General Government Information Guides

• Government Information by Subject

  Extensive list of links to government information organized by Larry Romans, Gretchen Dodge, and Deborah Bilbra, Central Library, Vanderbilt University.

• Gov Spot

  Organized by StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc., this user-friendly site is a good place to begin a search for government information available on the Internet.

• USA.gov

  USA.gov is your online guide to government information and services..

• Subject Guides, Pathfinders, & Government Information Tutorials

  Organized by the Social Science and Humanities Library at the University of California, San Diego.

Business

• Business Patterns (U.S. Census Bureau)

• Export.gov

  “Export.gov brings together resources from across the U.S. Government to assist American businesses in planning their international sales strategies and succeed in today’s global marketplace.”

• Federal Business Opportunities

  “FedBizOpps.gov is the single government point-of-entry (GPE) for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Government buyers are able to publicize their business opportunities by posting information directly to FedBizOpps via the Internet. Through one portal – FedBizOpps (FBO) – commercial vendors seeking Federal markets for their products and services can search, monitor and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal contracting community.”

• Trade Topics

  Find publications, programs, and services for trade, “the trade promotion unit of the International Trade Administration.”

• Securities & Exchange Commission

  Includes investment information as well as the EDGAR database which contains selected documents of companies who are required to file forms with the SEC.

• Small Business Administration

• Standard Industrial Classification

  Links to NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) 2002 and NAICS 2007 as well as NAPCS (North American Product Classification System)

  • 1997 NAIC (North American Industry Classification) and 1987 SIC Correspondence Tables

    Search by NAIC, SIC code, or by keyword.

  • Standard Industrial Classification Search

    Organized by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration which is an agency of the Department of Labor.

• U.S. Department of Commerce

  The Department “encourages, serves, and promotes the Nation’s international trade, economic growth, and technological advancement” and “promotes job creation, economic growth.”

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security

  This department includes the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service, which helps to facilitate U.S. trade and enforces U.S. trade laws.

California

• California Chamber of Commerce

• California Home Page

  Provides information on the history, culture, economy, natural resources, government, emergency relief and services provided by the State to its citizens, as well as information on working, travelling, vacationing and doing business in California.

• California State Association of Counties

  Official Web site for this association.

• California State Controller’s Office

  This site has information on the responsibilities and activities of the State Controller’s Office, statistical information about each County in California, the full text of some of their publications, and a link to Unclaimed Property Information. Prior to searching for unclaimed property, it is important to read the “Frequently Asked Questions” for an explanation of what constitutes unclaimed property, laws governing it, and the procedures for claiming.

• California State Library

  Information includes an overview of services they offer to the public, libraries, State government and employees, local government and teachers and students, as well as current news affecting the California State Library and California libraries.

• Department of Finance (State of California)

  This site includes present and historical California budget information, data and reports from the California Statistical Abstract, and other financial, economic, and demographic information for the State of California and its 58 counties.

• Official California Legislative Information

  This site by the Legislative Counsel of California includes links to all legislative information, including links to daily Senate and Assembly bill updates, links to California law codes, and information on how to find your legislators. Also, this site includes tips on accessing state legislative information on the Internet through a guide, a list of legislative Internet sites, and a listing of legislative publications.

• Southern California Association of Governments

  SCAG functions as as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for six counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Imperial. “As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Association of Governments is mandated by the federal government to research and draw up plans for transportation, growth management, hazardous waste management, and air quality.” This site includes bidding opportunities, SCAG publications, regional data, and GIS applications and maps.

Jobs & Careers

• California Occupational Guides, Occupational Studies by Industry, and Occupational Guides Indexes & Lists

  Organized by the California Employment Development Department (EDD), “the California Occupational Guides are a series of about 300 information sheets covering individual occupations or groups of related occupations. They provide statewide information about job duties, working conditions, employment outlook, wages, benefits, entrance requirements, and training.”

• CALJOBS

  Organized by the California Employment Development Department (EDD), “this system is intended to help you manage your job search efforts by allowing you to view job listings and by giving you the option of making your resume available to employers through the Internet.” Registration is required to access information on this site.

• CareerOneStop

  “A U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored Web site that offers career resources and workforce information to job seekers, students, businesses, and workforce professionals to foster talent development in a global economy.” The site includes links to America’s Career InfoNet, which has occupation, industry, and state information, and America’s Service Locator, which helps job seekers and businesses find local and relevant services.

• Occupational Outlook Handbook

  Organized by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, you can locate information on a variety of careers as well as articles from the Occupational Outlook Quarterly.

