LibGuides: Government Information: Getting Started

Find in the Library

Physical government documents are located on the first and second floors of the library:

Gov Docs microfiche are on the first floor with the rest of the microfiche collection
Gov Docs print and CD-ROM collection and the map collection are on the second floor

All paper and CD-ROM documents may be checked out at the circulation desk just like you do books in the General Collection. Microfiche do not circulate.

Find print and online documents in the following databases:

Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Search for materials in the Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield libraries plus online books, online media, and government publications.
Agricola This link opens in a new window
Indexes more than 4.8 million records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library, including journal articles, monographs, proceedings, theses, patents, translations, audiovisual materials, computer software, and technical reports.
1970 - present.
ERIC - Education Resources Information Center This link opens in a new window
This is the free, government-sponsored version of the ERIC digital library. Use the 'Find in a Library' link at the end of the abstract to full-text available through the library.
HeinOnline Academic This link opens in a new window
Contains more than 100 million pages of content and covers more than 100 subject areas. Historical content provides access to 300+ years of information on political development and the complete history of the creation of government and legal systems around the world. Click More to view included content. Visit the HeinOnline LibGuides for help.
Databases included: U.S. Federal & State Case Law; Law Journal Library; Criminal Justice in America: U.S. Attorney General Opinions, Reports, and Publications; U.S. Congressional Serial Set; Federal Register/CFR; World Constitutions Illustrated; U.S. Supreme Court Library; Foreign Relations of the U.S.; U.S. Treaties & Agreements; U.S. Statutes at Large; Legal Classics Library; Gun Regulation and Legislation in America; John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection; Women and the Law; Religion and the Law; U.S. Congressional Documents; U.S. Presidential Library; U.S. Federal Agency Documents, Decisions & Appeals; History of International Law; U.S. Federal Legislative History Library; U.S. Code; Pentagon Papers; Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law.
Homeland Security Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Access to policy and strategy documents from federal, state, and local government agencies; international governments and institutions; and research institutions, universities, and think tanks.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980 This link opens in a new window
Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, originally published in approximately 13,800 bound volumes.
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Find Online by Subject Area

Archives of American Art
From the Smithsonian, letters, sketches, and other material for art historians.
Art in the White House
Describes the art collection held by the White House. From the White House Historical Association.
National Gallery of Art
An online tour of the National Gallery.
U.S. Senate: Art & History Home
Information and images from the Senate archives and special collections.

CPB: Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Private corporation created by Congress in 1967.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the commission is the United States' primary authority for communications law, regulation and technological innovation.
FCC Record
Comprehensive listing of decisions, reports, and public notices starting in 1986.
Comprehensive listing of decisions, reports, and public notices from 1986 to the present.
President's advisory committee on telecommunications.
U.S. Agency for Global Media
Provides the administrative and engineering support for U.S. government-funded non-military international broadcast services
Unsolicited Mail, Telemarketing and Email: Where to Go to “Just Say No”
From the Federal Trade Commission, directions on how to reduce junk mail, telephone calls, and spam.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the commission is the United States' primary authority for communications law, regulation and technological innovation.
Cyber Crime: FBI
The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber attacks and intrusions.
Cybersecurity Resources: Department of Homeland Security
Strengthening cybersecurity resilience across the nation and sectors, investigating malicious cyber activity, and advancing cybersecurity alongside our democratic values and principles.
Computer Crime Section: Department of Justice
Pursues three overarching goals: to deter and disrupt computer and intellectual property crime by bringing and supporting key investigations and prosecutions, to guide the proper collection of electronic evidence by investigators and prosecutors, and to provide technical and legal advice and assistance to agents and prosecutors in the U.S. and around the world.
National Security Agency
National security through cryptography.

