Library: HIST 305: The Cold War: Government Documents

Federal Government of the United States

Helmke Library is a Federal Depository Library and holds many print and digital resources pertaining to all three branches of the US Federal Government.

Comprehensive Sites

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Full text searching and PDFs of U.S. official documents, including the Pentagon Papers, U.S. Statutes at Large, Presidential Library, Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), as well as a Supreme Court Library, Treaties and Agreements Library, Women and the Law, Legal Classics and World Constitutions Illustrated, among others.

GovInfo.gov
The U.S. Government Publishing Office's digital portal, with U.S. bills, laws, Congressional reports, presidential papers, Supreme Court documents, regulatory information and more. See also the Govinfo.gov Guide and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
USA.gov
Find government websites. Scroll down to browse by topic or branch of government.

Agencies and Directories

A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies
Provides the website, email address, phone number, and mailing address for each government agency.
Federal Register: Agencies
A searchable list of federal agencies maintained by the Federal Register.
Contact Your Elected Officials
Contact information for federal, state, and local government officials.
Federal Government Mobile Apps Directory
Includes an extensive list of apps by government agency.
SuDoc & Agency List -- University of Illinois Guide
This guide matches U.S. federal agencies with their SuDoc (Superintendent of Documents) number. With this number, you can browse print government publications on the 4th floor of Helmke Library. You can also find SuDoc numbers in the library catalog and Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
Plum Book
Identifies federally appointed positions within the U.S. Government; published every four years. See also: https://m.gpo.gov/plumbook/.
United States Government Manual
The official handbook of the U.S. government, with contact information for federal officials, quasi-official agencies, commissions and committees. See also GPO.

Congress

CQ Press Library This link opens in a new window
Includes several important databases for researching Congress, including: CQ Researcher, CQ Weekly, CQ Alamanac and Politics in America.

Congress.gov
Search by legislation or member of Congress. See also date coverage.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
To find CRS reports, do a Google search for CRS and a policy issue, e.g. Google for: CRS immigration. These non-partisan reports are created by the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service for members of Congress.
History, Art & Archives: The U.S. House of Representatives
A collaborative project between the Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House's Office of Art and Archives.
U. S. Census Bureau. My Congressional District
Map finder for the U.S. Census Bureau's collection of Congressional District Maps
Legislative Process: Getting Started
A guide from Duke. See also Congress.gov, the BGSU guide, Federal Legislative History 101 and the LLSDC's Legislative Source Book.

Presidency: Official Documents and Messages

HeinOnline U.S. Presidential Library
Includes the Compilation of Presidential Documents, Messages and Papers, Public Papers, Impeachment in the United States, the Code of Federal Regulations Title 3, and more.
Public Papers of the Presidents - HeinOnline
By U.S. president, beginning with Herbert Hoover.
Public Papers of the Presidents - GovInfo.gov
Official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary, published by the Federal Register, 1993-current. See also Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders (1945-1989) and the Executive Orders Disposition Tables, as well as the Federal Register (from NARA, GPO, 1994-current. See also HeinOnline.
American Presidency Project: Presidential Documents Archive
An online archive from UC Santa Barbara with access to presidential documents and election materials.
Executive Orders and Other Presidential Documents: Sources and Explanations
From the Law Librarians' Society of Washington DC.
Economic Report of the President
See also GPO (1995-current) and Fraser (1947-current).
Presidential Directives and Where to Find Them
A guide from the Library of Congress.

Historical Sources

National Archives Catalog
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) holds the historical records of the U.S. federal government. The catalog searches both digitized items and physical items held by NARA.
National Archives Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
This National Archives (NARA) site allows you to search and browse by person, place, time, and subject.
Library of Congress
Access a wide range of digital collections from one of the world's largest libraries. See also American Memory.
Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Search or browse the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, Journals of Congress, Debates of Congress, and Statutes and Documents.
Federal Depository Library Program Web Archive
An archive of selected U.S. Government websites. See also the End of Term Web Archive, the Internet Archive and CyberCemetery.
Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS)
The official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity
National Register of Historic Places
Includes a database of locations officially designated as historic by the National Park Service.
Smithosonian Institution Collections
Dedicated to preserving our nation's heritage, the site offers a Collections Search Center and the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives (SOVA).
Guide to Historical Research with Government Publications, 1789-1989
This website is an online supplement to the Indiana Libraries article, Guide to Historical Research with Government Publications, 1789-1989. The website identifies important indexes used for finding legislative, executive and judicial publications.

United States Congressional Serial Set by Washington : U.S. G.P.O.
Call Number: Y1.1/2:SERIAL
Publication Date: 1817
Beginning in 1817, the set is an invaluable source of law, history, and culture. See also American Memory and HathiTrust, and the guide by LLSDC.