• O*Net OnLine

  Includes information on skills, abilities, knowledges, work activities, and interests associated with occupations. Based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, this database can be used to facilitate career exploration, vocational counseling, and a variety of human resources functions, such as developing job orders and position descriptions and aligning training with current workplace needs.

Citing Government Publications

• DocsCite-Government Documents Service

  “DocsCite is a step-by-step guide to putting government publication citations into proper style format.” You can choose either MLA (Modern Language Association) or APA (American Psychological Association) style formats.

Consumer Information

• The Better Business Bureau

• Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs

Country Information

• Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments

  Updated weekly, this site which is organized by the Central Intelligence Agency lists governments in alphabetical order “according to the most commonly used version of each country’s name.”

• Country Studies

  The Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress publishes the Country Studies/Area Handbook in print. This online version allows you to search by country, combination of countries or browse the table of contents for a specific country. As with the print version, political, economic, social, historical, national security, and cultural information is provided. “Studies included here were published between 1988 and 1998. Information on some countries may no longer be up to date. See the “Research Completed” date at the beginning of each study or the “Data as of” date at the end of each section of text.”

• The Electronic Embassy

  This site lists the address, phone and fax number of foreign embassies located in Washington D.C. as well as the URL for U.S. embassy web sites overseas. In addition, this site includes a select bibliography on diplomacy and international affairs.

• U.S. Missions Online

  Organized by the U.S. State Department, this site links to U.S. embassy web sites in other countries with travel and tourist updates, current foreign affairs information, and doing business in the country.

• The World Factbook

  The CIA is the publisher of this resource which is also available in print. “The World Factbook” is an excellent resource to use for country reports. Included is a map and flag for the country as well as information on population, current issues, geography, economics, government structure, and the military. Regional maps of the world can also be viewed. When searching this site, don’t forget to click on “Notes and Definitions” for changes in a country’s name, the arrangement and organization of the publication, and an explanation of the information provided for each country.

• United Nations

  Information on its 188 member nations as well as issues the United Nations is involved in. This site can also be viewed in Arabic, Russian, Chinese, French, and Spanish.

Education

• ED-Data

  “Fiscal, demographic, and performance data on California’s K-12 schools” by state, county, and school district, and school.

• National Center for Education Statistics

  Links to information from the sources, The Condition of Education, The Digest of Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics, Youth Indicators, Education Indicators.

• Department of Education

  Publications, products, statistics, administrative initiatives, Title IV school codes, and financial aid for students.

Federal Government

• USA.gov

  The first-ever government website to provide the public with easy, one-stop access to all online U.S. Federal Government resources.

• U.S. Government Publishing Office

  Provides free online access to official, published versions of important federal government information.

• GPO Access Online Resources: A-Z Resource List

  Search Government Publications for official Federal resources such as the Congressional Record, U.S. Budget, CFR, FR, Commerce Business Daily, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.

• Presidential Libraries

  Organized by the National Archives and Records Administration with an overview of the Presidential Library system as well as links to the libraries’ home pages.

• U.S. Government Manual

  Search by year.

• U.S. Mint

  Home page for the U.S. Mint. This site lists the Mint’s mission and facilities, basic collector’s tips, and information about the history, production and specifications for coins, and basic information for collectors.

• U.S. State Department

  This site is divided into 5 main sections: Issues & Press, Travel & Business, Countries, Youth & Education and Careers.

• U.S. Treasury

  Includes links to information on savings bonds and the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act).

• The White House

  Links to independent Federal Agencies and Commissions, the President’s Cabinet, and the President’s press releases as well as information about the President and his family.

State Government

• State News

  Sponsored by The Council of State Governments.

• U.S. State & Local Gateway

  This site was developed as part of USA.gov to provide links to government information on the Internet.

• Where to Write for Vital Records (birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates)

  Organized by the U.S. General Services Administration.

Local Government

• County of Los Angeles

• Los Angeles Almanac

  This site, organized by Gary Thornton, Publisher and Editor of Given Place Publishing Company, has links to information and statistics about Los Angeles County and the cities and unincorporated areas within its boundaries.

• Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

  Private nonprofit organization whose interest is in the development and growth of the Los Angeles County area.

• National Association of Counties

• City of Los Angeles

  Official site for the City of Los Angeles government.

• League of California Cities

  There are links to over 260 California cities who have home pages on the Web, information about their operations, finance, and structure, and issues facing cities today.

• National League of Cities

  Established in 1924, the goal of this organization is to “strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance.”

• National Association of Towns and Townships

Grants and Scholarships

• Federal Student Aid

• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

• Grants.gov

  A central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and provides access to approximately $400 billion in annual awards.

Health

• California Department of Health Services – Center for Health Statistics

• Healthfinder

  Organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this site is “a gateway to selected consumer health and human services information resources provided by U.S. government agencies and other organizations serving the public interest.”

• National Institutes of Health

  This site includes the text of many of the Institute’s most frequently requested publications as well as information from CancerNet, AIDS information, Clinical Alerts, and the Women’s Health Initiative. Some of the information is also available in Spanish.

• U.S. National Library of Medicine

  Option to search MEDLINE, AIDSLINE, AIDSDRUGS, AIDSTRIALS, HISTLINE, POPLINE, SDILINE, SPACELINE and TOXLINE to retrieve citations to articles from medical journals or LINK to a publishers’ sites for the full-text of some of the journals. Also included on this site is MEDLINEplus which links to self-help groups, consumer health information, medical dictionaries, health-related databases, and medical libraries.

Government Info for Kids

• America’s Story from America’s Library

  Organized by the Library of Congress, this site has been geared towards children and families who would like to learn about the history of the United States through games, stories, photographs, maps, and audio and video recordings. Don’t miss exploring the sections, “Jump Back in Time” and “Amazing Americans!”

• Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids

  This site is available as a service of the Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office (GPO). With Benjamin Franklin as the tour guide, the goal of this site is to inform and educate children about the government. Although it is geared towards K-12, parents, and teachers, any age group will find this site educational.

• BLS Career Information

  Organized by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Cornerstone Documents

  Historical documents available on the Internet in full text.

• Future State: US Department of State for Kids

  Organized by the U.S. State Department

• H.I.P. Pocket Change

  Organized by the U.S. Mint, this site not only provides information about the history and “Birth of a coin” through games and a “time machine” but also lesson plans and projects for teachers.

• Kids Page

  Links to government agencies which have developed Web pages for grades elementary to high school.

Legal

• A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation

  Organized by the Library of Congress, this site includes “published congressional records of the United States of America from the Continental Congress through the 42nd Congress….The online collection offers the records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention and ratification debates, and the first forty-two federal congresses, 1774-1873.”

• California Law

  Organized by the Legislative Counsel of California. Includes the option to search the California Codes by individual code and/or keyword. Links also to the California Statutes and the California Constitution.

• California Code of Regulations

  The Internet CCR is maintained and updated weekly by OAL (Office of Administrative Law) through a contract with the West Group.

• Code of Federal Regulations

  View the code by title, chapter, and part or search by title and section.

• Search Government Publications

  Option to search several databases (e.g. Federal Register, Congressional Record or Code of Federal Regulations) at once.

• Federal Register

  Organized by the National Archives and Records Administration this site provides “ready access to the official text of public laws; Presidential documents including executive orders, proclamations, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, and Public Papers of the President; the Federal Register; and research tools to help one gain a better understanding of how the Federal agencies promulgate laws.

• Findlaw

  This site, which has been the recipient of various awards, is well organized and a good site to begin ones legal research.

• GPO Access

  As of September 1998, the following information is available: Budget of the U.S.; Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (MOCAT); Code of Federal Regulations; Commerce Business Daily; Congressional Information; the Congressional Record; Economic Indictors; History of Bills; House and Senate Pubications; Public Laws; U.S. Code (1994 edition); U.S. Constitution; Federal Register; GAO Reports; GILS; Privacy Act Notices; Supreme Court Decisions; U.S. Government Manual; Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents; Statistical Abstract of the U.S.; and information about the Federal Depository Library Program.

• Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School)

  Links to constitutions and codes, court opinions, Federal, State, and International law, law schools, and the legal profession.

• Los Angeles County Law Library

  This web site can also be viewed in 5 other languages.

• Search the United States Code

  Organized by the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Supreme Court of the United States

  This site includes recent Term and In-Chamber Opinions of the Court; very important information on locating Supreme Court opinions; biographies of the current members of the Supreme Court as well as a list of members from 1789 to the present; and the Court and Argument Schedule and Supreme Court Calendar. Note that the Adobe Acrobat Reader program is required to view the information.

• Supreme Court Decisions:

  • 1893 – Present

    Organized by FindLaw. Search cases by citation, party name, recent decisions, and browse by volume or year.

  • 1937 – 1975

    Federal Legal Information Through Electronics (FLITE)

    Organized by the National Technical Information Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Search by case name or keyword.

