Government Information

Government documents: comprehensive databases & portals

Publications from many national, provincial (territorial or state) and municipal (region, city, town) governments - and from most international government organizations (IGOs) - can be found on the Internet, with a simple Google search.

NOTE:   NOT all government publications are online and often, Google search results are too large to properly sort through. 

For a more controlled searching experience or for finding documents that have been gathered together based on subject or jurisdiction, try one of the following sites, below.

But at any time during your search process:

Please feel free to contact the Government Information & Political Librarian, Hélène LeBlanc < hleblanc@wlu.ca >, with any questions. We can set up an appointment for guided research help or I can assist you in how to use government information, such as legislation, Freedom of Information / Access to Information requests, statistical databases, etc.

Canada (all levels of government)

• Omni  Use Advanced Search to find government documents from across all levels of government; include geographic location (e.g. Canada or Ontario) as an "Author/Creator".
• Canadian Research Index  Federal, provincial & municipal government documents available on microfiche (1982 to present); check Omni or the internet to find publications in print and/or online.

Canada (federal, specifically)

• Government of Canada Publications (main federal site)
  • Advanced Search
  • Find publications by department or agency
• Canadian Government Publications Portal  Internet Archive's collection of digitized serials from the federal & Ontario governments, many back to the mid-1800s or early 20th century; click here for a list of titles & holdings.

Canada (provincial & territorial, specifically)

• Legislative Assembly of Ontario Library Catalogue 
• Publications Ontario  The Ontario Government's portal for free & priced publications, both digital & in print.  N.B.> Do NOT pay for any publication:  Check first for the title in Omni &/or with the Government Information Librarian, who may be able to find you a freely available copy.
• Canadian Government Publications Portal  Internet Archive's collection of digitized serials from the federal & Ontario governments, many back to the mid-1800s or early 20th century; click here for a list of titles & holdings.
• GALLOP Portal: Government and Legislative Libraries Online Publications Portal From the Association of Parliamentary Libraries in Canada, find Canadian provincial & territorial publications.

Canada (municipal, specifically)

• AMCTO Municipal Google Search  A basic search engine crawl across 420 of Ontario's municipalities, as set up by the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO)
• FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities)  A directory of close to 2,000 municipalities & their links, organized by province and territory.

United States

• GovInfo  "Free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government."
• USAGov Publication collections, as issued by individual departments.
• PAIS International (1915 to present)  Select "Government & Official Document" as a "Document type".
• Omni  Use Advanced Search to find government documents; include geographic location (e.g. "United States" or Hawaii) as an "Author/Creator".

United Kingdom

• UK national government publications From the British Library, links to key government document collections.
• U.K. Parliamentary Papers  Digitally scanned Sessional Papers from the 18th century (1701-) through to the 2009/10 parliamentary session & supplementary material from Great Britain's House of Commons. (Some House of Lords papers, if presented to the House of Commons.)  
• Hansard Online  Full text of UK members’ debates, 1803 to the present. Includes both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. View Full Description
• Omni  Use Advanced Search to find government documents; include geographic location (e.g. "United Kingdom" or "Great Britain" or Scotland) as an "Author/Creator".

International

• Omni  Use Advanced Search to find government documents; include geographic location (e.g. Australia or "United Nations") as an "Author/Creator".
• International Organizations: Selected Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), as listed by the United States Library of Congress.
• UN-iLibrary: Freely available United Nations "publications", from 1945 to present.
• OECD iLibrary  Access to books, journals, reports, papers and other resources from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
• Publications Office of the European Union "The official provider of publishing services to all EU institutions, bodies, and agencies." 
• PAIS International (1915 to present)  Select "Government & Official Document" as a "Document type".

Custom Google Searches for Government Information

Many sites now offer "customized" Google searches for government information (websites & publications) from specific jurisdictions.  You will find 2 such interfaces, BELOW.

Be Aware: Results may completely vary from one hosting site to another and from these sites to a search done directly in Google.

• Tip When Using Google For Government Information Searches:
  • Try BOTH a customized search site and then a direct search in Google; compare results.  

Not sure where to start or want the most recent information posted on a government website?

Try these ideas first, before turning to Google:

• Go directly to the AUTHORING GOVERNMENT AGENCY (i.e. Nova Scotia Government, United Nations, etc.) &/OR
• try one of the GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS PORTALS listed in the "Getting Started" tab, above.

But at any time during your search process:

Please feel free to contact the Government Information & Political Librarian, Hélène LeBlanc < hleblanc@wlu.ca >, with any questions. We can set up an appointment for guided research help or I can assist you in how to search for the government information you are seeking, using Google.

Custom Google Searches for Government Information (as hosted on the University of Waterloo Library site):

Government information from: Canada, United States, Africa, Asia and Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America, the Middle East, International Government Organizations (IGOs) & Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Custom Google Searches for Government Information (as hosted on the Queen's University Library site):

Government information from: Canada, United States, Mexico, Africa, Asia and Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America, the Middle East, International Government Organizations (IGOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) & Think Tanks.

Browse the Library's Government Information Subject Guide to find sources & tips on searching for legislative (parliamentary) material, legislation, public policy and statistics & data.

But at any time during your search process:

Please feel free to contact the Government Information & Political Librarian, Hélène LeBlanc < hleblanc@wlu.ca >, with any questions. We can set up an appointment for guided research help or I can assist you in how to use government information, such as legislation, Freedom of Information / Access to Information requests, statistical databases, etc.