Guides: Government Information Resources: Home

Welcome!

The Government Documents Collection, located on the main level of the Davis Family Library, contains more than 200,000 publications published by various agencies of the United States Government from 1832 to the present. These publications provide information on a vast range of subjects and in many formats, including print, microfiche, CD-ROM, videotapes, and online resources. Most government documents are shelved by Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) number, which groups them by issuing agency rather than by subject.

For assistance in finding and using government publications, see the Research Desk in Davis Family Library or the Government Documents Librarian in room 211. Most government documents we have received since 1976 have been cataloged in MIDCAT and may be checked out at the Circulation Desk unless they are stamped "Not to be taken from the Library." The general public is welcome to use all material we have received as a federal depository library. Middlebury has been an official federal depository library since 1884 and currently receives physical copies or online records for 21% of the publications available from the Government Printing Office (GPO). For more details on our collection, see our Government Documents Collection Development Policy.

Locked Government Documents Shelving

NOTE: If you need access to an item that is in our LOCKED shelving, please contact the Government Documents librarian. You will need to be in the library at a time when he is available, and you will need to bring a photo ID.

During Middlebury's history as Federal Depository Library, we have acquired a deep collection of rare and historic government publications. These items are kept in locked shelving, and can only be accessed under the supervision of a librarian. Many of these items are now available online. To see if an item you are interested in working with is available electronically, you can check:

U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 This link opens in a new window
Contains reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from the 15th to 96th Congresses, originally published in bound volumes. Also includeskey Executive Branch documents and thousands of browsable/searchable Serial Set Maps. Now through 1980 (almost complete). For the 1st - 14th congresses, see American State Papers. Go shortcut = go/usss

Google
To search Google for US government informations, add the string "site:*.gov" to the beginning of your search. For instance, to search for the United States Agricultural Census from 1850, you would enter: 'site:*.gov "agricultural census" 1850'

Not Sure Where to Start?

These are the most widely-used research databases for finding U. S. government information resources:

General Government Documents

MIDCAT This link opens in a new window
Many government documents may be found in Midcat, especially those received since 1976.

Basic Collection - Fed Depository Library Program
Key U.S. Government information resources considered "vital sources of information that support the public's right to know about the workings and essential activities of the Federal Government."
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
1976 - present. The CGP is the finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive records for historical and current publications and provides direct links to those that are available online. Users can search by authoring agency, title, subject, and general key word, or click on 'Advanced Search' for more options. Useful for identifying government documents not owned by Middlebury (and thus not in MIDCAT) but available via interlibrary loan. The print issues of the Monthly Catalog before 1976 are in Gov Docs Ref Z1223 .A18. Digitized versions of the Monthly Catalog are available from U. of Illinois Digital Library.
govinfo
Access online documents from all 3 branches of the Federal Government. Replaces FDSys, which was retired by the Government Publishing Office.
MetaLib
Search engine for more than 50 U.S. Government databases covering a broad range of subjects, including energy, the environment, health, defense, geodata, statistics, and more.

Congressional Documents & Information

U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 This link opens in a new window
Contains reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from the 15th to 96th Congresses, originally published in bound volumes. Also includeskey Executive Branch documents and thousands of browsable/searchable Serial Set Maps. Now through 1980 (almost complete). For the 1st - 14th congresses, see American State Papers. Go shortcut = go/usss
ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
Index with some full-text for Congressional hearings, committee prints, reports and documents. For dates of coverage, see contents coverage chart.

Congress.gov
Full-text ('89 to present) and summaries ('73 to present) of Bills; the Congressional Record (back to 1989); Committee reports & info; Roll call votes; House floor now & this week (shows what's currently before congress), and more. It replaces the THOMAS.gov site.

United States Census

American Factfinder
Recent population, housing, economic, and geographic data from the U. S. Bureau of the Census. See this helpful guide for using it from St. Mary's University.

ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
The Statistical Abstract of the United States had been published annually by the Federal Government since 1878. It is now published by ProQuest. It is a comprehensive collection of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States.

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