Overview of tools

Tools for finding U.S. government publications fall into four broad categories:

Library catalogs

• MadCat      
• URL/Location: http://ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/login?url=http://madcat.library.wisc.edu/
• Content: bibliographic records and location information for books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, maps, microforms, and computer databases currently owned by over 30 campus libraries.
• Type/format: Online database; no access restrictions.
• Special Information:
  • Can be used to identify and locate most of Memorial's U.S. government publications.
  • Can also be used to identify U.S. government publications at other campus libraries.
  • Has links to important resources on the Internet.
  • See MadCat Help for tips on searching in MadCat.
• WorldCat - Primarily used for inter-library loan.    
• URL/Location: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.web/worldcat
• Coverage: catalog of nearly 40 million books, serials, audiovisual media, maps, archives/manuscripts, scores, and computer files owned by OCLC member libraries around the world, including UW-Madison and the Library of Congress.
• Publisher/Provider: OCLC, a consortium of over 50,000 libraries in nearly 100 countries (More information about OCLC at http://www.oclc.org/about/default.htm)
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on and off campus.
• Interface: First Search interface
• Special Information:
  • Use WorldCat, as a last resort, after you have consulted MadCat, GPO Monthly Catalog (MoCat), and State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
  • Search assistance available via FirstSearch QuickGuide.

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Web directories and search engines

What's the difference between directories and search engines?

Directories allow you to browse predetermined lists of agencies, publications, or subjects. Directories may be annotated (have brief descriptions of the sites they link to), or unannotated (just provide links). The directories listed below allow you to browse lists of sites...

By type & name of agency (U.S. Federal Government Agencies Directory) By subject (Browse Topics and FirstGov) By name of publication (only selected publications included) (Migrating Government Publications and U.S. Government Documents Ready Reference Collection) Special section on directories for statistics

Search engines allow you to search parts of the web by keyword. No one search engine covers the whole web. If you don't find what you're looking for in your initial search, you may wish to do your search with a different search engine.

Jump to:

Directories U.S. Federal Government Agencies Directory Browse Topics FirstGov U.S. Government Documents Ready Reference Collection Migrating Government Publications

Directories for statistics FedStats Census Bureau Statistical Resources on the Web

Search engines Google U.S. Government FirstGov

• U.S. Federal Government Agencies Directory 
• URL: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html
• Content: links to the web pages of current/active/existing U. S. Federal Government agencies as represented in the United States Government Manual. Includes the following types of agencies:

boards, commissions, & committees executive independent establishments & government corporations

judicial legislative quasi-official agencies

• Publisher/Provider: Louisiana State University Libraries
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
  • Can view lists of agencies organized...
  • Hierarchically: Organized by type of agency (listed above under "Content"), then alphabetically by name of agency, then by hierarchy within agency. Not every level of an agency's organization is included.
  • Alphabetically, by name of agency.
  • Searchable by agency keyword, not by subject.
  • Links are not annotated; this directory is most useful for those who know what agency they want but don't know the address.
• Browse Topics 
• URL: http://www.browsetopics.gov/
• Content: Annotated links to federal agencies arranged alphabetically by subject (150+ subject categories). Compiled by government documents librarians.
• Publisher/Provider: U.S. Government Printing Office & University of Oklahoma's Chambers Library
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• USA.Gov 
• URL: http://www.usa.gov/
• Content: Links to federal websites and online services, with a strong citizen/consumer focus.
• Publisher/Provider: U.S. Government--U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Communications
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
  • Also has a search engine, described below under "Search engines".
• U.S. Government Documents Ready Reference Collection 
• URL: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/usgd/rref/index.html
• Content: Links to over 100 frequently used government reference titles (mostly U.S., but some New York titles).
• Coverage: Links are mostly to current editions; a few links to editions going back to the mid-1990s.
• Publisher/Provider: Columbia University Libraries Documents Service Center
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
  • Information in the "Location" column does NOT apply to the UW.
  • Listed by subject (16 subject areas), and then alphabetically by title.
  • Includes format information for electronic publications.
• Migrating Government Publications 
• URL: http://exlibris.memphis.edu/resource/unclesam/migrating/mig.html
• Content: Links to U.S. government serials and periodicals that had been distributed in paper, microfiche, or CD-ROM format in the past and now are published on the Internet. Links are to the exact location of the publication whenever possible. If not, the link is to the nearest search screen.
• Publisher/Provider: University of Memphis Libraries' Government Publications Department
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
  • As of 10/30/08, some sections have not been updated in several years.
  • Arranged two ways: alphabetically by title, and by Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) classification number.

• Fed Stats  
  • URL: http://www.fedstats.gov/
  • Content: Descriptions of and links to statistical programs of over 70 federal agencies.
  • Publisher/Provider: Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy
  • Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
  • Special Information:
  • Agencies listed alphabetically section (http://www.fedstats.gov/agencies/) has descriptions of and links to over 100 federal agencies and subagencies with statistical programs. Also includes links to contact information and key statistics.
  • Agencies by subject section (on main page) groups agencies into 14 broad topic areas. By choosing a topic from the pull-down menu and clicking on "Submit," you'll get an annotated list of the agencies that collect statistics in that area, as well as links to contact information and key statistics.
  • Data Access Tools section (http://www.fedstats.gov/toolkit.html) contains links to federal agency tools that allow you to create your own tables or download or export statistics.
  • Search utility allows you to search 100,000+ documents, but results aren't very precise.

