Northwestern University Libraries have been a U.S. Federal Depository Library since 1876. Our collection includes materials in paper, microfiche, CD-ROM, DVD formats and online formats. This guide is based on a similar guide by Kelly Smith at UCSD.
The "official handbook" of the Federal Government that includes leadership tables and describes agency activities and programs of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of Government, as well as activities and programs of quasi-official agencies and international organizations in which the United States participates as a member.
2017-18 latest available
Directory to governmental and non-governmental organizations in the Washington DC area. Use the "View It" tab in NUSearch to access link to electronic edition. EBook edition available to NU affiliated users only.
Guide to the history, organization, actions, and key contacts for U.S. federal regulatory agencies. EBook edition available to NU affiliated users only.
Lists acronyms and abbreviations commonly used by the United States federal government. Each is defined and links to the home page (or best alternative) of the identified entity. Created by Kelly Smith at UCSD.
Every four years, just after the Presidential election, the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, commonly known as The Plum Book, is published. The Plum Book is used to identify positions appointed by the President within the Federal Government and covers positions such as agency heads and their immediate subordinates, policy executives and advisers, and aides who report to these officials.
Search all current and past Members of Congress back to the founding of the nation in 1789. Congressional District maps for the current congress also available.
The official directory of the U.S. Congress, includes short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, committee memberships, terms of service, staff names, contact information, lists of officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies, governors of states and territories, foreign diplomats, and members of the press.
The CQ Politics in America Series offers comprehensive, nonpartisan commentary and data about members of Congress. Detailed member profiles provide concise insight and candid analysis of personalities, political styles, legislative agendas, political ambitions, and reputations at home and on the Hill. Member profiles include biographical data, committee assignments, election results, key votes, interest group ratings, and detailed descriptions of each member's congressional district.
Datasets hosted by ICPSR, provide information on congressional service and selected biographical characteristics for each person who had served in the United States Congress in the period 1789-1996.
Data files regarding members of the United States Congress (1789-Present) and congressional committees (1973-Present) in YAML. These files, hosted on GitHub, are available to all but require additional work due to their YAML format.
Offers original narrative accounts of every major piece of legislation that lawmakers considered during a congressional session. Arranged thematically, CQ Almanac organizes, distills, and cross-indexes for permanent reference the full year in Congress and in national politics.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) was established within the Library of Congress to provide members, committees, and congressional staff with nonpartisan and objective research and analysis on all public policy issues. The ProQuest Congressional Research Digital Collection includes abstracting, indexing, bibliographic information, and searchable PDFs for CRS reports.
Members of the President's Cabinet
Cabinet offices are listed in order of succession to the Presidency.
Research and documents are organized into six categories: Presidential Elections; Congressional Elections; Gubenatorial Elections; Campaigns and Elections; Political Parties; and Voter and Demographics. For more information about this resource, connect to the CQ Voting and Elections Collection, and then click the "About" link near the upper right side of the screen.
Official publications and primary source material about voting and elections in the United States from the 18th century through the 20th century.
Voting in America, 1789-1994 is a comprehensive collection of primary source documents related to the history of voting and elections in the United States. Comprised of thousands of documents—spanning more than two centuries—this one-of-a-kind resource offers boundless opportunities for inquiry into the democratic experiment that shaped not only America, but democracies around the world. - Publisher
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