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Federal Depository Library

Federal Depository Library

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to government information. For more than 130 years, depository libraries have safeguarded the public’s right to know by collecting, organizing, maintaining, preserving, and assisting users with information from the Federal Government.

The Government Printing Office provides Government information at no cost to designated depository libraries throughout the country. These depository libraries, in turn, provide local, no-fee access to government information in all formats in an impartial environment with professional assistance.

The Federal Depository Library is located at the Norwalk Library.

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Resources for Government Depositories

The Depository Library Program

Discussion Lists/e-Journals

Locating Government Publications

Managing the Government Depository Library Collection

  • askGPO

    Click on “Ask a Question.”

  • Documents Data Miner

    Includes the latest version of the List of Classes, Inactive and Discontinued items, and a search – under Depository Selection and Directory – for the items your depository has selected.

  • FDLP Shipping Lists Database

    Browse current and archived shipping lists (arranged by year and shipping list number) for documents received in paper, electronic format, as separates, and microfiche

  • FDLP Administration

    Information about the depository library program and the basic tools needed to meet FDLP requirements.

  • FDLP Regulations

    Outlines the legal and program obligations required for managing a depository library that complies with FDLP instructions.

Recommended Websites for Depository Librarians

  • Government Technology

    Focuses on technology issues facing Federal, State, and local governments including projects, legislation, and access to government information.

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California - Federal Depository Libraries

There are over 1,200 libraries in the United States involved in the Federal Depository Library Program. Below is a list of nearby depository libraries in California outside of the County of Los Angeles Library system with their web sites and pathways to government information on the Internet when available. A list of all depository libraries in California is also available.

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Government Information on the Internet

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

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

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

State Government

Local Government

Grants and Scholarships

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

Legal

Libraries

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

  • 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)

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