Updated April 29, 2008.
The Gallagher Law Library is a selective depository for
United States government publications. Our item selection focuses on legal and law-related
documents, including congressional materials, administrative regulations, administrative
decisions, and presidential papers. We are open to the public.
Government publications are integrated into the Library
collection and are accessible through the Law Library's online
catalog. Print and electronic tools to find specific congressional materials such as
bills, hearings, and committee reports are also available. Many of our government
publications are in paper or microfiche and some are in electronic form. If you need
assistance in locating and retrieving a government publication, regardless
of format, please ask. Reference assistance for government publications is
available in the Reference Office on floor L1
(206-543-6794).
Electronic access to a wide variety of government
information is available through GPO Access,
a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office. GPO Access, the
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications,
and other government
information sources on the Internet (see Internet
Legal Resources), are available at the Library's public PCs. Patrons may read or download
information. Documents may be printed through a pay-to-print service.
Library policies are set out in Public Service and
Internet Use Policies for Depository Titles in Electronic Form.
The Gallagher reference librarians have prepared several research
guides covering U.S. and Washington state government information, including:
A complete list of legal research guides
prepared by Gallagher Law Library staff is available at the
Legal Research Guides page.
Several commercial web-based services are
available to on-campus users and UW faculty, students, staff, via the Law
Library's list of Legal Databases & Indexes:
Other electronic sources are available to on-campus and UW users via the
UW Libraries Research Databases:
- LexisNexis Statistical indexes statistics published
by U.S., state, and foreign governments; international organizations; and other groups.
- MarciveWeb DOCS indexes U.S. government
publications distributed to federal depository libraries since 1976; it corresponds to the
Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
- NTIS indexes business, scientific, and technical
information sponsored by the U.S. government. (UW
Government Publications also provides passworded access to the full
text of reports through DARTS, the NTIS/GPO FDLP Depository Access to
Reports, Technical & Scientific.)
- Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set contains a searchable collection of Congressional reports and documents published between 1817 and 1942 (with more years to come).
- STAT-USA contains business, economic, and trade
statistics from the U.S. Commerce Department and other federal agencies.
For nonlaw related government publications,
contact or visit one of the
other federal depository libraries in the area, including the University of Washington Libraries, the
Seattle Public Library, and the
King County Library System.