Government Documents at the PSU Library
A GUIDE TO GOVERNMENT INFORMATION AT PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Introduction | How to Find and Cite Government Documents | Legislative Information | Statistical Sources | Government Information by Topic and Agency | Oregon State and Local Government | Country Information and International Organizations | Other Links
Government information is an important part of many research projects. The United States Government produces numerous publications that are pertinent to research in business, law, education, history and many other subjects. These freely accessible sources are often overlooked in the research process.
Portland State University Library is the regional depository for Federal Documents in the State of Oregon. As such, the Library receives all documents disseminated through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). For more information about the FDLP, please visit http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/libpro.html .
Many of the government document titles available at Portland State University (PSU) may be found through the use of the online catalog VIKAT. In addition, other finding aids are available at the PSU library to assist you in locating government information. Citation manuals can assist the user in correctly citing government information.
VIKAT--PSU Online Catalog
VIKAT is the online catalog for books located in the Portland State University
Library. Search by typing in the author, title, or keyword and click the
corresponding button to see a list of books related to your topic. Most
searches will check the main library and documents library catalog. To
search the documents catalog exclusively, go to the right hand side of
the main search screen and use the drop-down menu and select PSU-DOCS.
Available on the Internet free of charge.
http://vikat.pdx.edu
Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications
United States GPO. Monthly.
The Monthly Catalog (MOCAT) is the list of documents and information
products available from the United States government. The catalog is available
in print, CD-ROM and on-line formats. PSU has the paper version of the
Monthly Catalog beginning in January 1941 to the present. A CD-ROM
version is available, which contains information from 1996 to the present.
The online version contains records beginning in 1994 to the present and
is the easiest version to use because it operates like an online catalog.
Available on the Internet free of charge.
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http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/cgp/index.html
Impact/ACCESS GDCS
Impact/ACCESS GDCS is a commercial version of the GPO's monthly catalog.
It allows the user to search in a variety of methods to locate government
documents in all formats. Impact/ACCESS GDCS also links government information
on the Internet. The coverage of Impact/ACCESS GDCS is 1976 to the present,
giving it greater coverage for government documents than is available
online from MOCAT. Available in the PSU library or at home through PSU
proxy accounts.
http://www.auto-graphics.com/cgipac/mmx/psun/Access
Guide to U.S. Government Publications, 1997 ed.
Documents Index, Inc. Yearly.
The Guide to U.S. Government Publications is a comprehensive list
of government publications. The guide is annotated, and provides the user
with general information about a government document, as well as descriptions
of its scope and content. The guide is arranged by agency and title.
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Using Government Information Sources: Print and Electronic, 2nd
ed.
Oryx Press. 1994.
Using Government Information Sources: Print and Electronic is a
reference guide to government publications. While the book does offer
some ideas on locating government publications, it is intended to teach
user's how to research government information sources by topics and then
by pertinent resources for that topic.
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The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources
Congressional Information Service, Inc., 1993.
The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources is
an excellent tool for citing government documents in print and electronic
formats, as well as local, state, federal, and international government
publications. It is located behind the Basement Reference desk.
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Uncle Sam-Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications
The site Uncle Sam-Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications
is an online resource from the University of Memphis Library (http://exlibris.memphis.edu/)
that demonstrates the correct style for citing government information.
The guide includes citing paper, microform, and electronic documents and
links to other sites dealing with citation styles.
http://exlibris.memphis.edu/govpubs/citeweb.htm
The process of a bill becoming a law is long and often convoluted. Numerous drafts, hearings, and reports, as well as amendments are made before a bill is formally codified as a law. The following sources allow users to track and access bills, laws, and regulations for the United States.
CIS Annual: Legislative Histories of Public Laws
Congressional Information Service, Inc., 1970-1997.
The CIS Annual is one of the resources available at the PSU library
to track down legislation and legislative histories. Each year of the
set includes an index, abstract volume, and legislative history volume.
Periodically a four year cumulative index is also produced. The subscription
to the CIS Annual was cancelled in 1997. For more current legislative
information use the Congressional Universe Database.
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Congressional Record
United States Government Printing Office. Produced Every Day Congress
is in Session.
