U.S. Government Search Tools

 

Bibliographies and Lists

These sites, in general to specific order, all try to provide general access to the vast array of government information on the Internet. They vary in the approach they take and their organization. The descriptions below may help you determine which is most appropriate for your particular use.

SuDoc List of Internet Titles
A list of links to federal government publications online, by Superintendent of Documents Classification, which organizes federal publications by issuing agency. SuDoc numbers have not been assigned to links for which the associated web pages do not have SuDoc numbers or a comparable print publication. Agency homepage, overview, or gateway-type web pages — which in turn organize other pages on the agency’s website — are listed first. Statistical databases are also listed.
FDsys (formerly GPO Access)
Search for a broad range of U.S. government information.  GPO Access includes the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, which is a searchable index of government information in print as well as electronic format.
USA.gov
Federal government website that provides the public with easy, one-stop access to all online U.S. Federal Government resources, including a search engine, directory by topic, and directory by department.  Maintained by the General Services Administration.
University of Michigan Documents Center Main Page
Includes links to federal, international, and local governmental agencies; also features links for documents in the news, political science and statistics information, and guides for class assignments.
Federal Agency Internet Sites
Maintained by LSU, based on the entries in the US Government Manual.
Federal Information Sources
From East Carolina University Government Documents Library. Includes Links to popular and useful Government sites, in 10 broad categories — including Science & Technology, Consumer Information, and Educational Statistics.
Frequently Used Sites Related to U.S. Government Information
A project of the American Library Association’s Government Documents Round Table’s Federal Documents Task Force. Covers all major sites by topic
Abbreviations and Acronyms of the U.S. Government 
This site from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis lists abbreviations for agencies commonly used by the federal government, with links to the Web site for each agency listed.
GPO’s Finding Aid to Government Information: New Electronic Titles
Publications titles arranged by agencies. Also contains a “What’s New” section.
Guide to Cartographic Products of the Federal Depository Library Program (PDF)
This page, compiled by the State University of New York at Buffalo, lists the cartographic products of the FDLP. It will be updated once a year, based on GPO’s List of Classespublications.
GovSpot
A directory of government information, including information arranged by subject and a section of frequently asked questions.
Guide to Online Resources on Intellectual Property Rights
Find both basic and technical information on copyrights, patents, and trademarks here.
Patent Information
Compiled by the Grainger Engineering Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this site explains where to access patent information on the Internet and how to research patents.
Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb
Search this database from the U.S. International Trade Administration by industrial code, country, or region.  Registration is required to use the site.

Catalogs & Search Engines

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
This on-line index from the U.S. Government Printing Office searches both print and on-line publications back to 1994. For coverage back to 1976, use OCLC’s FirstSearch, and choose “GPO” in the dropdown menu.

Consumer Resources

USA.gov Contact Center
This site from the USA.gov Contact Center guides users to information about federal services and information. It also gives a phone number to call if your question is not answered on the site.
Consumer.gov
This site links to information for consumers from many federal agencies and is maintained by the Federal Trade Commission. Some topics included are product recall notices, health information, and consumer fraud.

Election Resources

Project Vote Smart
Tracks the performance of over 13,000 political leaders. From the non-profit organization The Center for National Independence in Politics.
Federal Voting Assistance Program
Includes a Voting Assistance Guide for each state.
The National Mail Voter Registration Form
The form enables you to register to vote from anywhere in the United States.

Historical and Archived Documents

National Security Archive
An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The Avalon Project
Provides access to important historical and foundational documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government. Historical categories are pre-18th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, and 20th Century.
American Memory Project
American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.
Our Documents 
To help us think, talk and teach about the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our democracy, we invite you to explore 100 milestone documents of American history. The Our Documents initiative is a cooperative effort among National History Day, The National Archives and Records Administration, and USA Freedom Corps.
Census Project Blog
The Census Project Blog details a collaborative effort of state and local groups to invest in a fair and accurate census.

Technical & Scientific Information

NASA Technical Reports Server
NASA’s Scientific and Technical Program Office publishes this index to its research and technical reports.
NITRD R&D Dashboard
A portal for information about Federal research projects.  The public may use this tool to stay better informed as to how its investment in research and development is being utilized. It also provides a unique window to the Federal research community, allowing agencies to better understand the research and development efforts of their counterparts in government.
Annual Defense Reports
The Annual Defense Report, details how the Department of Defense built its capabilities and is working to maintain them in the future. In addition to fulfilling a statutory requirement, specifically U.S.C. Title 10, the Secretary of Defense’s Annual Defense Report is widely distributed and serves as a basic reference document for those interested in national defense issues and programs.
SciTech Connect
SciTech Connect a combination of Information Bridge and Energy Citations Database provides the open source to full-text and bibliographic records of Department of Energy (DOE)research and development reports in physics, chemistry, materials, biology, environmental sciences, energy technologies, engineering, computer and information science, renewable energy, and other topics
National Service Center for Environmental Publications
EPA’s largest electronic documents site allows you to search view and print, including full images of all original pages and full-text, from a collection of over 10,000 archival and current documents. This collection may include documents that are no longer available in print form.
Office of Environmental Protection – Information Products Bulletin
The Information Products Bulletin (IPB) is a joint effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) to inform stakeholders and the public about upcoming significant information products.
PubMed
PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, includes over 15 million citations for biomedical articles back to the 1950’s. These citations are from MEDLINE and additional life science journals.

Government Forms and Services

USA Jobs
The official job site of the United States government. This is a good source for Federal jobs and employment information.
Government Asset Sales
Information on the sale or auction of all manner of public assets and surplus from real property and loans to planes, boats, cars, jewelry, and just about anything that any government, Federal, state, local or international, will be offering for sale or auction to the general public electronically.