LibGuides: Political Science: Government Documents

Searching for Gov Docs in the Catalog

Sarah Lawrence College is part of the Federal Depository Library Program and is home to many government documents. You can use the Library Catalog to search for government records (gov docs) or browse through the online collections highlighted in this guide.

In the Library Catalog, use one of the following techniques to search for government documents:

A keyword search that includes a specific branch of government or state department can help you explore government documents held at Sarah Lawrence and/or accessible online through the catalog

Librarian Tip: Use quotation marks around the specific department that you want to search for, so that the catalog will search for the full phrase and not each keyword in your search.

Already know the title of the document you need? Do a title search in the catalog using the Advanced Search
Search by specific government department by using the author field in the Advanced Search to search for documents from that department or branch of government

For more information about government documents at the Sarah Lawrence College Library, please visit this page on the library website.

Government Document Call Numbers - SuDoc Numbers

Librarian Tip: "SuDoc" refers to the Superintendent of Documents classification system developed by the government to organize government documents from the Government Printing Office (GPO).

Have Questions?

Executive Branch

The executive branch consists of the President, Vice President, and the fifteen cabinet level departments which are:

Additional Government Publications

Catalog of Government Publications (CGP) "The CGP is the finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive information for historical and current publications as well as direct links to the full document, when available. Users can search by authoring agency, title, subject, and general keywords, or click on "Advanced Search" for more options."
Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents This collection serves as the official publication of Presidential statements, messages, remarks, and other material released by the White House Press Secretary (online access only)
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. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. "

Legislative Branch

The legislative branch of government is the two houses of Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Congressional Record - 1994 - Present The Congressional Record is the daily official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. In addition to online access, we own the indexes from 1912 to date in paper (328.732 United)
Congressional Record via HeinOnline Search HeinOnline's U.S. Congressional Document collection for Congressional Records prior to 1994 and additional documentation.
CQ Weekly via Sarah Lawrence College
Governing (ejournal, Congrssional Quarterly)
THOMAS : Library of Congress Library of Congress system for legislative information, including bills and resolutions, congressional activity, Congressional Record, schedules and calendars, committee information, presidential nominations, treaties, government resources, for teachers, and help and contact information.
U.S. Congress Votes Database from the Washington Post "The U.S. Congress Votes Database documents every vote and member of the House and Senate since 1991. Data is pulled from several sources, including the House clerk, the U.S. Senate and the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. For the 112th Congress, users can analyze members and votes by various metrics, including caucus affiliations, 2010 margin of victory, and members endorsed by Tea Party Express or Freedom Works during the 2010 campaign."

Judicial Branch

The judicial branch is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.

Google Scholar - State and Federal Courts Use Google Scholar to search select State and Federal Court documents.
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 Reports via the Library of Congress The United States Reports are the official records of the rulings, orders, case tables and other proceedings of the United States Supreme Court. In addition to online access, we own the following in paper, Vols. 393-556 (1968-2008) with gaps (JU 6.8:)
United States Statutes at Large via govinfo 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.