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United States Government Information: Finding Government Information

This guide provides access to a selection of resources for current and historical public policy and consumer information issued by U.S. government agencies and private publishers. The University of Iowa is a Federal Depository Library.

The Nature of Government Authored Resources

"In these materials is democracy in all its redundancy, politics in its unsteady wanderings between the ridiculous and the sublime, the sum of our intellectual curiosity, our greed, our genius, and our stupidity; our search for facts, for justice, for advantage. Here, in short, is America; here are we."

Prof. Wayne Fields, from an address he gave upon the 100th anniversary celebration of the federal depository at Washington University in St. Louis in 2006.  Professor Fields was speaking of the importance of government documents to his research and teaching (as an English professor) in the university.

Finding U.S. Government Information Online at UI

  Find Historical Resources In Print at UI

Arranged by date of coverage (oldest to more recent)

Poore, Benjamin Perley.  A Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Publications of the United States, Sept. 5, 1774-March 4, 1881.  (Gov. fZ1223 .A 1885c)

Greely, Adolphus Washington.  Public Documents of the First Fourteen Congresses, 1789-1817: Papers Relating to Early Congressional Documents. (Gov. Z1223 .A 1900)

Superintendent of Documents.  Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909.  (Gov. Z1223 .A113 1911a) 

Lester, Daniel W. et al, compilers.  Cumulative Title Index to United State Public Documents, 1798-1976. (Main Ref. fZ1223 .Z7 L47)

Buchanan, William W. and Edna A. Kanely.  Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications, 1900-1971.  (Main Ref. fZ1223 .A181)

Ames, John G.  Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United States Government, 1881-1893. (Library Annex Z1223 .A 1905 and online at University of North Texas Digital Library)

Hickcox, John H.  Cumulative Index to Hickcox's Monthly Catalog with Superintendent of Documents Classification (SuDoc) numbers added by Mary Elizabeth Poole.  (Main Library Ref. Z1223.Z7 H5)

Superintendent of Documents.  Catalog of the Public Documents of Congress and of Other Departments of the Government of the United States for the Period of March 4, 1893-December 31, 1940. (known as the Document Catalog) (Library Annex 016.353 .U582)

Przebienda, Edward, ed. Decennial Cumulative Personal Author Index. (Gov.  Z1223 .A18 Author Index, yrs.)

Przebienda, Edward, ed.  Quinquennial Cumulative Personal Author Index. (Gov Z1223 .A18 Author Index, yrs.)

Superintendent of Documents. Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (title varies slightly between 1895-2000). (in print: Gov. Z1223 .A18) Continued online by: Catalog of Government Publications.

Guide to U.S. Government Publications. (also known as Andriot after the original editor) (Main Reference Z1223 .Z7 G8)

Microform Sets for Historical Research (UI Libraries)  Note: locations indicated may be inaccurate.  Check InfoHawk or ask a librarian for the current location.

UI Libraries is a Federal Depository Library

The University of Iowa Libraries is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government information.  Public access to the government information collection is guaranteed by public law.  (Title 44 United States Code)   

 

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National Archives resources on 9/11