The US government publishes information, statistics and data across many disciplines and subject areas. There's no way that a google search can give one access to ALL government information as much of the publicly available information is available only in the deep Web -- in databases and repositories not indexed by google.
The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is a network of over 1200 libraries (public, academic, state, law etc) that work with the US Government Printing Office to help their communities access the world of govt information. The links below are but a brief list of a few of our favorite govt resources. For more in-depth help, contact your local FDLP library and check out their research guides on government information. Contact freegovinfo AT gmail DOT com to add other resources.
General information and resources:
- USA.gov: Search government websites.
- National Archives
- Federal Digital System (FDsys)
- Catalog of Government Publications (CGP)
- American memory
- Code of Federal Regulations
- Federal Register
- US Code
- Statutes at Large
- US Budget
- World Factbook
Research and reference assistance:
- Directory of FDLP Libraries
- Government Information Online: chat/email reference assistance
Legislative Branch (US Congress):
- Thomas
- GovTrack.us
- Congressional record: proceedings and debates of Congress
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) is Congress' non-partisan think tank. CRS reports are great resources for legislative histories and all manner of subjects. Access them at the following sites:
Executive Branch:
Judicial Branch:
Statistics:
- FedStats
- Federal agency statistical programs
- ALFRED : archival Federal Reserve economic data : economic data time travel from the St. Loius Fed.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Census Bureau
- FRED: Federal Reserve Economic Data
- National Center for Education Statistics
- National Center for Health Statistics
- Statistical Abstract of the US: online 1878 - present. In 2012, the Census Bureau cut the budget for the Compendia unit, the office which compiles the StatAb and other critical statistical resources. It's now published by a private publisher and what was once free to FDLP libraries now costs hundreds of dollars. For more, see the Facebook page to save the statistical abstract.
Science and Technology:
- Science.gov
- science accelerator
- DOE Information Bridge
- Technical Report Archive & Image Library (TRAIL)
Transparency and govt watchdogs:
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA):
- National Security Archive: This archive posts FOIA'd govt publications and records pertaining to national security and has a helpful site for those wanting to submit their own FOIA requests.
- FAS Secrecy project
- Stanford Library FOIA archive: Stanford's archive harvests FOIA documents from Federal agency FOIA reading rooms as well as Web sites that regularly post FOIA'd documents.
- Cable Search: Search engine of US Foreign Offices' cables released by Wikileaks
- List of Federal Agency FOIA contacts
For kids:
