A U.S. government document may be broadly defined as any publication issued at government expense or published under the authority of a governmental body. Included are official papers that record the actions or deliberations of government (such as the Congressional Record), informational publications (like the many statistical compilations of the Bureau of the Census), and reports of research done under government contract. Publications of the federal government range from leaflets to major reference works and deal with a wide range of subject matter. They appear as both books and periodicals, in paper and microform, on CD-ROMs, and on the Internet. 

The United States Government, often through the Government Printing Office (GPO) and its predecessor agencies has provided open access to much U.S. information since 1790.  Today, important titles are often found in the Internet, through such sites as: 

• GPO Access on the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/ provides electronic access to a wealth of government documents and governmental information.  Starting dates vary from title to title; some few items begin as early as the mid-1980s, while most begin in the mid-1990s.  Check the individual title to determine when each ones begins. 

• U.S. Census Bureau, at http://www.census.gov, provides access to a broad range of statistical measures for the United States, and some international figures as well. 

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, at http://www.bls.gov offers figures on important measures of the U.S. economy, including employment and unemployment; inflation and the consumer and producer price indexes;  wages, earnings, and benefits; consumer spending; and industries and occupations. 

• The Avalon Project at Yale University, at http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm, offers the full text of a wide range of selected historical key U.S. government documents among its holdings. This project has the benefit that it covers the entire history of the United States.  For instance, the farewell addresses of Presidents George Washington and Dwight D. Eisenhower can be found there. 

• FirstGov, at http://firstgov.gov is an ambitious project which describes itself as "a rich treasure of online information, services and resources", and as "the official U.S. gateway to all government information, a catalyst for a growing electronic government, connecting the world to all U.S. government information and services." One of its missions is to enable citizens "to find and do business with government online, on the phone, by mail, or in person." 

United States Government Documents can usually be identified in the Main Catalog of the University Library.  Also useful is the MarciveWeb DOCS electronic index, specifically for U.S. Government Documents. 

• If a Princeton location for U.S. Documents for the period before 1980 can't be found in the Main Catalog, it can be useful to check the Supplementary Catalog, found on the Library web page just under the Main Catalog, under the heading Other Princeton Catalogs.  Before 1980 U.S. Documents are found under the formal name of the governmental agency as an author, and this form is frequently elusive. For example, Congressional committees are found under headings such as: U.S. Congress. House. Committee on... ; while Laws of the United States are entered as: U.S. laws, statutes, etc. 

• Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is the official catalog of documents published by the Superintendent of Documents. A paper catalog located at (SSRC) Z1223 .A172, covers the year 1893 to the present.  Especially useful to identify exactly U.S.documents before 1980, since the exact form must be used in the catalog to find the call number for Princeton's location. 

• American Statistics Index (ASI) provides indexing and abstracting for statistical publications of federal agencies. Paper Index is located in SSRC, for the year 1975 to the present.  Selected parts are also found electronically in Statistical Universe under Databases and Reference Tools on the Library web page. 

• CIS Federal Register Index is a comprehensive weekly guide to the daily Federal Register of the U.S. government. Located in SSRC for the year 1975 to the present. 

• Congressional Information Service (CIS) is an indexing and abstracting service for congressional publications, essential in identifying hearings before the U.S. Congress. Paper Index is located in SSRC from 1970 to the present.  Some of the same access is also provided electronically in Congressional Universe under Databases and Reference Tools on the Library web page. 

 
• The National Technical Information Service, NTIS, indexes U.S. government-sponsored research and worldwide scientific, technical, engineering, and business-related information. Covers research reports, journal articles, data files, computer programs and audio visual products from Federal sources.  Found on the Library web page under Databases and Reference Tools. NTIS Government Report Announcements covers earlier years from 1946 forward; ask for assistance in the Engineering Library in Friend Center. 

• Public Affairs Information Service, PAIS, selectively indexes U.S. government publications from 1972 to the present. Found on the Library web page under Databases and Reference Tools. Paper indexes available in SSRC cover earlier years from 1915 forward. 

•  American Foreign Policy Index 
•  American Statistics Index (ASI, 1975- ) See index entry above.  
•  Congressional Information Service (CIS, 1970- ) See index entry above. 
•  Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports. Some on web, Senate and House. 
•  Declassified Documents, electronic index to most, some later ones full text. 
•  Foreign Broadcast Information Service.  See Guide. 
•  Joint Publications Research Service. See Guide. 
•  U.S. General Accounting Office. GAO Reports. 
•  U.S. Supreme Court Records and Briefs 

Many U.S. Documents at Princeton are found in call number order in typical locations as any other material  would be.  However, most documents received in 1980 and following are arranged by a "call number" created by the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification system.  SuDoc numbers are in two parts, separated by a colon, and often includes decimal points and slashes  The first part represents the agency responsible for the publication, while after the colon are found symbols representing the individual publication, such as the following: 

 AC 1.16:  U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. 
 998   World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers 1998 

 PR 40.9:  U.S. President. 
 2002   Economic Report of the President 2002 

 Y 3.R31/2:  U.S. Resolution Trust Corporation 
 15/990  Real Estate Asset Inventory 

Microforms Service on C Floor of Firestone Ligrary houses the index to the microfiche set of The Serial Set, 1789-1969, as well as many other documents, such as the 1790-1960 censuses and the presidential papers. 

Engineering Library in the Friend Center receives many technical reports, usually on microfiche, directly from the sponsoring agencies, as well as through the depository system, including reports from the Department of Energy. 

The Map Collection which is part of the Geosciences Library in Guyot Hall has major holdings of maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency. 

Fine Annex Library in Fine Hall holds the microprint set of Non-Depository U.S. Government Documents publications listed in the Monthly Catalog, 1953-80. 

While access to the University Library is usually restricted to the faculty, students, and staff of Princeton University, and provided to others only by special arrangement, the general public is welcome to use depository materials free of charge.  As the Government Printing Office continues the transition to a more electronic depository collection, and depends more heavily on Internet resources, Princeton adheres to the following policies: FDLP Internet Use Policy Guidelines and Depository Library Public Service Guidelines for Government Information in Electronic Formats.  The Access Office can provide information about Depository Access. 

Although the Internet is the preferred engine of delivery for electronic information from the U.S. Government today, CD-ROMs can still be of interest. 

Comprehensive List of Depository CD-ROMs 

U.S. CD-ROMs in SSRC-By SuDoc 

U.S. CD-ROMs in SSRC-By Title 

U.S. CD-ROMS with Internet Equivalents 

U.S. CD-ROMs, with links to technical documentation, guides and web sites [CIC CD-ROM Technical Documentation Project] 

• Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications, covers both paper and electronic resources, from the University of Memphis 
• Comprehensive Sites for U.S. Government Information, from Bobst Library of New York University, at http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/research/soc/govtpoly/compsites.htm 
• Federal Publications Documents Center, from the University of Michigan, at http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/index.html 
• FedStats, a gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies 
• FDLP Desktop, U.S. Federal Depository Library Program resources and tools 
• Forms from the Feds, from the University of Memphis 
• Google Uncle Sam, searches the gov and mil domains of the Internet 
• Government Information Resources, from Rutgers University, at http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/gov_info/gov_info.shtml 
• Migrating Government Documents, traces the conversion from paper to electronic format for individual U.S. Government Documents, from the University of Memphis 
• U.S. Federal Government Information from the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association