Finding Government Documents

The study of political science is often aided by the use of information from the United States federal government. The executive, legislative and judicial branches produce a large, diverse and authoritative body of information that will assist the researcher. Government documents are located on the 6th Floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, but recently more and more are available online. Access to online government information is available through the Government Documents homepage. Visit the Reference Desk on the Main Level for assistance in using government documents.

Executive Branch

Executive agencies have produced a great deal of material that would be of use in political science research. For example, the W.E.B. Du Bois Library has the decennial census of population from 1790 to 2000. The library also has microfilm copies of the schedules of the 1790-1930 censuses which provide the names of individuals counted. Much of the more recent census information is available online.

Other political science topics may be addressed by publications from various departments and agencies in Washington, D.C. including the following:

Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior

Legislative Branch

Investigative hearings and reports published by congressional committees contain much of the work of Congress. Committees will hold hearings regarding the impact of policies and events. Congressional committees gather and present information on issues of regional, national, and international interest through Congressional hearings. Examples: abortion, crime, campaign finance and education, to name a few. Hearings are published in print and may be searched in the UMass Library Catalog. In some cases, hearings are available online.

The transcripts of congressional proceedings are recorded in the Congressional Record, which is available in paper (J 11 R5) and online.

Online access to Congress is available through Thomas, a Library of Congress website that offers legislative bills and histories, public laws and committee reports.

Judicial Branch

Cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S. District Courts are available in paper on the 5th floor of the W.E.B Du Bois Library (KF 101 A2 - KF 120 F4) and online in Lexis-Nexis as well as free websites. Information about U.S. Courts and the history of the federal judiciary is also available online.

Find hundreds of hours of audio recordings of historic U.S. Supreme Court case oral arguments and transcripts (e.g., Roe v. Wade, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke), as well as written opinions online at the Oyez Project.

Visit or telephone the Reference Desk on the Main Level (413-545-0150) or send email to Ask a Librarian for assistance in locating and using government documents.