LibGuides: Government Information (United States): Historical Government Information (US)

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 window
Use 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.
Limited (search only) Materials:
Full text is not available for materials which are under copyright protection or do not have the necessary permissions for open access. You can use the database to search for relevant materials and then use UC Library Search or WorldCat to locate those items in a library. All users can access bibliographic information about materials included in the repository without logging in.
Full View (public domain and open access) Materials:
Materials that are no longer protected by copyright or have the necessary permissions for open access are viewable to all users. Users with a UCSBnet ID and password may download the full text of Full View materials.
Logging In:
Click on the "Log in" link in the upper right-hand menu of the screen. Select "University of California, Santa Barbara" from the list of partners and click on the "Login" button. Enter your UCSBnet ID and password.
Searching:
Perform a search and then browse through the results. When you click on a link for "Full View" you will be able to view the full text. To download the entire book, click on "Download PDF – whole book" and you will see the "Login" link in the pop-up box that comes up. Log in as described above.
Creating Collections:
Logged-in users can create personal "collections" for private or public use by selecting records from search results and then grouping them into a collection. These collections can be saved for subsequent use and may be shared with and accessed by others.

While the quality of digitization varies drastically and none are comprehensive, these sources may help you discover additional publications.

Internet Archive Government Documents Collection
UNT Libraries Government Documents
The University of North Texas provides access to over 150,000 documents, many of which are digitized from their historical collections.

Consult legislative sources

Congressional Serial Set

Here are some resources for locating Congressional publications that address the agency or office you are researching.

Congressional publications & the Congressional Record

ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
Use ProQuest Congressional to identify Congressional documents, including hearings, committee reports, bills, and other publications. Many are available full text in this database.
See the Content Coverage Chart for details on specific types of content and years of coverage.

Find your agencies

U.S. Government Manual (1995–present)

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.