US Federal Government Information: Home

These websites provide useful starting points for finding various types of government information. 

• GovInfo: A one-stop site that provides free public access to the full text of millions of official publications from all three branches of the federal government
• Congress.gov: The official website for US federal legislative information, useful for for tracing the history of congressional bills
• Science.gov: A site that searches federally funded scientific research produced by multiple government agencies, providing access to peer-reviewed scholarly publications, conference papers, scientific and technical reports, and more
• Data.gov: An open data website that provides access to datasets published by agencies across the federal government
• Data.census.gov: A portal for access to data and digital content from the US Census Bureau, including economic data on business, industry, and trade
• USA.gov: The official website of the US government serving as an online portal for federal services and resources

Some older government documents have been digitized and made available through non-governmental websites. HathiTrust has a collection of U.S. Federal Documents, while Democracy's Library from Internet Archive includes collections of documents from the United States as well local, regional, and other national governments. 

To find government documents available through the Missouri S&T library, search the Miner Discovery catalog. Some older government documents are shelved with other books, but the third floor also has a separate section of print government documents as well as microfiche (a sheet of film containing rows of images of printed pages that requires a special reader). Historical topographic maps of the state of Missouri issued by the United States Geological Survey can be found in the library's basement.

A search of the catalog will also find materials held at the library at the University of Missouri in Columbia, which has a much larger collection of government documents. Items can be requested through the catalog and sent to our campus to check out.

If you are having difficulty finding a specific government document, contact a librarian for help. It may be possible to locate and request the document from another depository library.

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by Congress in 1813 to ensure that the American public has free access to information produced by the federal government. Depository libraries collect and organize government information and assist users with finding the information they need. Missouri S&T's library has participated in the depository program since 1907.

Government documents are any sort of material produced by the government, including items such as laws, regulations, statistical data, maps, research studies, and more. Government documents are now produced in electronic formats, and many older documents have been digitized and made available online. However, some items are still only available in tangible formats in library collections.