Government Information: Home
What's In This Guide
Government documents and publications offer a wealth of information on hundreds of topics in addition to their primary role of recording the work of countries and states. Find out how to get started here. Resources include article databases, catalogs, reference books, web sites, and advanced research guides.
Our physical collections are located on the fourth floor of Millar Library and include official documents from federal, state, and local sources as well as a variety of atlases and maps. Additional local, state and federally-produced government documents are found throughout the general collection, and links to full-text digital documents available 24/7 online.
Portland State University Library is an Federal Depository Library and an Oregon Document Repository Library.
Starting Points - Federal And State
Use the Library's catalog to find documents and volumes held here at Portland State. PSU is a Depository Library that offers access to millions of print, microfilm, map and digital formats of federal government documents. Didn't find what you were looking for? We have lots of tangible items that may not be in the catalog, or only visible through the catalog. Before you use Summit to get that document, check the catalog first or ask a library staff member for faster access to print documents.
- USA.govFrequently asked questions answered by the General Services Administration that includes topics ranging from social security to ordering a flag.
- govinfoThe U.S. Government Printing Office's (GPO) govinfo is an advanced digital system that provides access to government information from all three branches of the U.S. Government. It replaces GPO's FDsys digital system.
- Freedom of Information Act ResourcesCreated by the Legislative Research Special Interest Section of the Law Librarians' Society of Washington D.C, this website lists and links to numerous resources concerning the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) including each FOI act and its legislative history, U.S. Department of Justice resources, other government resources (like related CRS reports, executive orders, Presidential memos, etc.) , non-governmental resources (like related blogs and newsletters), and recent FOIA related court decisions.
Government Documents Collection
What is a Government Document?
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.