HST 390: Animals and Society: Government Publications

All government information is organized by agency, not topic. If you're interested in a topic - in this case the history of human-animal relations - your first question is: which agency would have studied this topic? Where you look for materials will depend entirely upon your topic, but speaking generally:

• Congressional Hearings and the Serial Set is where you'll find high-level reports about the use of animals by the government.  (Ex. the use of camels by the US army in the 1850s)
• Census will collect general data & statistics about the American people (Ex. the number of farmers in Oregon Territory in 1850 - it was 1,702 or the number of horses, cows, and oxen in Clackamas county - 527, 832, and 806).  Many other countries also have Census programs with that provide historical information (See British Census)
• Historical reports of individual agencies can also be useful primary documents. NASA, for example, will contain primary source materials/reports on the use of animals in early experimental test flights.

A 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. The United States Government, often through the Government Publishing Office (GPO) and its predecessor agencies has provided open access to much U.S. information since 1790. States, cities, counties and local governments produce information that is openly accessible to citizens.

Government Document: Any material produced by government entity as part of their normal operations (ex. hearings, committee reports). Many, but not all, government documents are circulated through the FDLP and are online. Includes all formats (print, digital, online, microform).

Government Records: Internal materials produced by agencies (ex. employee lists, internal reports, internal memos). These materials can be requested as public records documents, but are not circulated in the FDLP. They can be accessed through the agency or NARA. Includes all formats (print, digital, online, microform).

Government Publications: Materials produced by government entities with the intention of public circulation (ex. press materials, public reports, maps, posters, books).  These materials are typically published by the Government Publishing Office and circulated through the FDLP. Includes all formats (print, digital, online, microform).

Government Information: Catch-all term for any material in any format created by a government entity (ex. agency social media, online content, printed material not published by GPO). This term includes Gov docs, Gov records, and Gov Publications.