U.S. Government Information
Sonoma County Library is a Federal Depository Library
The Sonoma County Library has been in partnership with the United States Government Printing Office, through the Federal Depository Library Program, since 1896. We are a selective depository and we receive about 30% of the items published by U.S. agencies that are available though this program. We primarily serve the people of the 6th Congressional District, but access to all government-published material is free and open to anyone visiting the Central Library in downtown Santa Rosa.
Assistance in using materials in our documents collection is available at the Reference Desk, and anyone with a Sonoma County Library card may check out all circulating materials, including books, periodicals, pamphlets, and CD-ROMs.
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications This is an excellent way to determine if the Sonoma County Library has received a particular document. Once you locate the item you are interested in, click on the Locate in a Library link, type in 707 (our area code) and if we received the item our Directory Information will appear.
Every item in the FDLP Basic Collection is available in printed, microform, or other format at the Central Library, or in electronic form through the links that follow.
Quick question? Call or email the Government
Call 1-800-FED-INFO
Use the Answers.USA.gov email form
Get a quick answer to the top ten questions at Answers.USA.gov
Looking for a Federal Government job? USAJOBS.gov
A Guide to United States Online Resources
Searching For United States Government Information on the Internet
- USA.gov the "U.S. government's official web portal" is a gateway to extensive Federal information, forms, and services available on the Internet (formerly Firstgov)
- Search USA - Find Federal information from a variety of government sites
- A - Z list of United States agencies and departments
- FDsys: Federal Digital System - official U.S. government information (formerly GPO Access) from the Government Printing Office.
- GPO Metalib - Find publications and websites from across the U.S. government, including books at the Library of Congress, laws, agency newsletters, and website listings from USA.gov, all in one search. From the Government Printing Office.
- Browse Government Publications on FDsys
- Core Documents of U.S. Democracy on FDsys
- Export.gov for information on how your small business can get involved in exporting
- Grants.gov for finding government scholarships and grants
- Science.gov "a gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies, including research and development results." Searchable or use the directory of topics.
- GovEngine.com
- Federal Agency Directory Link directly to agency Web sites after searching an index or viewing a list of agencies that reflects the structure of the government as identified in The United States Government Manual. Indentations (syndetic structures) will inform the reader of the institution's place in the big picture. This site is brought to the web through a service partnership between Louisiana State University Libraries and GPO.
- Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids
- Federal Depository Library Directory
Departments
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Education
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health & Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
- US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)
(formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service, INS) - Naturalization test from Citizenship & Immigration Services: study materials for the English test and the Civics test - available in English and Spanish
- Citizenship guide: find a citizenship class (try also the local Sonoma County 211 directory of services - click Immigration)
- US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Justice
- Department of Labor
- Department of State
- Department of Transportation
- Department of the Treasury
- Bureau of the Public Debt includes information on Savings Bonds, Treasury Bonds, etc.
- Financial Report of the United States Government
- Internal Revenue Service
- Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of the President
Agencies
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- Consumer Information Center / Publications USA
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Government Printing Office (GPO)
- Library of Congress
- Medicare
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Peace Corps
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- SEC Online Publications for Investors - good information about "how the securities industry works, how you can avoid costly mistakes and fraud, and how to plan for a secure future."
- Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- Smithsonian Institution
- US Postal Service
- United States Supreme Court
Congress
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
- The U.S. Legislative Branch
- Senate Committees and Subcommittees
- House Committees and Subcommittees
- Congressional reports
Laws
- United States Code
- Federal Digital System to search government publications and laws
- Public & Private Laws
- U.S. Copyright Act
- Code of Federal Regulations
- LLSDC: Legislative Source Book an excellent starting place for tracking current legislation
Courts
- US Courts From the Judicial Branch of the United States.
- Federal Court Locator From Villanova University
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Reports - opinions, orders, and other materials issued for the Court's 1991 Term and subsequent years.
- Supreme Court Case Lookups From Findlaw
- Archive of Supreme Court cases From Cornell. Current decisions and historic cases, by justice or by topic.
Statistical Resources
- Explore Census Data
- Census of Agriculture
- Economic Census
- National Center for Health Statistics
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics
- National Agricultural Statistics Service
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Childstats - Federal and State statistics and reports concerning children.
- Agingstats - Federal agencies that produce or use statistics on aging.
- National Bureau of Economic Research
- Economic Indicators from the Council of Economic Advisers
- US Census Bureau
- Explore Census Data
- Census 2000
- Decennial Census by Decades 2010
- Ask the Census - Trouble finding data on the Census website? Look up the answers to frequently asked questions, or submit a question by email.
Other Resources
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
- Budget of the United States Government
- Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
- Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
- The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
- Reports of the United States Surgeon General
- Search Copyright Office Records
Just For Kids - Visit Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids for more government resources just for children.
