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United States Government Publications

The United States federal government is the world's largest publisher, and a leader in the distribution of information in electronic forms. Over 250,000 documents are available through the Internet, with millions more in paper copy. There are web sites, text documents, statistics, photographs and videos, and data sets. You can find government information on almost any topic you can think of, from agriculture to history to literature to zoology. This guide will help you find the sources you need.

For additional help using government publications in your research, contact Marshall University's Government Documents section, Dr. Majed Khader, Government Documents Librarian, at 304-696-2342; the Drinko Library Reference Desk (304-696-2334, AOL IM "LiveRef at MU"), or your local depository collection.

Starting Points

Locating government publications has gotten easier thanks to increased efforts by the government, but the process is still a little more complicated than finding just books and articles. Many documents are included in online catalogs, and can be searched for by subject, title, keyword, or agency. More recent records have hyperlinks to the full text of the document.

Because of the tremendous wealth of government information on the Web, it is often best to start your search with one of the search engines or portals listed below.

To get ready for your research, you might look at the guides listed below.

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Print Collections

A network of 1,250 depository libraries provides access to print and microfiche copies of documents, as well as electronic databases. There are two types of depository libraries: regional and selective. Selective depositories choose the kinds of publications they wish to receive based upon the needs of their local constituencies. Regional depositories receive copies of every physical title distributed by the government, and maintain those copies in perpetuity. You can search for your local Federal Depository Library by state, area code, or congressional district.

Documents use a different call number system than the rest of the library, one based on the agency or organization issuing the document. A good explanation of the system is provided by the Superintendent of Documents.

The West Virginia Regional Depository is at West Virginia University (largest collection in the state)

West Virginia Selective Depositories are at:

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Indexes of Articles & Publications

This is a selective list of indexes for articles and other government publications. Another list is provided by Idaho State University.

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Statistical Sources

The government collects statistics on all kinds of things, processes them, and then publishes the results.

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Citing Government Publications

There are two reasons for citing government publications in your work: to show where you found your information, and to allow others to find the same information. Unlike regular books and articles, however, there is often no individual author given for a government document or web site. In those cases, use the agency that issued the information as the author. The following sources will help you produce the correct citation:

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Sample Resources

This is a highly selective sample of the huge number of government web sites available. Use one of the resources listed above to find more.

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photo of Tim Balch

Prepared by Timothy A. Balch, Reference Services Librarian.

Suggestions for improvement welcomed.

Last updated 10/01/04


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