How to Effectively Locate Federal Government Information: Searching

How to Effectively Locate Federal Information on the WWW:
Using Search Engines and Subject Indexes to Locate Federal Information

With the amount of government information appearing on the WWW growing at a phenomenal rate it can be very difficult to find what you are looking for -- even if you know which agency produces the information. Fortunately, there are many powerful search engines, subject indexes, and WWW pages designed to assist you in finding a particular government information resource. These resources vary significantly in their coverage. The following tutorial is designed to assist you in effectively using these resources to find what you are looking for and will help you answer the questions below.

Search Engines:

Search engines allow the user to enter keywords or phrases that are run against a database created automatically by spiders and robots. The search engine retrieves information based on two things: your query and how the search engine gathers the information. Since all the top Internet search services operate differently you must use several search engines to do a comprehensive search.

USA.gov

This is the official gateway to federal government information, and is constantly improving its search efficiency.

Google

Very efficient search engine. Go to Google U.S. Government Search to search only government web sites.

Subject Indexes:

Subject indexes are hierarchically organized indexes that allow you to browse through lists of WWW sites by topic. They are selective lists of WWW sites that require some degree of human oversight whereas search engines automatically gather information. Generally, subject indexes are smaller than search engines. Because there is human oversight subject guides can save the user time by reducing the amount of irrelevant information.

Infomine

INFOMINE is a database developed by the librarians at the University of California, Riverside, with content contributed by librarians at several other universities. It is easy to use and currently contains over 31,000 records covering most academic disciplines with a large section devoted to government information. It is known globally for its high quality scholarly and educational collection. Allows searching and browsing by subject, keyword, or title.

Yahoo

Yahoo is probably the most popular subject index on the WWW and often the best place to start when looking for information. The section on government information covers federal, states, local, and international government sites.

Federal Resources Organized by Topic

A service provided by the Government Printing Office that brings together information from federal agencies under broad topical entries.

WWW Sites -- other great starting points:

University of Michigan Documents Center

This is simply one of the best sites for locating government information. The information is current, well organized, and easy to retrieve. A great starting place for beginners and experienced users alike.

Frequently Used Sites Related to U.S. Federal Government Information Vanderbilt University

Search Tips

Regardless whether you are using a search engine or a subject index the following tips will help you to better navigate the resources:

Identify key search terms to describe what you are looking for.
Consider synonyms, related words, foreign spelling, and plurals.
Read the instructions or help files provided by the search engine or subject index.
Modify your search (broaden or narrow) if you don't find what your looking for.
Try other search engines or subject indexes if you are unsuccessful.

Questions

1. Using Google can you find the text of President Bush's most recent Inaugural Address? Is there an easier or more exact way to retrieve it?

2. Using Infomine, Yahoo, and Federal Resources organized by topic, search for the subject human rights. What is the difference in coverage of each of the subject indexes?

3. Can you find the current Consumer Price Index for San Diego using Yahoo and Infomine? (Hint: remember to use variant terms, abbreviations, etc. when searching.)

Answers

Return to main page