The US Government is the largest publisher in the world and while research using government documents is frequently necessary, navigating the many resources can be daunting. Here are some guides from other libraries to help you navigate through the different types of material and ways to access it.
The US has five national libraries, all of which have extensive digital access. They are as follows
The US Government is one of the largest information producers in the world and navigating it can be a challenge. Fortunately a great deal is available electronically.
Testimony given at hearings is a common source for blog posts and other research on an evolving policy landscape.
The Federal Register is another frequently referenced document. It contains federal rule changes, Presidential memos and executive orders.
US government open data are easily searched using data.gov. You will find a searchable catalog of open datasets and supporting material for over 300,000 datasets based on the CKAN platform. The site has additional information to help data managers.
The listing of datasets indicates the types of file format available.
The dataset record provides a lot more detail
The Federal Depository Library Program is the system by which the largest publisher in the world, the US government, makes its documents available to the public through designated libraries located in each congressional district in the country. The program began in 1813 and is administered by the Government Publishing Office (GPO). The designated libraries are either full or select depositories, and each state's land grant university is typically the main depository for the state.
Fortunately many of the resources of the US government are available digitally.