How to find government information

Government information is an excellent source of facts, statistics, primary source materials, articles from government periodicals, reports and analysis.

Start your search for government information by searching the library catalog. Type in keywords, choose a keyword search, and limit your search to Government Documents, as shown below.

One of the results is a hearing in Congress entitled "Ephedra: Who is protecting the American consumer?"

You can click on Web Link to see the document online (this requires Adobe Reader to be installed on your computer), or you can find this in print in the Government Information department on the 2nd floor in the library.

Notice the Call Number - this is the SuDoc classification system. If this looks confusing, don't worry. Someone at the help desk in Government Information in can help you find this on the shelf.

You can also search the Internet for government information. Find the search box at the top of the Government Information web page where you can type in keywords and choose a search engine - both Google Uncle Sam and FirstGov are excellent search engines that search only government websites.

A third way to find government information is to use our Subject Guides on the Government Information web page. On the left-side menu you will see a link to Subject Guides. Each guide has links to specific publications, databases, and agencies for that topic.

A fourth way is to go directly to government websites. If you were looking for statistics on crime, you could go to the Department of Justice website. From there, you may see a link to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. If you can't guess which agency to search, you can ask the friendly, knowledgeable library staff or read this tutorial.

The fifth way is to ask a librarian for guidance. The Government Information librarian, Pam Carver, or any of the staff can help guide you through the maze of information available to you.

Here's where to click on the Government Information web page: