Library Guides: Political Science: American Government

CQ Databases

CQ Researcher
This resource has been cancelled and will be unavailable after August 31, 2024. We suggest using EBSCO’s Points of View Reference Source as a substitute.
A collection of reports covering political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy.

US Government Data sources

U.S. Census Bureau
Statistics covering many different areas. Includes Decennial census data, the economic census data, and other sources.
Data.gov
The home of the U.S. Government’s open data

Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more. Over 150,000 fully searchable datasets

US Government Information

For complete listing of government resources, refer to the Government Information Library Guide

Congress.gov (formerly Thomas.gov)
The official website for U.S. federal legislative information provides access to complete legislative information presented by the Library of Congress; using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Publishing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC’s Congressional Research Service.
GovINFO (Formerly FDsys)
Free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government, including full text of U.S. federal bills, public laws, regulations, and other government reports.

Databases for American Government

America: History & Life with Full Text
Full text and citation searching of journal articles, dissertations, and book reviews on all aspects of North American history, including the United States and Canada. Covers publications from 1954 to present.
ProQuest Congressional
Index to U.S. Congressional publications; text of bills, laws, regulations, Congressional testimony and publications; legislative histories; members and committees of Congress. 1789 - present. Formerly LexisNexis Congressional.

USA.gov
A gateway for searching for information from the U.S. government.
MetaLib
MetaLib is a service of the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP)! MetaLib is a federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online. To learn more, view additional brief or detailed search information.
Sources for Finding Mandated Reports to Congress by U.S. Federal Agencies

Congressional Research Service Reports

Congressional Research Service Reports (hosted by University of North Texas Libraries)
Reports created for Congress on the full range of public policy.
Congressional Research Service Reports (National Agricultural Law Center)
Reports from the CRS on agriculture and food issues.

FOIA reports

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Documents

Most federal agencies have Freedom of Information offices that administer the provision of internal documents requested through the Freedom of Information Act. Generally there are links to FOIA Web sites from the respective agency home pages. Their contents vary, but among those that provide full text are:

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)- Documents previously released to the public since November 1996 are contained in this database; goes back at least to 1945; full-text searchable;
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)- not searchable, but has linked subject index
National Security Agency (NSA)- contains text of some documents released through FOI; not searchable; has linked subject list
The Black Vault- Archives more than 400,000 documents procured through the Freedom of Information Act. Cold War era materials, FBI files, homeland security, Dept. of Defense documents, weapons systems, spy satellites, field manuals and more.
Archiv-It.org -- Created in partnership with Stanford University, this is a "Collection of sites that deal with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and documents. This includes government sites that receive and distribute FOIA documents as well as non-profit organizations and government watchdogs that request large numbers of FOIA documents on specific topics like national security and civil rights."

Documents in American Government

FBI Files Online
Thousands of files continually released through the Freedom of Information Act. Includes information on historical events, political movements, as well as files on individuals and groups.
National Archives and Records Association
Contains a wealth of documentary material from the federal government, including electronic finding aids for the presidential libraries.
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States
Beginning in 1991 with President George H. W. Bush, this site presents the papers and speeches of the president of the United States issued by the Office of the Press Secretary during the specified time period.

Federal Response to Radicalism in the 1960s
Organized alphabetically by organization, this collection covers a wide range of viewpoints on political, social, cultural, and economic issues. Includes full text of FBI files documenting internal organization, personnel, and activities of prominent American radical groups.