Locating Government Information at UCLA and beyond...

Catalogs and Major Websites

To locate specific titles or materials on a topic, start with the UCLA Library Catalog
The UCLA Library is a depository for Federal, State, Local, and many international bodies, like the United Nations, European Union, as well as foreign governments. The Library has been collecting materials from all levels of government since the 1930’s, but has some publications prior to that date. This information is accessible through the Library’s Catalog.

UC Melvyl Catalog
Libraries throughout the UC system are also depository libraries for the various levels of government. Melvyl is especially useful for locating California, International and foreign government information, which UCLA may not own.

Catalog of Government Publications
From the U.S. Government Printing Office, this is the finding tool for federal publications, historical and current. It is the online counterpart of the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications,

GPO Access
The Government Printing Office provides indexing and full text access to publications from the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government, e.g. Congressional Record, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, and many more.

USA.gov and USA.gov Search
U.S. Government’s official web portal and official search engine. Search for web sites, documents, images, news items from the Federal government. Some state government information can also be found using FirstGov.

Science.gov
Science.gov is a gateway to over 50 million pages of authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. government agencies, including research and development results.

Google US Government Search
Searches primarily .gov and .mil domains; good for locating both federal and state government information.

Info.gov
The National Contact Center responds to telephone and e-mail inquiries about Federal programs, benefits, and services, and processes telephone requests for consumer publications. 

FedStats
Access to statistics from over 100 federal agencies, browse by topic, agency, or geography.

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Agency Websites

Agency Approach to Locating Government Information (Chuck Malone, Western Illinois University Library)

USASearch.gov
Use USASearch.gov to identify federal agencies associated with a topic or keywords; search for images, breaking news from federal agencies, etc.

U.S. Government Manual
Use the official handbook of the Federal Government to find out which agency covers your topic. The Government Manual provides background information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees. Available in print: 1935-1972/73 and 1973/74 - current

UCLA Library Guide: State and Local Governments
Includes a list of online directories and resources for locating state and local government agency websites and information.

UCLA Library Guide: Los Angeles City/County Government
Links to key resources about the organization of municipal and county government.

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Reference Sources

Firstgov.gov Reference Shelf

UCLA Research Library Government Information Website

Martin, Mary, ed. (2005). Local and Regional Government Information : How To Find It, How To Use It. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2005. YRL Reference Desk Call Number: Z1223.5.A1 L63 2005

Morehead, Joe. (1999). Introduction to United States Government Information Sources. Englewood, Colo. : Libraries Unlimited. YRL Reference Desk Call Number: ZA5055.U6 M67 1999

Morrison, Andrea M and Barbara J. Mann. (2004). International Government Information And Country Information : A Subject Guide. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press. YRL Reference Desk Call Number: ZA5050 .M67 2004

Sears, Jean L. and Marilyn Moody. (2001). Using Government Information Sources : Electronic and Print. Phoenix, Ariz. : Oryx Press. YRL Reference Desk, Call # Z1223.Z7 S4 2001 and Biomed Reference Core Z1223.Z7 S439u 2001

Smith, Lori, et al. (2003). Tapping State Government Information Sources. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press. YRL Reference Desk, Call Number: Z1223.5.A1 T36 2003

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Specialized Searches

Elections

Legislation – Federal

Legislation - State

Statistics and Data

United Nations

GPO Browse Topics
Resource guides created by government information librarians in the U.S. covering many topics.

Government Documents Roundtable Handout Exchange
Resource guides on a wide variety of topics created by created by government information librarians in the U.S.

Articles Databases

(under development)

If you are conducting research off-campus and need access to restricted materials, such as article databases and other electronic resources, take a few minutes to set up your computer for the proxy server. For quick instructions on this, go to the UCLA BOL Proxy Services page.

Below are some suggested databases that index government information or provide access to useful secondary sources about government policy. To find more databases, go to the UCLA Library Homepage, pull down the Search and Find menu, then Article Databases, and select Article Databases by Subject.

Ciao : Columbia International Affairs Online [UC Only]
Covering theory and research in international affairs, indexes and provides complete text of a wide range of scholarship from 1991 on that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, and proceedings from conferences. The complete text of journal articles is available on the database for all or some of the journals indexed.

EIS digests of environmental impact statements [UC Only]
Presents key issues from complex U.S. government-released environmental impact statements, converting massive documents into concise, readable abstracts.

PAIS Archive [UC Only]
Provides international coverage of citations to articles, books, conference proceedings, and government documents on social and political policy, political science, public administration, current affairs, and related topics, from 1915-1976.

PAIS International [UC Only]
Provides international coverage to articles, books, conference proceedings, and government documents on social and political policy, political science, public administration, current affairs, and related topics, from 1972 to the present.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts [UCLA Only]
Citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international literature in political science, international relations, law, and public policy.

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Government and Nongovernmental Resources by Topic

[Under Development]

Sources covering many topics

USA.gov

Federal Resources Organized by Topic (GPO Access)

GPO Access Online Resources A-Z List

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)

• Topic Collections
• Reports and Testimony Browse by Topics
• Reports and Testimony Browse by Agency

California State homepage, arranged by subject

California State Agencies Directory

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