About Government Information
International, national, and local governments produce a vast amount of information and data. This page shows how to search BU Libraries Search (BULS) for government information and lists government document databases provided via the Libraries. It also lists some key online sources. Many of the Libraries' subject guides will also include sections of government information specific to the topic of the guide.
Government Information in BU Libraries Search
To find government documents via BU Libraries Search (BULS), go to Advanced Search, enter your search terms, and select Government documents from the "Material Type" drop-down menu. After getting the search results, click on the Available Online filter to limit it to online sources.
Government Document Databases
- Digital National Security Archive This link opens in a new window Comprehensive collections of primary documents released through the Freedom of Information Act. Includes many aspects of U.S. foreign policy and military policy from 1945 to the present. Overlaps with U.S. Declassified Documents but has more recent coverage.
- U.S. Presidential Library This link opens in a new window Includes Public Papers of the Presidents, Daily and Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, and other documents related to U.S. Presidents.
- U.S. Congressional Documents This link opens in a new window Includes Congressional Record from its inception in 1873 as well as the three predecessor titles: Annals of Congress (1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837) and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873), among other publications.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window Covers abstracts and indexing for hearings, reports, documents and committee prints. Date coverage: 1970-
- ProQuest Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window Compilations of digital full text publications created by Congress during the process leading up to the enactment of U.S. Public Laws.
- U.S. Supreme Court Library This link opens in a new window The official U.S. Reports derived from bound volumes as well as preliminary prints, slip opinions, and books and periodicals related to the Court.
- U.S. International Trade Library This link opens in a new window This collection includes the publications archive of the U.S. International Trade Commission plus legislative histories, scholarly articles, and other publications relating to the exchange of goods and services between the United States and other nations.
- U.S. Treaties and Agreements Library This link opens in a new window The largest and most complete online collection of U.S. treaties and agreements. Lists all U.S. treaties, whether currently in-force, expired, or not-yet officially published. Searchable PDF page images of treaties and agreements provided.
- United Nations Law Collection This link opens in a new window The collection major United Nations legal publications, including the complete collection of the United Nations treaty series. Also included are the Monthly Statement of Treaties and International Agreements, United Nations Legislative Series, United Nations juridical yearbook, Official records of the First, Second, and Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea with Final Act , International Court of Justice reports, advisory opinions and orders, and more.
- OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window OECD iLibrary is the online library of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) featuring books, papers and statistics and is the gateway to OECD’s analysis and data. It replaced SourceOECD in July 2010. OECD iLibrary also contains content published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the OECD Development Centre, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and the International Transport Forum (ITF).
- LLMC Digital This link opens in a new window Full text, image-based searchable database of primary and secondary legal publications. Collections include: U.S. federal, state, and territories government documents; case reporters, legal periodicals and treatises; foreign government, multi-jurisdictional, and international law documents; canon law, Native American law, and legal philosophy.
Selected Government Information Sources on the Web
- Data.gov The home of the U.S. Government’s open data Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more.
- MassData Visualizations, maps, charts, graphs, and other ways to explore and interact with open data from Massachusetts state agencies and municipalities.
- UN Data An internet based data service from the United Nations Statistical Division. Includes country and region profiles and data on many topics.
