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Using and Linking to Outside Resources: US Government Sources

This guide is intended to help blog writers and other web content creators use government resources better to avoid dead links and incorporate the highest quality information from sources in governments and major international organizations.

US Sources

Overview

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. 

National Libraries in the United States

The US has five national libraries, all of which have extensive digital access. They are as follows

Legislative Sources

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. 

Common Examples

Testimony given at hearings is a common source for blog posts and other research on an evolving policy landscape. 

  • For committee hearings, govinfo.gov is a good source. You can browse by congress, committee and select a PDF or HTML text of the hearing transcript. 

 

The Federal Register is another frequently referenced document. It contains federal rule changes, Presidential memos and executive orders. 

Executive Branch Agencies

  • Executive branch agency information is available through govinfo.gov as well as through agencies directly
    • govinfo.gov is an update of the previous system known as FedSys
    • govinfo.gov allows you to search by category of document or to search by title
    • govinfo.gov contains executive orders, even very recent ones and the daily Federal Register
  • If your research needs are even a little historical, you may also find the National Archives helpful
  • The Development Experience Clearinghouse is of particular interest for research in the area of international development. The US Agency for International Development maintains the DEC and uses it to store project records and as an archive for over 50 years of the work of USAID

Data Research

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

Background on FDLP

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. 

Digital Access to FDLP resources

Fortunately many of the resources of the US government are available digitally. 

 

How to Videos

IFPRI is a CGIAR Research Center