Guides: Government Information (US): Home

U.S. Documents at Lauinger Library

Lauinger Library has been a Federal Depository Library since 1969. This federal program, administered by the Government Publishing Office, allows libraries to obtain federal government publications while agreeing to maintain the collection and provide public access and information services.

Finding U.S. Government Information

United States Government publications can be located using normal tools such as library catalogs, specialized databases and web browsers. Listed below are common finding aids for general and popular publications of the United States. Finding publications specific to Congress, the Judiciary and the Executive agencies are detailed on separate pages.

HoyaSearch

Search across all consortium resources with HoyaSearch!

Databases and Search Engines

ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Congressional is the primary source for electronic government documents such as hearings, committee prints, CRS reports, legislative histories, the Congressional Record, federal regulations, and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set. Many documents are in full text and cover the years 1789 to the present; others are citations that are available in full text in print or microform in the library.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
One of the premier sources for legal and political information. Full-text law journals are a major part of the database, but HeinOnline also includes deep historical collections of U.S. federal government documents.
Titles digitized include the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, bills and public laws in the Statutes at Large, the United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, selected legislative histories, Supreme Court documents, Presidential documents, and more. Search the Sources of Compiled Legislative History database by Public Law or Bill number, from the 37th to the 107th Congress. The U.S. Federal Legislative History Title Collection has full text legislative histories on significant legislation in banking, civil rights, labor, digital rights, the USA PATRIOT act, and other selected laws.
GovInfo This link opens in a new window
The successor to GPO Access, the Federal Digital System (FDsys) provides access to the Congressional Record, bills & laws, Presidential reports, the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations from 1990's to the present.

Congress.gov
Congress.gov is the official source for federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC). It replaces its predecessor website THOMAS.gov which will be officially retired in 2015.
USA.gov
As the U.S. government's official web portal, USA.gov makes it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the web.
MetaLib
MetaLib is a federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online. To learn more, view additional brief or detailed search information.