RichLyn Library: Library Services: Government Documents

Federal Depository

RichLyn Library has been a selective depository of federal government documents since 1964. As a selective depository we receive about very small percentage of all government publications offered. Most of the documents relate to the university curriculum. The RichLyn Library collection includes many major government publications including the Code of Federal Regulations, United States Code, United States Statutes at Large and United States Reports.

Indiana State Documents

Indiana state government publications are available from IN.gov

Accessing Federal Government Documents

RichLyn Library receives a small percentage of the documents published by the US government in paper form. Those documents are housed on the upper level of RichLyn Library by their Superintendent of Documents call number. All government documents received at RichLyn Library are listed in the Library Discovery System. The Federal Depository Library System publishes the majority of their documents on the World Wide Web. Various sources are available to access those documents including several government search engines. Here is a list of the major government search engines:

USA.gov
U.S. government's official web portal
GovInfo
Online access to official Federal Government publications
Congress.gov
Legislative information from the Library of Congress
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
includes catalog records for historical and current publications with direct links to those that are online
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids
the site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers

Community & /PALNI members of the library may check this material out, others are welcome to use the material in the library.

Major Publications

Executive Branch

Assistance Listings (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance The CFDA provides detailed, public descriptions of federal assistance listings available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi- public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups, and individuals
Budget of the United States Government Issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Budget of the United States Government is a collection of documents that contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications that have been issued throughout the fiscal year. Other related and supporting budget publications are included, which may vary from year to year.
Census.gov Provides census access to data about the United States, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The data comes from several censuses and surveys.
Code of Federal Regulations The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
Compilation of Presidential Documents The Compilation of Presidential Documents collection consists of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents and the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents which are the official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary.
County and City Data Book, 2007
Economic Report of the President The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices.
Federal Register (daily) The daily journal of the United States Government.
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 A two-part compendium updating and expanding the second edition, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1957. This bicentennial edition, includes more than 12,500 time series, mostly annual, providing a statistical history of U.S. social, economic, political, and geographic development during periods from 1610 to 1970.
Occupational Outlook Handbook The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) provides information on what workers do; the work environment; education, training, and other qualifications; pay; the job outlook; information on state and area data; similar occupations; and sources of additional information, for 325 occupational profiles, covering about 4 out of 5 jobs in the economy.
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States Volumes of the Public Papers of the Presidents from 1929 (Herbert Hoover) to 2014 (Barack Obama) published by NARA are made available as digital formats through GPO digitization efforts. Publications covering the John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush presidencies are available in multi-book volumes. The Public Papers of the President were not published by the National Archives for the Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency; these volumes were published by a private printer before the commencement of the official Public Papers series and are not currently available in govinfo.
Social Security Handbook The Social Security Handbook includes the provisions of the Social Security Act (the Act), regulations issued under the Act, and precedential case decisions (rulings). It is one of numerous publications about the Social Security programs.
Statistical Abstracts Series (historical) Statistical Abstract data present here ranges from our most recent edition to the historical abstracts compiled throughout the decades. The abstract was terminated in 2012 but is useful for historical data.
United States Government Manual As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States Government Manual provides 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.
USA Counties: 2011 The U.S. Census Bureau terminated the collection of data for the Statistical Compendia program effective October 1, 2011. The Statistical Compendia program is comprised of the Statistical Abstract of the United States and its supplemental products, including the USA Counties database. To access the most current data, please refer to the organizations cited in the source file.

Legislative Branch

Congressional Directory The official directory of the U.S. Congress. It includes short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, Committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, and room and telephone numbers for Members of Congress. It also lists officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies.
Congressional Record The official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. FDsys contains Congressional record volumes from 140 (1994) to the present.
Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, popularly known as the Constitution Annotated, encompasses the U.S. Constitution and analysis and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution with in-text annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Economic Indicators Available from April 1995 forward, this monthly publication is prepared by the Council of Economic Advisers for the Joint Economic Committee. It provides economic information on gross domestic product, income, employment, production, business activity, prices, money, credit, security markets, Federal finance, and international statistics.
United States Code The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 53 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Code was first published in 1926. The next main edition was published in 1934, and subsequent main editions have been published every six years since 1934. In between editions, annual cumulative supplements are published in order to present the most current information.
United States Statutes at Large The United States Statutes at Large, typically referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. The Statutes at Large is prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) . Under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 112, the printed edition of the Statutes at Large is legal evidence of the laws, concurrent resolutions, proclamations by the President, and proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution.

Judicial Branch

United States Reports (historic) United States Reports is a series of bound case reporters that are the official reports of decisions for the United States Supreme Court.
United States Reports (1991-2014) The opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States are published officially in a set of case books called the United States Reports.
Opinions of the Court "Slip Opinions" “Slip” opinions are the first version of the Court’s opinions posted on this website. A “slip” opinion consists of the majority or principal opinion, any concurring or dissenting opinions written by the Justices, and a prefatory syllabus prepared by the Reporter’s Office that summarizes the decision.