WorldCat Discovery @UCSB
WorldCat Discovery @UCSB is a way to find books and other materials located in libraries outside the UC System.
Major federal indexes
- Catalog of Government Publications (1976–present)While this catalog is mostly useful for the late 1970s and forward, it includes some brief records going back to the nineteenth century.
Start your research by discovering what has been cataloged and indexed by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO).
- Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (1951–1975)You can also browse these in the Government Information Reference Collection.
- Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (1895–1950)There are many incomplete runs of this important index in HathiTrust. It is also available to browse in the Government Information Reference Collection.
- Checklist of United States Public Documents 1789–1909 (1909 Checklist)Also available in the Government Information Reference Collection.
Major full text digital collections
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new windowUse the catalog search to locate government documents. If a U.S. government publication is included but not available for full view, select the Feedback link at the top of the page to indicate that this item is a U.S. government document. In most cases you can also obtain the print version through Melvyl.
While the quality of digitization varies drastically and none are comprehensive, these sources may help you discover additional publications.
- UNT Libraries Government DocumentsThe University of North Texas provides access to over 150,000 documents, many of which are digitized from their historical collections.
Consult legislative sources
Here are some resources for locating Congressional publications that address the agency or office you are researching.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowUse ProQuest Congressional to identify Congressional documents, including hearings, committee reports, bills, and other publications. Many are available full text in this database.
Find your agencies
Use these tools to discover agencies of interest to your research, and to learn more about them.
You can also easily browse this collection in the Main Library JK421 .U6
Other tactics
- Remember to search UC Library Search and the secondary literature for your topic.
- Searching a major news source can help you identify specific dates and offices of additional interest.
- For unpublished materials and official records, start with the National Archives Catalog.