General | Executive | Congressional | Judicial
This page provides some core titles for government information. For additional sources see How to Find Government Information page. For in-depth assistance with government documents, make a research appointment with (597-4321), Government Documents Librarian.
Monthly Catalog
1895-1994: print index located on back wall of Government Documents Section
1976-present: Catalog of Government Publications
The Monthly Catalog is a comprehensive index of all titles ordered
printed through the Government Printing Office. It includes agency
publications and hearings.
Most government documents produced before 1992 are not cataloged in FRANCIS. Use the Monthly Catalog to identify the SuDoc number (the call number system used for government documents) for the item you want. Then physically look on the shelves in the government documents area and in the government documents microfiche cabinets.
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United
States (1929-present)
Sawyer J 80 .A283
Hoover through Clinton also available through University of Michigan Digital Library
Hoover through George W. Bush available through American Presidency Project, University of California Santa Barbara
Contains the public messages, speeches, and
statements of the President. Franklin D. Roosevelt's public papers and
addresses can be found at Sawyer E806 R6. For other presidential
papers, search for the president as author.
Foreign Relations of the United States
Sawyer E 183.7 U6
"The publication ...constitutes the official record of the foreign policy of the United States. These volumes include, subject to necessary security considerations, all documents needed to give a comprehensive record of the major foreign policy decisions within the range of the Department of State's responsibility, together with appropriate materials concerning the facts which contributed to the formulation of policies." (Preface) Issued annually with multiple volumes covering different areas of the world.
Declassified Documents Reference System (1941-current)
Declassified White House, CIA, FBI, State Department documents from presidential libraries.
Digital National Security Archive (1945-current)
Citations, abstracts and full-text of declassified U.S. government documents, including bulletins, memos, reports, agreements (primarily acquired through FOIA requests) covering U.S. foreign policy since 1945. Arranged in discrete collections; see Collections Guide, but can be searched across collections.
Microfilm collections:
Links below are FRANCIS searches or records. See guides in reference collection for contents.
Congressional Record
Located at the beginning of the Government Documents Section on the Lower Level
Covers the proceedings and debates that occur on the House and Senate floors, including extension of remarks (undelivered texts that are appended to the record). Has an annual index.
Congressional Publications (1789 - Present)
Index and partial full-text [see digital content update] of Congressional prints, hearings, reports, legislative histories. Full-text of Serial Set documents produced from 1789 to 1969. Index to Congressional Record from 1985 - present.
For help locating these documents in Sawyer Library, see Locating Prints, Hearings, and Reports in the Library.
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe - Federal and State Cases
Provides the full-text of court opinions from state and federal courts. Complete transcripts of court testimony are not available in this database.
WestLaw Campus Research
Provides the fulltext to West's legal reporters (federal and state case law), statutes, law review articles, administrative rulings, and legal coverage of the European Union.