  • 1990 – Present

    Supreme Court Collection organized by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School.

• Congress.gov

  Includes information on legislation, congressional records, and committees.

• WashLaw WEB (Washburn University, School of Law)

  Links to Federal, State, and International law as well as law library catalogs; legal newspapers, organizations, and news and; law schools.

Libraries

• California State Library

• Library of Congress

  Information about the responsibilities, exhibits, and activities of the Library of Congress, images from the American Memory project, and links to their online catalog, THOMAS for legislative information, the Copyright Office, and the Vietnam Era POW/MIA database.

• LibWeb

  Extensive list of libraries in the U.S. and abroad.

Military

• Department of Veterans Affairs

  Statistics on the veteran population, disabled veteran resources, legislation, veterans benefits and services.

• Scientific & Technical Information Network

  The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Scientific and Technical Information Network (STINET) Service helps the DoD community access pertinent scientific and technical information to meet mission needs more effectively. Public STINET gives you access to all unclassified, unlimited citations to documents added into DTIC from late December 1974 to present.

Patents/Trademarks/Copyrights

• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

  This site provides search options and information on patents, trademarks, and copyrights. However, prior to conducting a search in any of these databases, it is essential that you read all information pertaining to the coverage and content of the databases.

• Patentscope

  From the World Intellectual Property Organization, a database of international patent applications that fall under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Also provides resources related to patents and intellectual property; topics covered include legal issues, global trends, and statistics.

Politics/Elections

• California Secretary of State

  Information includes Ballot Pamphlets On-Line; a directory to lobbyists, lobbying firms, and lobbyist employers; campaign finance information; election and voter information and a link to the latest California Roster. For similar information related to presidential and congressional campaigns, connect to the Federal Election Commission web.

• County of Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder

  Polling Place Locator, information on political parties, voter districts, election results with multilingual voter services in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Also included is information on obtaining vital records, birth, marriage, death records, and registration of a business name.

• Federal Election Commission

  Includes information on voting, elections, party fundraising, campaign finance data, and historical voter registration and turnout statistics.

• League of Women Voters of California

  The League’s “goal is to direct citizens to information to encourage informed political actions including voting, communicating with your elected representatives, or running for political office.”

• Mapping Your Legislative District

  • California Voter Foundation

    Links to surveys, campaign data, ballot initiatives, election links, and congressional, state assembly, and state senate district maps.

  • Congressional District Maps

    Printable maps of each state’s Congressional Districts.

  • Government Printing Office

    Includes searchable databases such as the Congressional Directory.

• Project Vote Smart

  “Project Vote Smart has compiled information on over 13,000 candidates and elected officials, including President, Congress, Governors, and State Legislators” by providing information in five areas on the candidates—Biographies, Campaign Finances, Issue Positions, Performance Evaluations, and Voting Records. Also included at this site are links to information on elections, federal and state government to keep one informed on the election process and provide an awareness of political issues.

• Smart Voter

  Organized by the League of Women Voters, this site not only includes a list of candidates running for State and Federal, some county, district and school offices but also a summary of some State Propositions and information on past California elections.

• U.S. Senate

  Official home page for the U.S. Senate with information on contacting your Senator, Senate Floor activity, hearing schedules, and an option to search for a bill from the current Congressional session.

• U.S. House of Representatives

  Official Web home page for the House including roll call votes, contact information for the Representatives, House schedule, committee hearings, and links to Thomas for legislative information.

Statistics and Demographics

• CenStats Databases 

  Organized and compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. Databases which are available are Annual Survey of Manufacturers, Building Permits, Census Tract Street Locator, Consolidated Federal Funds Report, County Business Patterns, International Trade Data, information on occupations from the 1990 Census, counties in the U.S., and Zip Code Business Patterns.

• U.S. Census Bureau

  Includes census information on population and housing as well as the economy. There are also links to other servers which gather statistical information. Don’t miss clicking on American FactFinder! This is where information from the Census 2000 data will be released to the public over the Internet.

• Criminal Justice Statistics Center

  Compiled by the California Attorney General, this site is a great resource for crime statistics. Although the focus is on California, other links are provided for statistics on crime in the U.S. and the world.

• FedStats

  Links to over 70 Federal agencies which produce economic and social statistics at the federal, state, county, and local government level.

• Statistical Abstract of the United States

  Arranged by subject from 1878 to 2012. Information for years after 2012 is available through various organizations cited in the source notes for each table of the Statistical Abstract.

• Uniform Crime Statistics (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

• U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics