Government Publications Department,
University Libraries,
Northern Illinois University

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CHOOSE A SUBJECT AREA US Government State & Local International & Foreign --------------------------------------- Databases --------------------------------------- Business Consumer Health History Libraries & Information Policy Maps Science Statistics --------------------------------------- CHOOSE A SUBJECT AREA

[SEE: Databases related to government information »]

U.S. Government Quick Reference Links

• Catalog of Government Publications http://catalog.gpo.gov/ — from the US Government Printing Office, “provides an index to print and electronic publications created by Federal agencies.” The database covers from 1976 to the present. One new aspect of the search is that it also covers a growing number of older, print titles that have been scanned and are now available as full-text electronic documents. The catalog also includes an advanced search, and a frequently updated listing of new titles.
• Contact Elected Officials http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml — USA.gov provides a central page for contacting the President, Vice President, U.S. Senators and Representatives, State Governors, or State Legislators.
• USA Search.gov http://usasearch.gov/ — This government sponsored search covers municipal, state and federal government sites, as well as .mil (military, US Department of Defense) websites.
• GPO Access http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html — primary source for US government electronic information. Includes executive, legislative and Judicial branch
• LSU Libraries Federal Agency Directory http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html — This directory offers an alphabetical or hierarchical listing and a basic search option for U.S. government web sites.
• U.S. Government Manual http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html — directory of all three branches of the federal government, with brief explanations of agencies, their enabling legislation and organization charts. Includes contact information.

• Statistical Abstract http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ — excellent source of economic and social statistics, covering a wide range of topics. Listings includes citations to primary sources. Mostly for the U.S. but also has some international tables. This site includes the entire run of the Statistical Abstract from 1878 to the present.
• Stat-USA http://www.stat-usa.gov — This is a subscription-based site which gathers economic and trade statistics for the US and foreign countries. Also includes the “State of the Nation” section, which contains current and recent historical US economic and financial data. Much of the data found here can be found elsewhere, but this site gathers a large amount of information in one place. Stat-USA can be accessed for free at the public research workstations in the Government Publications area anytime the Library is open.

• Government Documents Electronic Serials List http://www.ulib.niu.edu/govpub/ — searchable list of full-text, online US Government serials.

• Citing Government Documents http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/usgd/citation.html — a brief bibliography of guides to citation styles for government documents in different formats.

more »

International & Foreign Government Quick Reference Links

• Foreign Governments http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internat/foreign.html — This page is maintained by the Government Information, Maps and Data section of Northwestern University Library.
• International Governmental Organizations http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internat/igo.html — Exhaustive list of organizations. Also maintained by the Government Information, Maps and Data section of Northwestern University Library.

• Official Document System of the United Nations http://documents.un.org/welcome.asp?language=E — from the site: “ODS covers all types of official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993. Older UN documents are, however, added to the system on a daily basis. ODS also provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards.”
• UNBISNET: UN Bibliographic Information System http://unbisnet.un.org/ — includes records from the catalog of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library [http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/] , voting records for the UN General Assembly (from 1983 to the present), and the Security Council (1946 to the present), with links to full text of resolutions. Also includes an index to speeches from the General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council from 1983 to the present and the Trusteeship Council from 1982 to the present.
• United Nations Classification Numbers http://www.ulib.niu.edu/govpub/un-numbers.html — The UN Numbers list is an extensive bibliography, describing the United Nations collection in the Government Publications Department at Founders Memorial Library. It highlights important and useful publications that can be found there, and is an essential aid to effective browsing and use of the collection. The list also provides links to UN agencies and related materials.

more »

State & Local Government Quick Reference Links

• State Government: USA.gov http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/State_and_Territories.shtml — provides links to websites of individual states and territories, and sites related to state and local governments.
• Govengine.com http://www.govengine.com/ — This site is a “comprehensive directory of official federal, State, and local government and court links” maintained by Govengine, Inc. a Florida-based non-profit organization.
• Links to State Tax Forms http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/link/forms.html — tax forms from the fifty States. This page is maintained by the Federation of Tax Administrators.

• Find-It! Illinois http://finditillinois.org — search 226 State of Illinois websites, and search digital archives from Illinois public libraries.
• Illinois Department of Revenue: Tax Forms/Publications http://tax.illinois.gov/taxforms/index.htm — find tax forms for Illinois.
• Illinois General Assembly http://www.ilga.gov — this site includes the Illinois Administrative Code [http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/titles.html] , Illinois Register [http://ilsos.net/departments/index/register/home.html] and Illinois Compiled Statutes [http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs.asp] , as well information on General Assembly action. The site has a link to Legislator Lookup, which will provide mailing address, phone and FAX numbers, and homepage for Illinois legislators in the General Assembly, US Senators and Representatives in Washington. It will also give information for Illinois statewide officials: the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Comptroller and Treasurer. Search is by district, official's name, or street address of the constituent.
• IPLAN http://app.idph.state.il.us/ — designed for use in health needs assessments of communities in Illinois, this site offers data on vital statistics at the community and county level.
• State Government Publications & Forms http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/stgovpub.html — including the Illinois Blue Book [http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/illinois_bluebook/2005_2006/home.html]  and Handbook of Illinois Government [http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/handbook/handbooktoc.html] .
• State of Illinois web site http://www.illinois.gov — a centralized website for State of Illinois government news and links to agencies.

more »

Current Information

• USA.gov — major portal, good first stop, search includes all government sites, not only .gov and .mil.
• GPO Access — primary source for US government electronic information.
• Supreme Court — High court opinions from 2002 onward, oral arguments, and more.
• Thomas — Look for Congressional Bills, Resolutions, legislative summaries & status, browse the Congressional Record.
• The White House — Current policy, press briefings, photos from the Executive Mansion.

.gov Portals

These portals pool information from many agencies, covering one topic, into one central webpage.

• Info — search USA.gov from Federal Citizen Information Center, includes links to further portals.
• Disability — disability related information and resources.
• Forms — “official hub for federal forms,” includes tax forms.
• GovBenefits — find federal and state government benefits.
• Grants — find and apply for grants.
• Health — health news, links to indexes, such as MedlinePlus® and initiatives such as Healthy People 2010 and dietary guidelines.
• Regulations — read and post comments on proposed regulations.
• Science — “gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies, including research and development results.”
• Statistics — links to statistics from 100+ agencies, includes statistics links arranged by topic and agencies.

Areas:

US Government

State & Local

International & Foreign

Guides »

Contacts:

• Reference:
  (815) 753-1932
• Office:
  (815) 753-1978
• Fax:
  (815) 753-9429
• Mary Grosch
  [phone: 753-9841]
  — Department Head, Librarian
• Margret Abbott
  [phone: 753-1978]
  — Library Specialist
• Ed Grosek
  [phone: 753-0797]
  — Department Librarian (International)
• Mark Hamilton
  [phone: 753-1978]
  — Senior Library Specialist
• Debbi Reynolds
  [phone: 753-1978]
  — Library Assistant

Hours & Location

• Room 245 — Northeast corner of the Second Floor, Founders Memorial Library.
• » Directions can be found on the Directions and Campus Map page.
• Service Desk Hours

Link Index