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Government Documents

What is a government document?

A government document is an official publication of a government agency, whether it is international, federal, state, county or city. What you may consider typical government documents such as laws, codes, rules and regulations, census publications, etc., are only a small portion of the government's collection. The collection ranges from pamphlets on current popular topics to highly technical and scientific studies on any subject imaginable, as well as maps and charts.

Finding government documents in the Law Library

  • Cataloged government documents may be found by call number on the Library shelves. Use the UO Library Catalog to locate these documents.
  • Reprints of federal legislative history documentation, such as bills, committee reports, hearings, prints and other related materials, are available through the Library's CIS microfiche in cabinets 1-6 of the microform collection in the 2d floor Reading Room. Indexing for these materials is available in the CIS Index shelved near the cabinets. UO Law students, faculty and staff may also access federal legislative history materials through their own computers or in the computer lab, using various databases found in LEXIS and Westlaw. Librarians are available to help!
  • Other documents reprints can be found in LLMC, a Web-based archive of government documents.
  • The Library maintains a search terminal near the Reference Desk, for locating government information online through Internet sites such as:

Law Reference Librarians can further assist users in finding government information.

Other government document holdings at the University of Oregon

The Document Center at Knight Library is the University's center for information from government agencies of the United States, Canada, Great Britian, the State of Oregon, and cities and counties in Oregon. It also contains official records of international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Communities. Government documents are important sources of statistical data and information about governmental programs, public policy issues, business, and international relations. The Document Center is located on the Main Floor of Knight Library. Please call 541-346-3070, or go to http://libweb.uoregon.edu/govdocs/ for further information.

If the government document you are looking for is a map

The Map and Aerial Photography (MAP) Collection at the University of Oregon holds collections of maps, atlases, and geographic reference books. It also has a collection of over one half million aerial photographs for the State of Oregon. Also available in the MAP Library are several CD-ROM reference and mapping tools, such as a national gazetteer and electronic atlases. Most items circulate for one week; atlases, historic maps, and aerial photographs do not circulate. The MAP Collection is located in the Document Center on the first floor of Knight Library. Please call 541-346-3051, or go to http://libweb.uoregon.edu/map/ for further information.

Locating libraries at the University of Oregon

 

Maintained by: Angus Nesbit, anesbit@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 07/07/2009