A Selection of Useful .gov Websites
December 14, 2012, Clinton Essex Franklin Library System
Meeting of Correctional Facility Librarians
www.usa.gov
Nice features on the site:
 “Search the Government” search box lists federal, state and local results
 FAQs lists the top 10 questions asked, including small business resources, job search, social
security
 Contacts for all levels of government
 Live chat help and “email your question”
 One stop place for services such as USPS change of address, apply for a passport, or order
court records online.
 Youtube channel link with informative videos
www.dol.gov
Nice features on the site:
 Access to Occupational Outlook Handbook and BLS data under Resources
 “People are Asking..” feed shows common questions
 Lots of links to reentry information in the Training section
 Youtube channel has videos to develop “soft skills” for employment (Skills to Pay the Bills)
 Search by audience and Job Seekers/Unemployed for job resources
www. benefits.gov
Nice features on the site:
 Guided questionnaire to find out what benefits you are eligible for.
 Information about disaster assistance
 Information about healthcare changes
www.opportunity.gov
Nice features on the site:
 Links to Federal financial aid resources, including CareerOneStop and FAFSA
www.nih.gov
Nice features on the site:
 Health Topics A to Z
 MedLine Plus – trusted health information searchable by keyword
 Lots of family health information for consumers, including video and audio
www.drugabuse.gov
Nice features on the site:
 Family Checkup – are your kids at risk for substance abuse?
 Treatment locator
 HIV/AIDS information
 News and information about new drugs of abuse, such as “bath salts.”
 A section with resources on Criminal Justice and drug abuse
www.usdoj.com
Nice features on the site:
 Report a crime
 Locate a federal prison, federal inmate or any sex offender
 Most wanted fugitives
 Get a job with the Department of Justice
 Crime statistics
www.crimesolutions.gov
 Describes and rates programs designed to reduce crime and recidivism, international in
scope
www.usajobs.gov
Nice features of the site:
 Search for Federal jobs by keywords and location of job desired, create an account
and store resumes
www.uscis.gov
Nice features on the site:
 Multilingual resources
 Information about applying for green cards, citizenship
 Practice for the Naturalization Test
 Forms
 Tool to track your case
www.publications.usa.gov
Nice features on the site:
 Free publications for consumers, mostly PDF’s
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
Nice features on the site:
 Search by various criteria for educational programs. Links to career and financial aid
resources
www.labor.ny.gov
Nice features on the site:
 State and US unemployment and jobs data
 Multilingual resources
 Information and tools about unemployment
 Links to NY CareerZone
Also – Library of Congress: www.loc.gov
New York City: www.nyc.gov,
And CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/