Compilation of Presidential
Documents is published every Monday and is the
official publication of presidential statements,
messages, remarks, and other materials released
by the White House Press Secretary. Public
Papers of the Presidents -published by the Office
of the Federal Register, National Archives and
Records Administration, began in 1957 in response
to a recommendation of the National Historical
Publications Commission.
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Executive Departments

• Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• http//www.usda.gov/
• Department of Commerce (DOC)
• http//www.commerce.gov/
• Department of Defense (DOD)
• http//www.defenselink.mil/
• Department of Education (ED)
• http//www.ed.gov
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• http//www.energy.gov
• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• http//www.hhs.gov/
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• http//www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/

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Executive Departments

• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• http//www.hud.gov/
• Department of the Interior (DOI)
• http//www.doi.gov/
• Department of Justice (DOJ)
• http//www.usdoj.gov/
• Department of Labor (DOL)
• http//www.dol.gov/
• Department of State (DOS)
• http//www.state.gov/
• Department of Transportation (DOT)
• http//www.dot.gov/
• Department of the Treasury
• http//www.treasury.gov/
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• http//www.va.gov/

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Judicial Branch
Judicial Branch (from the Government
Manual) About federal courts http//www.fjc.gov/f
ederal/courts.nsf
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Legislative Branch
Senate http//www.senate.gov House of
Representatives http//www.house.gov
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Agencies that Support Congress

• Architect of the Capitol
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
• General Accounting Office (GAO)
• Government Printing Office (GPO)
• Library of Congress
• Stennis Center for Public Service
• U.S. Botanic Garden
•     

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Best Search Site for Congressional
Material Thomas http//thomas.loc.gov/home/thom
as2.html
Documents of Note Congressional Record -
official publication of Congressional
proceedings Federal Register - official daily
publication for rules, proposed rules, and
notices Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR)-codification of the general and permanent
rules US Code (USC)-codification by subject
matter of the general and permanent laws of the
United States
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Documents of Note - continued
Statistical Abstract of the United States- An
authoritative source for data on the economic,
social, and political lives of Americans. Histori
cal Statistics of the United States, colonial
times to 1970 not available online. Economic
Report of the President- an annual report written
by the Chairman of the Council of Economic
Advisors. It overviews the nation's economic
progress using text and extensive data
appendices.
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Documents of Note - continued
Occupational Outlook Handbook - Revised every two
years, it describes what workers do on the job,
working conditions, the training and education
needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a
wide range of occupations. GAO Reports - The
General Accounting Office is the audit,
evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress.
GAO examines the use of public funds, evaluates
federal programs and activities, and provides
analyses, options, recommendations, and other
assistance at the request of Congress. Example
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Documents of Note - continued
Foreign Relations of the United States - the
official documentary historical record of major
U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant
diplomatic activity. The series began in 1861 and
now comprises more than 350 individual volumes.
The volumes published over the last two decades
increasingly contain declassified records from
all the foreign affairs agencies. CIA World
Fact Book - produced by CIA's Directorate of
Intelligence. The Factbook is a comprehensive
resource of facts and statistics on more than 250
countries and other entities.
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Documents of Note - continued
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign
Governments - The directory is intended to be
used primarily as a reference aid and includes as
many governments of the world as is considered
practical, some of them not officially recognized
by the United States. The National Map - an
online, interactive map service that provides
public access to high-quality, geospatial data
and information from multiple partners.
National Biological Information Infrastructure
- an electronic gateway to biological data and
information maintained by the USGS.
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Gateways to Note
GPO Access FirstGov National Contact Center
from GSA. Has 800 number to ask
questions. National Technical Information Center
(NTIS) information on more than 600,000
information products covering over 350 subject
areas from over 200 federal agencies. Sells
copies of reports and studies to the general
public, many not available directly from the
sponsoring organization.
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Tools to Use
GPO Access FirstGov -the official U.S. gateway
to all government information. Has topical and
customer-focused links. Monthly Catalog World
Cat - OCLC Database Google Uncle Sam
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Some Thoughts
Government documents are just information
published by the government. They are in many
different formats and found in many places. They
are about almost any subject. Thinking about
what organization has an interest in a subject
will help. Electronic coverage may vary from
place to place and electronic coverage frequently
wont cover older publications. Some
organizations only keep the current version of
items on their site. Expect to find dead links
and redirects to documents.
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More Thoughts
Use email and phone numbers from official web
sites for more information. You have paid for
creation of this information with your tax
dollars. Use it!