The Congressional Record is the official (edited) transcript of
the proceedings of the House and Senate. The Congressional Record
is a useful tool to see the statements and votes of Congress. Volumes
of the Congressional Record prior to 1979 can be found on the 4th
floor. The Congressional Record can be found online through Thomas
and GPO Access (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces150.html).
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Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Weekly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1956-
A non-partisan resource that covers and analyzes information regarding
Capitol Hill and its workings. The CQ Weekly also includes information
about the background and status of legislation. The CQ Weekly can
be found in the Third Floor Reference area.
JK1 .C15 3rd Floor | Central Reference or online http://library.cqpress.com/
Congressional Universe
A research database from the Congressional Information Service that contains
links to legislative histories, Congressional documents, transcripts of
testimony, public laws, federal regulations, as well as other sources
of legislative information. The sources within Congressional Universe
are full text.
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp
GPO Access: Legislative Page
The Legislative information page from GPO Access contains links to Congressional
Bills, Committee Prints, as well as other legislative information. Also
included are links to House and Senate publications.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/legislative.html
PAIS
PAIS or Public Affairs Information Service is an index that contains
journal articles, conference proceedings, and statistical information
on a variety of topics including law, social policy, business with potential
sources of legislation being included. The database includes international
sources as well as United States sources. The database contains only abstracts,
so users must check the online catalog VIKAT to see
if PSU carries those sources. Users can access PAIS from the Library Databases
Page.
http://www.lib.pdx.edu/resources/databases/databases_L-Z.html#p
Thomas: The United States Congress on the Net
Thomas contains links to legislation, the Congressional Record,
and committee information back to the 104th Congress. The site also includes
an index to current bills in the news.
http://thomas.loc.gov
The United States Government gathers statistics on almost every facet of the nation, from population to industry to crime. Statistics are a valuable primary source of information and can provide the user with solid facts to bolster their research. Through the use of statistical information the researcher can investigate trends and patterns, and project data for the future.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
United States GPO. Annual.
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a quick reference
tool to find information on topics including population, education, law
enforcement, and many other subjects. The paper version of the Statistical
Abstract is easy to use and convenient. The online version is not
as user friendly, but is available from several sources including the
Census Bureau and Statistical Universe.
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http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-us.html
Statistical Universe
A bibliographic database of statistical information, including national
and international sources. Available in the PSU library, or at home through
a PSU proxy
account.
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/statuniv
STAT-USA
A product of the U.S. Department of Commerce that contains business information
and statistics, including international business information of statistical
information. Inquire at the Business/Government Information Reference
Desk.
Fedstats
Links to statistics from 70 government agencies.
http://www.fedstats.gov
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Data about crime, criminals, and other law enforcement related information.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Labor and occupational statistics from the Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov).
http://www.bls.gov
Census Bureau
The major source for population, economic and social characteristics,
from the agency mandated to collect that information.
http://www.census.gov
National Agriculture Statistical Service
The National Agriculture Statistical Service is an agency within the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA http://www.usda.gov/
) which gathers data related to agriculture and farming.
http://www.usda.gov/nass/
National Center for Educational Statistics
Educational statistics and information pertaining to education in the
United States.
http://nces.ed.gov
National and International Statistics
Links other national and international statistical sources. Hosted by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics .
http://www.bls.gov/bls/other.htm
Oregon State University Government Information Sharing Project
Provides access to demographic, education and economic statistical data
including 1990 census block tract data.
http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu/index.html
Useful tools to find Government agency Internet sites, or documents by topic.
Federal Agencies on the Internet
A comprehensive list of Federal Agency Internet sites hosted by Louisiana
State University. The list is divided by branch of government, agencies
and their subordinate agencies.
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html
FirstGov: Your First Click to the U.S. Government
A website devoted to giving the public access to online materials from
the Federal Government. The site includes links of interest, as well as
a search function. The FirstGov site is maintained by the President's
Management Council.
http://www.firstgov.gov
GPO Access: Official Federal Government Information at Your Fingertips
A pathway to accessing Legislative, Executive, and other Federal Government
information from the Government Printing Office.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/
GPO Browse Topics
A list of topics and related U.S. government Internet sites from the GPO
and the University of Central Oklahoma.
http://library.ucok.edu/gov/browsetopics/
GPO New Electronic Titles (NET)
A collection of new electronic documents from the Government Printing
Office (GPO http://www.gpo.gov) from
the last four weeks. Includes an archive of older electronic titles.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/net/index.html
INFOMINE: Government Information
A search engine from the University of California Libraries, which
can locate government and government information related websites on a
given topic.
http://infomine.ucr.edu/
Links to State of Oregon information online and in the PSU library.
