“The most important office of government is citizen.”\u00a0 (Justice Louis Brandeis, 1856-1941.)<\/p>\n
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It might be easier to answer the question, what subject matter is NOT covered by government information?\u00a0 The information produced by the government is vast in terms scope (it is hard to find a subject the government does not publish on) and breadth (the government has been publishing research, statistics, reports since its inception).\u00a0 For a random example, the Census Bureau collects annual data on mode and time of transportation to work by age, sex, occupation, annual income range, etc for multiple geographic areas.\u00a0 While this example may not be of direct interest to you, it illustrates the kind of interests and detailed data that governments collect.<\/p>\n
Government information is also considered to be a primary source, which are important documents for conducting original research (A primary source is a document, speech, or other sort of evidence written, created or otherwise produced during the time under study. Primary sources offer an inside view of a particular event).<\/p>\n
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One of the most significant resources for finding government information are the librarians and staff in the Government Documents Library.\u00a0 We are here SPECIFICALLY to help you find the information you are looking for.\u00a0 Reference services<\/a> (via in-person reference and consultation, email, instant messaging, and phone) are available to affiliates of the university and the general public.\u00a0 You can also browse the many user guides at our Government Information Guides<\/a> and\u00a0Course Guides<\/a> to get a sense of the scope of information.\u00a0 Because of certain idiosyncrasies specific to government publications and their organization even experts in their fields consult the government documents librarians to find print and electronic sources.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Below are links to our major collections.\u00a0 These describe the content of the each collection including the time span, location, and cataloging of the collection.\u00a0 The content of each collection includes legal processes, laws, regulations, statistics, and reports.\u00a0 There is also a list of links to the specific government information guides for each collection.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Introduction to Government Information Sources<\/a>, Lori L. Smith.\u00a0 A brief guide to federal, state and local government information.\u00a0 Basic starting point and outline of the whys and who’s of government information.<\/p>\n Introduction to E-Government<\/a>\u00a0A comprehensive source of information on e-government with both a basic overview and subject specific guides for the novice.<\/p>\nExploring Our Collections and Guides<\/h3>\n
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Further Resources<\/h2>\n
Online<\/h3>\n