• Census Bureau   
• URL: http://www.census.gov/
• Content: U.S. demographic, trade, and business data and statistical reports. Best government web site for U.S. demographic data.
• Coverage: Most data & reports are from the 1990's forward, but some reports contain statistics going back several decades.
• Publisher/Provider: U.S. Census Bureau
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
• Data collected & published all the time, not just every 10 years.
• Subject index for site available at http://www.census.gov/main/www/subjects.html
• For a guide to Census information online, see the guide U.S. Census Resources on the Web (http://www.library.wisc.edu/guides/govdocs/census/intro.htm).
• Statistical Resources on the Web 
• URL: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
• Content: Annotated links to sites with statistics in over 250 areas. A majority of links go to U.S. federal sites, but some go to private, international, or Michigan sources, some web guides, and a few links to University of Michigan subscriptions.
• Publisher/Provider: University of Michigan Documents Center
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
• Organized by topic (24 broad topic pages).
• Frames version has an alphabetical index (in the left-hand frame) to all the specific topics covered, not just the broad subject categories.
• Non-frames version available at http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/statsnew.html

• Google U.S. Government 
• URL: http://www.google.com/ig/usgov
• Content: Search government web sites by keywords. Relevance determined in part by how many pages link to a particular site.
• Publisher/Provider: Google
• Type/format: Online database; no access restrictions
• USA.Gov 
• URL: http://www.usa.gov/
• Content: Search government web sites by keywords. Tends to be less precise than Google.
• Publisher/Provider: U.S. Government--Project of the President's Management Council
• Type/format: Web page; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
  • Also has a directory, described above under "Directories."

Indexes to U.S. government publications

• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications   
  Electronic version of Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (also known as MOCAT)
  • URL/Location:
    • Direct link to simple search: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
    • Direct link to advanced search
    • Also available through the UW-Madison E-Resources Gateway.=
  • Content: Indexes publications of the U. S. federal government; covers a broad range of subjects. Selected records have short abstracts.
  • Coverage: July 1976 to present
  • Publisher/Provider: U.S. Government Printing Office
  • Type/format: Online database, no access restrictions.
  • Special Information:
    • Includes Internet links.

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• Print Indexes for Historical Publications 
  Memorial Library does not have many historical U.S. government publications. It does have some indexes that will help you identify historical documents. For a list of Memorial's print indexes for historical U.S. publications, see Print Indexes for Historical U.S. Government Publications.

• Statistical Universe      
• Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
• Content: Citations with abstracts to sources of statistical data, full text of selected statistical publications, and links to selected web sites. Subjects covered include:

population business trade

government programs health economy

demography sociology political issues

Data sources include U.S, state, and international governments.
• Coverage: 1973 to present.
• Publisher/Provider: Lexis-Nexis
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on and off campus.
• Special Information:
  • Search Tables Base Edition mode searches the index/abstract entries for selected full-text tables in Statistical Universe. The tables are from U.S. government sources, and tend to come from statistical digests rather than specialized publications. Best for basic statistical questions.
  • Search Abstracts mode searches all index/abstract entries in Statistical Universe, not just those with full text attached. Allows for field searching.

• Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS)    
• URL/Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
• Content: Indexes journal articles; books; government documents; statistical compilations; committee reports; directories; serials; and reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations from all over the world. Covers public policy, social policy, and the social sciences in general. Records sometimes include a brief note indicating content.
• Coverage: 1972 to present
• Publisher/Provider: Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA)
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on and off campus.
• Special Information:
• Includes some links to full-text documents.
• Search assistance available via CSA Quick Guide.

• Foreign Broadcast Information Service Index (FBIS)  
• URL/Location: Room 262D Memorial Library - behind the Reference Desk
• Content: Indexes news broadcasts, newspapers, periodicals, government statements, and other worldwide press materials translated into English. The index provides access to the full-text FBIS Daily Reports microfiche collection, which is found in the Microforms/Media Center (Room 443 Memorial Library).
• Coverage: 1977-1996
• Publisher/Provider: National Technical Information Service - Newsbank/Readex
• Type/format: Stand-alone CD-ROM
• Special Information:
  • The FBIS Index and the FBIS Daily Reports (full-text product) merged into one product titled FBIS Publications beginning in Fall 1996. See FBIS Publications for information on the full-text product.
  • Print help guide stored with CD-ROMs.
  • Index is searchable by:

  subject personal name

  organization country

• Government Periodicals Universe  
• Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
• Content: Provides author and subject access to approximately 170 periodicals published by departments and agencies of the U.S. government.
• Coverage: 1988 to present, updated quarterly
• Publisher/Provider: Lexis-Nexis
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on or off campus.