Oregon OnLine
The main portal to Oregon government information online. Includes
links to all state agencies and departments.
http://oregon.gov/
Oregon Blue Book
Oregon Secretary of State. Annual.
The Oregon Blue Book is the official directory of the state of
Oregon. It can be found in both paper and an online format. The Oregon
Blue Book includes a directory of state agencies and local government,
as well as demographic and population information. The Oregon Constitution
can also be found in the Oregon Blue Book. The online version is
continuously updated and contains more information than the paper version.
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http://bluebook.state.or.us
Oregon Business Guide Online
The Corporate Division of the Secretary of State has created an online
business guide for the State of Oregon. The guide is a resource to help
businesses get started in the region and includes employee law, tax information,
and ADA compliance as well as other information.
http://www.sos.state.or.us/corporation/obg/index.htm
Oregon Revised Statutes
State of Oregon. Biannual.
The laws of the state of Oregon are compiled in the Oregon Revised
Statutes (ORS). The ORS can be found in paper and online. The ORS
changes every biennium to reflect the changes made during legistlative
sessions. The paper version has an index to assist in locating laws. The
online version has a search engine as well as an index.
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http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/home.html
Oregon OnLine State Agencies Page
http://oregon.gov/index.cfm?CurrPID=810
Oregon OnLine City and County Government Page
http://www.oregon.gov/index.cfm?CurrPID=831
Oregon State Legislature
The State Legislature site is the online home for the law making organ
of Oregon. Links on the site include the Oregon State Senate, Oregon House,
Bills, Committees, and other pages of interest.
http://www.leg.state.or.us/
City of Portland Hompage
http://www.ci.portland.or.us/
Metro Hompage
The official site of Metro, the tri-county (Clackamas, Washington,
Multnomah) governmental agency. Information related to Metro and its initiatives
can be found on the site.
http://www.metro.dst.or.us/
Foreign country information and documents from foreign organizations.
Background Notes
A Department of State (http://www.state.gov)site
that contains general information about countries including demographic
information, economy, relations with the U.S. and political conditions.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/
Background notes are archived at http://www.state.gov/www/background_notes/index.html
Country Studies Handbooks
Online handbooks from the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov)
dealing with 101 different countries.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
Foreign Government Resources on the Web
A site maintained by the University of Michigan Library Documents
Center (http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center)
that contains links to international government publications. In addition,
it allows the user to browse by topic and country.
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/foreign.html
International Documents
Links to documents and publications from international governmental
organizations from around the world. Hosted by the Northwestern University
Library (http://www.library.nwu.edu/).
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/resource/internat/igo.html
International Organizations
A list of links to international non-governmental organizations maintained
by the Library of Congress.
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/news/io.html
Links to other sites with United States Government information.
Center for Responsive Politics: Campaign Financing Information
Who is giving money to whom in American politics? Find out on the
Center for Responsive Politics site. Includes data on campaign contributions
on the State and National levels.
http://www.opensecrets.org
Digitaldivide.gov: Closing the Digital Divide
A site dedicated to informing the public and finding solutions to
bridging the domestic information access gap. Includes the series of statistical
reports Falling through the Net.
http://www.digitaldivide.gov/
Project Vote Smart: State and Presidential Elections Information
An online library of information on candidates and issues from the
state level to the presidential elections. Includes a mechanism to see
if Congressional and Presidential candidates agree with you on key issues.
http://www.vote-smart.org
Roll Call: The Capitol Hill Newsletter
One of the established sources of information about Capitol Hill and
the Congress, includes political analysis and discussion.
http://www.rollcall.com
Tax Information 2001.
A new resource guide from the PSU library with links to tax forms.
http://www.lib.pdx.edu/resources/govdocs/taxforms02.html
United States Code: Electronic Edition
The Government Printing Office has produced a browsable version of
the US Code which allows the user to find sections of the US Code by topic.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/uscmain.html