Research Guides: Government Information: United States Government

United States Government

This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code)

Finding Government Information during the 2025 Administration Transition
This guide will point to resources that identify and track steps taken by the Trump administration and Congress to scale back or eliminate access to federal government information. It also provides links to groups performing data and website rescue.

Selected Links

DiscoverGov
DiscoverGov provides simple, one-stop searching across multiple U.S. Federal Government databases, including GPO's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) and GovInfo.
govinfo
Discover U.S. government information and official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
data.census.gov
data.census.gov is now the primary platform to access data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau, including the American Community Survey, the American Housing Survey, The Decennial Censuses (10 year surveys), Economic Census and Census Bureau surveys.

U.S. Census Quick Facts
Use Census QuickFacts to search for your state, county, or city’s census data.
USAGov
USAGov is the official guide to government information and services. An official website of the U.S. General Services Administration
Federal Depository Library Program Resource Guides
These guides provide information about the Federal Government and the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Subject Guides explore a variety of topics that concern the Federal Government for the general public.

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U.S. Government Branches

The Federal Government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the President, and the Federal courts, respectively. Powers not granted to the Federal Government are reserved for States and the people, which are divided between State and local governments.

Legislative Branch

Congress.Gov
U.S. Congress legislation, Congressional Record debates, Members of Congress, legislative process educational resources presented by the Library of Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate

United States Code
The United States Code is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives.

Executive Branch

Executive Branch (President)
The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the Federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise.

Judicial Branch

The Federal Courts of the United States
This site will help you learn more about the Judicial Branch and its work.
Supreme Court of the United States
The Court is the highest tribunal in the Nation for all cases and controversies arising under the Constitution or the laws of the United States. As the final arbiter of the law, the Court is charged with ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution.

Kathryn A. Martin Library

Government Information

Social Sciences Librarian