• NTIS Bibliographic Index (National Technical Information Service) 
• URL/Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
• Content: contains descriptions of U.S. government-sponsored research from agencies such as the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA. Subject areas covered include

astronomy biotechnology computers

energy engineering environment

materials science transportation

• Coverage: 1964 to present, updated weekly
• Publisher/Provider: Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA)
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on or off campus.
• Special Information:
  • Physical copies of many of the reports indexed can be found at Wendt Library. For hints on how to find technical reports, scroll to the "Technical Reports" section at the bottom of Wendt's How to Find page.
  • More information is available at Wendt's Guide to Technical Reports, including a list of other databases covering technical reports.

• The Air University Index to Military Periodicals  
• URL/Location: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/aulimp/
• Content: Provides subject access to significant articles, news items and editorials appearing in 76 English-language military and aeronautical periodicals.
• Coverage: 1989 to present, updated quarterly
• Publisher/Provider: Air University Library
• Type/format: Online database; no access restrictions

Full-Text Databases with Government Publications

• GPO Access    
• URL/Location: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html
  
• Content: Web access to more than 70 full-text databases published by the United States government. Titles include the Federal Register, the Congressional Record, the United States Code, and the Code of Federal Regulations. A list of the resources available on GPO Access is available for browsing.
• Coverage: Varies
• Publisher/Provider: U.S. Government Printing Office
• Type/format: Online database; no access restrictions
• Special Information:
• For search assistance, see the GPO Access Help page.

• Thomas Legislative    
• URL/Location: http://thomas.loc.gov/
• Content: Provides Web access to current and recent Congressional information in the areas of legislation, Congressional Record, and committee information. Legislation databases include:

  full text of bill summaries and texts public laws

  roll call votes calendars

  Committee information includes:
  • full text of House and Senate committee reports printed by GPO
  • links to the home pages of committees
  Selected historical documents, including the U.S.Constitution, are also available.
• Coverage: Dates vary, link to Thomas Database coverage details.
• Publisher/Provider: Library of Congress
• Type/format: Online database; no access restrictions

• Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports  
• Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
• Content: Contains the full text of wire service reports, television & radio broadcasts, transcripts, newspapers, and other periodicals from hundreds of news sources from around the world.
• Coverage: 1974-1996
• Publisher/Provider:Readex
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on or off campus.
• Special Information:
• Database is searchable by:

  keyword (article) title (article) source

  language date

• FBIS Publications - Foreign Broadcast Information Service  
• Location: Room 262D Memorial Library (behind the Reference Desk)
• Content: FBIS is a media-monitoring servive that gathers translated and English language news and information from newspapers, magazines, broadcasts and technical reports from around the world and issued in 8 reporting areas:

Central Eurasia China Eastern Europe

Western Europe Latin America Near East

South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa

• Coverage: mid-1996 to date, updated quarterly
• Publisher/Provider: National Technical Information Service - Newsbank/Readex
• Special Information:
• Disks are not cumulative.
• Searchable by

keyword subject personal name

date title

FBIS region country

• For an index to pre-1996 FBIS reports (issued on microfiche), see Foreign Broadcast Information Service Index.

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• Global Newsbank 
• Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
• Content: Contains the full text of wire service reports, television & radio broadcasts, transcripts, newspapers, and other periodicals from hundreds of news sources from around the world.
• Coverage: 1996 to date, updated daily
• Publisher/Provider: Newsbank/Readex
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on or off campus.
• Special Information:
• Database is searchable by:

  topic keyword

  date source

• Basic help with this database available from the Newsbank Quick Guide.

• Statistical Universe      
• Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
• Content: Citations with abstracts to sources of statistical data, full text of selected statistical publications, and links to selected web sites. Subjects covered include:

  population business trade

  government programs health economy

  demography sociology political issues

  Data sources include U.S, state, and international governments.
• Coverage: 1973 to present.
• Publisher/Provider: Lexis-Nexis
• Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff on or off campus.
• Special Information:
  • Search Tables Base Edition mode searches the index/abstract entries for selected full-text tables in Statistical Universe. The tables are from U.S. government sources, and tend to come from statistical digests rather than specialized publications. Best for basic statistical questions.
  • Search Abstracts mode searches all index/abstract entries in Statistical Universe, not just those with full text attached. Allows for field searching.

• World News Connection 
  • URL/Location: UW-Madison Libraries E-Resource Gateway. Direct link for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff logging in from off-campus, who will be prompted for their net IDs in order to use this resource.
  • Content: English language translations of foreign media compiled by the U.S. government from thousands of non-U.S. media sources.
  • Coverage: July 1994 - to date (updated daily)
  • Publisher/Provider: FBIS, National Technical Information Service and Dialog (Thomson)
  • Type/format: Licensed online database; available to patrons in campus libraries; and to UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff.
  • Special Information:
    • For other translations of foreign media, see FBIS Daily Reports or Global Newsbank.

U.S. Government Publications at Memorial Library | Government Documents at Memorial Library |
Memorial Library Home Page | UW-Madison Libraries

Created by:
Beth Harper & Willa Kowalski
Maintained by:
Beth Harper
Government Documents Reference Librarian
276 Memorial Library
728 State St, Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-9852