Learn about the text, history, and meaning of the U.S. Constitution from leading scholars of diverse legal and philosophical perspectives.
Federal Depository Library ProgramThe Government Documents Department supports the Libraries' objectives by providing federal and state resources, instruction, and other services for Columbus State University and the local community. If you should have any questions, feel free to contact Alison Cook or Holli Redden.
These resources are vital sources of information about the workings and essential activities of the U.S. Government.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Assistance Listings | Provides detailed, public descriptions of Federal assistance listings available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); Federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi- public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups, and individuals. |
| Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government | Presents educational content for the public on the workings of the U.S. Government and U.S. history, with a focus on civics. |
| Budget of the United States Government | Contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications issued throughout the fiscal year. |
| Catalog of U.S. Government Publications | A finding tool for publications from all three branches of the U.S. government. Updated daily, it contains descriptive records for current and historical publications and provides direct links to those online. |
| Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) | The annual edition of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by departments and agencies of the U.S. Government. |
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The official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary. |
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Provides information about legislative activities, publications, and other related materials for members of Congress and the public. . |
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The official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published daily when Congress is in session. (Note: This is the daily edition. There is also a bound edition.) |
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| The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation | Also known as the Constitution Annotated, includes the U.S. Constitution and analysis and interpretation, with in-text annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. |
| Economic Indicators | Published monthly by the Council of Economic Advisors for the Joint Economic Committee, provides economic information on GDP, income, employment, production, business activity, prices, money, credit, security markets, Federal finance, and international statistics. |
| The Economic Report of the President to the Congress | An annual report, issued by the Executive Office of the President and the Council of Economic Advisors, providing on overview of economic progress, with extensive data appendices. |
| Explore Census Data (also known as data.census.gov) | A source for population, economic, housing, and geographic information and data about the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island areas. |
| Federal Register | The daily publication of the rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, along with executive orders. |
| govinfo | A database providing authenticated access to official publications from all three branches of the U.S. Government. |
| Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) | A resource for occupational and career information, providing profiles on a majority of jobs in the United States. Profiles describe the work environment, education and training needed, a ten year outlook, and median pay for workers. |
| Official Congressional Directory | Includes biographical and directory information about members of the House and Senate, committee memberships, terms of service, and related content. |
| Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States | Official publication of the President’s addresses, writings, and remarks. |
| Social Security Handbook | Resource for the most common questions about Social Security. |
| United States Code | The codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States, divided by broad subjects into 53 titles. |
| The United States Government Manual | The official handbook of the U.S. Government, providing information on the agencies from all three branches, quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, boards, commissions, and committees. |
| United States Reports | Contains the final version of the opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States. |
| United States Statutes at Large | Contains the permanent laws enacted during each session of Congress. |
| USA.gov | A subject-based portal to Federal services and resources online. A Spanish site is also available. |
Government documents in a physical form (paper, cd, etc.) are located on the third floor of the library building on the main campus.
The documents are listed in the Libraries' catalog. Many documents published since the late nineties have electronic versions.
Government Documents At Columbus State UniversityEstablished as a federal depository library (No. 0120A) in 1975, the collection of United States government documents covers a variety of topics to assist students with their curriculum needs and provide resources for the community.
The government documents available in print are located on the third floor of the main library.
The documents at Schwob Library are listed in the catalog. You will find both print and/or electronic formats included.
Government documents (GovDocs) are items printed by federal, state, local, or even international agencies. Booth Library is a federal and state depository of many items made available to the public through the free dispersal of certain classes of published government information. (So, there's no need to travel to Atlanta, GA, or Washington, DC to read them!)
GovDocs are an invaluable source of information and do not just pertain to historical, legal, or political subjects: you can find all kinds of topics in our GovDocs room from ecology, fine arts, and health care to maps, medicine, science, and technology.
Federal documents are arranged by the U.S. Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) Classification System based on the issuing government agency.
For example, the SuDocs number for the Department of Justice begins with "J" and "ED" identifies documents from the Department of Education.
The FDLP has more information on their SuDoc webpage. Michigan State University has an excellent guide on using SuDoc Classification that also explains in plain language how the numbers are created.
Need research or homework help and cannot come to the library? No problem! Type your question in the chatbox below, call the reference desk, send a text, or email and a library professional will respond to you shortly after, during our normal hours. If you submit your question outside of regular hours, we will respond as soon as possible when we return the following business day. Our subject-specific research and study guides can be very helpful,l as well.
Check out our list of reference faculty and staff if you have a subject-specific question and want to contact a librarian directly, who also often respond even after the regular chat and text hours. However, this is not guaranteed. The faculty and staff at CSU Libraries can be fairly flexible in meeting you virtually or one-on-one to assist you in your academic goals and pursuits.
The Columbus State University's Government Documents Collection Development Policy is available online.
