The University of Texas at Austin
School of Information
INF 382D Introduction to Information Resources and Services
Government Documents (Fall 2010)
General Notes:
1. Government Document: “Any publication that is printed at government expense or published by
authority of a governmental body.” [Katz, Introduction to Reference Work: Basic Information
Services 8th edition (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002), 447.]
Learn About the Depository System
1. U.S. Government Printing Office. PDLP Desktop. http://reports.wichita.edu/ddm2/gdocframes.asp
1. Collection Management
See, especially “Collections Tools: List of Classes.”
2. FDL Handbook. See, especially,
Appendix A: Suggested Core Collections by Library Type
Appendix E: Acronyms, Abbreviations and Glossary.
2. Documents Data Miner 2 (A Library Management System for US Government Documents).
http://reports.wichita.edu/ddm2/gdocframes.asp
3. Essential Titles for Public Use in Tangible Format.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/estitles.html
4. List of Classes of United States Government Publications.
Get Connected Professionally and Keeping Up
1. ALA. Government Documents Round Table (GODORT). ala.org.
2. Library Journal. Notable Government Documents. Annual special feature.
Some Key Sources
1. American State Papers. [Congressional documents from 1789-1838].
2. United States Congressional Serial Set (Serial Set). [18167-.] [House and Senate Documents;
House and Senate Reports. Exec Branch materials published in the Serial Set during the late 19th
and early 20th centuries]
a. For more information see, “U.S. Congressional Serial Set: What It Is and Its History.”
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/history/sset/index.html
3. The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (Annals of Congress).]17891824]. Succeeded by:
a. Register of Debates
b. Congressional Globe
c. Congressional Record, 1873-.
4. Library of Congress. Thomas. http://thomas.loc.gov/
5. U.S. Government Printing Office. GPOAcess. http://www.gpoaccess.gov
6. Federal Register. [all agency rules and regulations along with Presidential proclamations and
executive orders] http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html/
7. U.S. Government Printing Office. Catalog of U. S. Government Publications.
http://catalog.gpo.gov/F?RN=400220953
8. Library of Congress. Federal Research Division and U.S. Department of the Army. Country
Studies. [1988-1998]
9. U.S. Department of State. Background Notes. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/
10. U.S. Executive Branch. Budget of the United States Government.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/index.html
11. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. https://www.cfda.gov/index?cck=1&au=&ck
12. Code of Federal Regulations. http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html#page1
13. United States. Legislative Branch. United States Code.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/index.html. [general and permanent laws of the U.S.]
14. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
15. Dictionary of Occupational Titles. (Now O*Net Code Connector).
http://www.onetcodeconnector.org/
16. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. http://www.bls.gov/oco/.