AFT: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
ATF works to regulate the firearms and explosives industries.
BOP: Federal Bureau of Prisons
A bureau within the Department of Justice.
Computer Crime Section: Department of Justice
Pursues three overarching goals: to deter and disrupt computer and intellectual property crime by bringing and supporting key investigations and prosecutions, to guide the proper collection of electronic evidence by investigators and prosecutors, and to provide technical and legal advice and assistance to agents and prosecutors in the U.S. and around the world.
Department of Justice
Links to various agencies within the department.
FBI-Federal Bureau of Investigation
Research the bureau's history, mission, and investigations.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Statistics on justice and substance abuse issues.
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Establishes policies, priorities, and objectives for the Nation's drug control program.
Uniform Crime Reporting
Crime statistics from the FBI.
US Sentencing Commission
U.S. government agency that oversees the sentencing guidelines for the U.S. federal courts.

Amount of the National Deficit
Fiscal year-to-date amount of the U.S. deficit, updated monthly.
Budget of the U.S. Government
1996 to present from GovInfo.gov.
Calculators for Investors
From the Securities and Exchange Commission, calculators to help with financial planning.
Department of the Treasury
Homepage for the department. Learn about its history, duties, and functions.
Federal Reserve System
The central bank of the United States.
Federal Tax Forms
Tax forms and instructions you can download.
PA State Tax Forms
PDF forms and instructions.
Securities and Exchange Commission
Protects and maintains the integrity of the securities market.
Small Business Administration
Works to protect the interests of small businesses.
U.S. International Trade Commission
Independent federal agency working to protect US import interests.

Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government
Set up for K-12 students, this guide is useful for anyone who needs to know basic information about the government.
Department of Education
Learn about the history and duties of the department. Link to free teaching resources and lesson plans.

ERIC - Education Resources Information Center This link opens in a new window
This is the free, government-sponsored version of the ERIC digital library. Use the 'Find in a Library' link at the end of the abstract to full-text available through the library.

Education Demogration & Geographic Estimates (EDGE)
Information about demographics, social characteristics, and economics of children and school districts. From the Department of Education.
U.S. Government Web Sites for Kids
Alphabetical listing of subject pages for kids from the federal government.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Home Page
HHS agency that works too improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.
Food and Drug Administration
FDA is the federal agency responsible for ensuring that food, human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, cosmetics, and electronic products that emit radiation are safe.
FoodSafety.gov
Provides food safety information to educators, industry, researchers and the general public.
Health.gov
Portal for health-related information from the government.
Healthfinder.gov
Health database from the National Health Information Center; information tends to be less technical.
Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products
Consumer Product Information Database, formerly the Household Products Database, discloses chemical information about chemical ingredients in household products. Supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

MEDLINE Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Provides full text for over 1,800 medical journals, and abstracts from over 5,400 current biomedical journals indexed by the National Library of Medicine.

National Library of Medicine
The world's largest medical library; use their PubMed search service to find articles.
Nutrition.gov
Provides easy access to government information on food and human nutrition for consumers.
Public Health Image Library
Database of photos, images, and videos having to do with public health, natural disasters, and the environment.

American Civil War from the National Park Service
Information on the Civil War and its battle sites from the National Park Service.
Digital Collections from the Library of Congress
Online collections of digitized primary sources from the Library of Congress.
Century of Lawmaking
U.S. Congressional documents from 1774-1875, including legislation and floor debates.
Congressional Research Service Reports
Reports on a wide-range of topics written for members of Congress. Excellent overviews of popular and controversial topics.
FBI--The Vault
Contains over 3,000 documents from the FBI. Includes topics such as UFOs, gangsters, and Watergate.
Foreign Relations of the United States
Primary documents from the State Department detailing foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity; covers 1861-2000.
Discover History from the National Park Service
History and archeology links from the National Park Service.
Milestone Documents
Milestone documents in United States history, full-text with photos and information on each document, from the National Archives.
National Archives and Records Administration
Online access to government archives.
National Museum of American History
One of the Smithsonian Museums.
National Security Archive
Hosted at George Washington University, the National Security Archive works for government transparency. On its website you will find the largest archive of declassified U.S. documents.
Peace Agreements Digital Collection
A database of peace agreements around the world, compiled by the United States Institute of Peace.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
America’s national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history.
World War II Poster Collection from Northwestern University Library
Digital images of propaganda posters from World War II.

Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world.
Poetry and Literature Center, LIbrary of Congress
The Center fosters and enhances the public's appreciation of literature through an annual literary season of public poetry, fiction and drama readings, performances, lectures and symposia.
Walt Whitman Notebooks 1850s-1860s
Full-text images of original papers from Walt Whitman, from the Library of Congress.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Independent grant-making agency for the humanities.
Plainlanguage.gov
Improving communication from the government to the public.

Federal Theatre Project Collection
Collection from the Library of Congress.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The nation's cultural center.
National Endowment for the Arts
Independent grant-making agency for the arts.
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (U.S. National Park Service)
Nation's only national park for the performing arts.

Coal Mining in Pennsylvania
Digitized versions of the Pennsylvania Department of Mines annual reports.
Department of Energy
The department advances the national, economic, and energy security of the United States; promotes scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and ensures the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.
DTIC
Defense Technical Information Center. Provides access to declassified defense research & development reports.
Food and Drug Administration
FDA is the federal agency responsible for ensuring that food, human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, cosmetics, and electronic products that emit radiation are safe.
OSTI
Search through Department of Energy research and technical reports.
NASA Technical Reports Server
Provides access to technical research reports from NASA.
National Agricultural Library
The nation's chief resource for agricultural information; search the AGRICOLA catalog.
National Marine Sanctuaries: Oceans, Marine Life, Shipwrecks, Diving, Whales
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
National Science Foundation
Independent grant-funding agency for science and engineering.
National Technical Information Service
The largest central resource for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Protecting public health and safety through regulation of nuclear power and the civilian use of nuclear materials.
Pennsylvania Geological Survey
Digitized collection of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th PA Geological Surveys, from Penn State University.
Science.gov
Portal for science information provided by government agencies.
ScienceCinema
Searchable videos highlighting Department of Energy topics. Videos may be downloaded and embedded into D2L or presentations.
Smithsonian Institution - Global Volcanism Program: Worldwide Holocene Volcano and Eruption Information
This site is the homepage for the vulcanology program at the Smithsonian Institution. It provides links to various Smithsonian developed sites on the study and history of volcanoes as well as to other sites dedicated to volcanoes. Provides information of the volcanoes of the world, the volcanic activity reports. Includes a volcano database searchable by regions and names.
U.S. Geological Survey
Provides scientific information on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water.

Administration for Children and Families
Promotes the economic and social well-being of children and families, within the Department of Health and Human Services.
Benefits.gov
Database of government assistance available to individuals.
Census Bureau
Your place for demographic statistics.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality of life through the prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability.
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families by connecting child welfare, adoption and related professionals as well as concerned citizens to timely, essential information.
Department of Education
Learn about the history and duties of the department. Link to statistics and information about schools, higher education, and school-age children.
Department of Health and Human Services
The United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Research and information from the National Institutes of Health.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
From the Department of Justice.
PA State Data Center
Statistical information from the state's official data center (PA's version of the Census Bureau).

Bureau of Justice Statistics
Statistics on offenders, victims, and the justice system.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Labor economic statistics.
Census Bureau
Your place for demographic statistics.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality of life through the prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability.
Department of Education
Learn about the history and duties of the department. Link to statistics and information about schools, higher education, and school-age children.
Department of Health and Human Services
The United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
The department seeks to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Laws, regulations, and information about federal laws prohibiting job discrimination.
Immigration Statistics
Website for the Office of Immigration Statistics, from the Department of Homeland Security.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Education statistics from the Department of Education.
National Longitudinal Surveys Home Page
A set of surveys designed to gather information at multiple points in time on the labor market activities and other significant life events of several groups of men and women. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics.