Federal Depository Collection
Lehigh University Library is a Federal and State Depository Library. Our collections range from historical materials to current print and online collections.
GovInfo
- GovInfoThe Government Printing Office has begun maintaining collections of full text government documents in an effort to preserve and make available online access to government information.
GovInfo offers free online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. Through GovInfo, you are able to:
- Search for documents and publications
- Browse for documents and publications
- Access metadata about documents and publications
- Download documents and publications in multiple renditions or file formats
Collections are continually being added and expanded in this product. Some of the collections currently available include:
- Budget of the U.S. Government (1996-)
- Compilations of Presidential Documents (1993-)
- Congressional Bills ( 1993 -)
- Congressional Committee Prints ( 1975/76 and 1991-)
- Congressional Documents ( 1985-)
- Congressional Hearings ( 1991-)
- Congressional Record ( 1994-)
- Congressional Reports (1994-)
- Economic Indicators ( 1995-)
- Economic Report of the President ( 1995-)
- Federal Register ( 1994-)
- Public and Private laws ( 1995-)
Executive Branch Materials
- The American Presidency ProjectExtensive coverage of both historical and current information on U.S. presidencies. Searchable database of over 85,000 documents such as speeches, official papers, executive orders etc.
- Federal Executive Branch Directory (USA.gov)Links to executive departments and agencies.
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential DocumentsOnline 1993 -
Print: 1965 - 1997 Docs collection AE2.109:
Legislative Branch Materials
- THOMAS (Library of Congress)Coverage - 93rd Congress (1973) through the current Congress. Open access database
- GovInfoContains Congressional Record volumes from 140 (1994) to the present. At the back of each daily issue is the "Daily Digest," which summarizes the day's floor and committee activities.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowLegal history and documents in an online, fully-searchable, image-based format. Find law journals, the Congressional Record in entirety, coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, famous world trials back to the early 1700's, legal classics, the United Nations and League of Nations Treaty Series, all United States Treaties, the Federal Register from 1936, the CFR from 1938, and much more.
Historical print volumes of the Congressional Record covering 1873 to 1933 (43rd-72nd congresses) are in print in the Library remote storage facility. Please ask in the Government Documents area for assistance. Printed indexes are in the Government Documents area near the Congressional Hearings.
Printed hearings are available in the Government Documents Collection, Fairchild Martindale Library. Please ask for assistance with these. Collections of online hearings are also available but are incomplete and may not have historical depth. You can check several online sources for hearings/committee prints:
- GovInfo1985 - to present, some hearings are not electronically accessible.
Print volumes: 345.2 U5 in FM 2 - DOC - R.
- NexisUni This link opens in a new windowDatabase from LexisNexis® featuring more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790. Primarily in English but some foreign language news as well.
- American State PapersThe American State Papers, comprising a total of thirty-eight physical volumes, contain the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838. The collection includes documents that cover the critical historical gap from 1789 to the printing of the first volume of the U.S. Serial Set in 1817.
- GovInfoThe Government Printing Office has begun maintaining collections of full text government documents in an effort to preserve and make available online access to government information.
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new windowComplete access U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1980.
Full text access and indexing for research in U.S. political, social, cultural, military and ethnic history, as well as international relations.
Historical Print volumes of the U.S. Serial Set:
Pre 1932 volumes of the Congressional Serial set are housed in the Library remote storage collection. While extensive it is not a complete set. (the online Serial Set database above is complete) The Checklist of United States Public Documents 1789-1909, located in the Gov Docs Reference collection ( 015.73 U5ch3 ) can be used to determine which volumes are held by Lehigh in print.
Judicial Branch Materials
Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court are issued in a series know as "U.S. Reports". The library has extensive online availability as well as printed volumes from earlier periods.
Printed volumes from 1875 - 1900 are available in the Library storage facility, call number LMC 345.4 U58r.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowLegal history and documents in an online, fully-searchable, image-based format. Find law journals, the Congressional Record in entirety, coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, famous world trials back to the early 1700's, legal classics, the United Nations and League of Nations Treaty Series, all United States Treaties, the Federal Register from 1936, the CFR from 1938, and much more.
- NexisUni This link opens in a new windowDatabase from LexisNexis® featuring more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790. Primarily in English but some foreign language news as well.
- Supreme Court of the United States1991 - present.