Government Information on the Web
Government Information on the Web
Karen Thornton
Government Documents Librarian
Kelvin Smith Library
Case Western Reserve University
INTRODUCTION
The United States Government is committed to providing information in online format. Currently there is a vast body of information available to us on the web if we are knowledgeable enough to tap into it. Navigating the government information landscape requires skilful use of a unigue group of Internet gateways, catalogs and indexes. This class is designed to demonstrate how to maximize retrieval of federal government information on the Web. Instruction on the best strategies for searching the major online sources includes:
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Using search engines and other resources to find government information.
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How to locate government agencies on the WWW.
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Search strategies to locate government legislation.
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How to find statistical resources.
Using the Online Catalog, Search Engines and Subject Indexes to locate
Government Information.
Online Catalog:
Web version of the Library's Catalog:
Finding Aids:
Formerly Monthly Catalog--a GPO Access finding aid.
Includes Web-accessible U.S. Government publications of public interest or educational value.
General Search Engines:
Google
The BEST search engine (almost always).
Government Information Search Engines:
Search Google's "Uncle Sam" database of U.S. Government-hosted pages.
A one-stop federal government information resource that utilizes powerful
searching, crawling, and classification technologies.
Subject Indexes:
Subject indexes are hierarchically organized indexes that allow you to
browse through lists of WWW sites by topic. They are selective lists of
WWW sites that require some degree of human oversight whereas search engines
automatically gather information. Generally, subject indexes are smaller
than search engines. Because there is human oversight subject guides can
save the user time by reducing the amount of irrelevant information.
This service arranges U.S. Government sites by topic. The main list of topics
is based upon the current Guide to U.S. Government Information, also known
as The Subject Bibliography Index (SuDoc number GP 3.22/2:996/IND.)
Argus Clearinghouse
Government and Law section.
Current Events Research:
Hot Topics--University of Louisville
Alphabetic list of current topics compiled by the University of Louisville Government Documents Department.
The policy news and information service.
Useful Sites for Government Documents Research:
A reference and referral point for government information, whether local,
state, federal, foreign or international. Its web pages are a reference
and instructional tool for government, political science, statistical data,
and news.
Infomine--Government Information
Scholarly Internet Resource Collections-University of California
U.S. Government portal.
Specializes in .gov and .us domains.
Search Tips
Whether you are using a search engine or a subject index the following
tips will help you to better navigate the resources:
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Identify key search terms to describe what you are looking for.
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Consider synonyms, related words, foreign spelling, and plurals.
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Read the instructions or help files provided by the search engine or subject
index.
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Modify your search (broaden or narrow) if you don't find what your looking
for.
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Try other search engines or subject indexes if you are unsuccessful.
If you can't find an agency that you are looking for there are many WWW
pages that provide access by agency to the many federal government WWW
sites. All are arranged following the basic organizational structure of
the federal government. Below are a few for you to browse.
Cleancut alphabetical listing of federal agency web sites.
Federal Web Locator
--Center for Information Law and Policy
Agency Index
--Washburn University School of Law
Statutory Law (Legislation)
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Congressional bills, reports and documents; Congressional Record
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U.S. Code/Public Laws
Thomas
--Library of Congress
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Access by subject or popular name to bills in the 103rd to 105th Congresses.
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Links to hearings made accessible by House and Senate committees.
GPO Gate--University of California
Congressional Hearings
Agencies of the Federal government provide some of the best sources for
finding statistics. Many agencies have collected data on topics relevant
to their missions for years. It has always been a challenge to find statistical
data in print publications, as the titles are not always descriptive of
the contents. With the advent of web publishing, it is now easier than
ever to locate current statistics in many areas.
Comprehensive
Statistical Gateway to 100 Federal Agencies.
U.S. demographic, economic and education statistics.
Compendia
Frequently requested tables of national and state data; the entire publication
is viewable with PDF software.
Demographic
The most comprehensive site for U. S. demographic data.
The full-text reports on this system are accessible by subscription, and
viewable with PDF software.
Bureau of the Census--Census 2000-population and housing data
Economic
STAT-USA--
Department of Commerce
Trade statistics, market research reports for countries, daily economic
releases. Access by subscription; one free subscription to each depository
library Some of the information in this database is accessible free through
issuing agency.
The budget is also available on GPO Access:
http://www.gpo.ucop.edu/
Local area economic data for states, counties and metropolitan areas
GPO Access Monthly statistics prepared for Congress by the Council of Economic Advisors.
Employment and labor statistics; includes producer, consumer and international
price indexes data
County, city, state economic data.
Education
Comprehensive site from U. S. Department of Education; includes contents
of Digest of Education Statistics, Condition of Education, Projections
of Education Statistics to 2006, and many other reports.
Educational Resources Information Center: a question-and-answer service
and virtual library.
Crime
Full text of many Department of Justice publications
Requires PDF software. Highlights available at
Uniform Crime Reports,
1990-1995
CWRU
Government Documents home page.
Print Version