Library Guides: Government Information: Find Government Information

Related Libraries Guides

Federal Depository Library

Penn State Libraries
Federal Depository Library since 1858

General Search & Information

Most government agencies link to their publications and data on their web sites. The sites below will help you to find the government agencies or departments that have publications related to your research topic.

USA.gov
Similar to Google, but for government documents. Start here to find out which government agency has the information you are looking for.
govinfo
Website of the Government Publishing Office (GPO). Find publications from all 3 branches of government. Replaced FDSys. Content primarily from Congress, The President, and The Courts.
United Nations
Start here to find information and publications by and about the United Nation, its history, member states, programmes, and specialized agencies.
European Union
FInd information about the European Union as well as its history, laws, and documents & publications.
PA.gov
The official website of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Penn State University Libraries Catalog

Catalog (Penn State University Libraries catalog) This link opens in a new window
Use the catalog to find books, CD/DVD, and digitized titles in the Penn State Libraries' collections. Note: you will not find journal articles in the catalog.
This is the online catalog of materials owned by Penn State Libraries. All formats (books, journals, audiovisuals, maps, recordings, etc.) are included. Circulation status for individual items is also provided. Coverage: Presently contains about 7 million records. Updates: Continuous up-to-the-minute as new records are added.

Using the Catalog to find government information

Start by typing your search term into the catalog.

On the left side, click on the drop down arrow by Format. Click on Government Document.

LionSearch

LionSearch This link opens in a new window
an integrated search of books, e-books, research articles, newspaper articles, and other publications.

Using LionSearch to find government information

From the Libraries' home page, simply type your subject term[s] and click Enter:

At your results screen, limit your content type to government documents:

Click More... under the Content Type menu

Click Government Documents, then Apply to retrieve government documents available from the Libraries' collections and from Libraries' databases.