Find Government Publications
From Local to International
The UW Libraries offers a high level of service and collections for resources from the United States federal government, Canada, the United Nations, the European Union, other international intergovernmental organizations (IGO’s), Washington State, Seattle, and King County.
Designated a Federal Depository Library in 1890, the UW Libraries continue to provide research level public access to government information in all forms and formats.
Ask Us!
Get help from librarians by email, phone, 24/7 chat, or make an appointment with a subject expert
Finding Government Sources
By Subject
- UW Libraries Search includes most, but not all, of the print and born-digital government publications in the collection.
- Government Sources By Subject guide points to over 125 topics covered by international, national, state, and local government information.
In Print
- Most of the government collections are located in the Government Publications, Maps, Microforms & Newspapers (GMMN) unit on the ground floor of Suzzallo Library.
- There are five different call number systems used in the Government Publications stacks.
Borrowing Government Publications
YES. Most government publications can be borrowed by UW students, staff, and faculty. Some government publications have circulation restrictions, such as Census volumes, laws, or rare items.
Other institutions may borrow print government publications through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services and restrictions may apply.
YES. Scanning equipment is located in GMMN to make digital (.gif, .jpg, .pdf) files or print to Dawg Prints. Copyright restrictions may apply.
More Government Information Resources
Data & Statistics
Find statistical data resources from intergovernmental, nongovernmental, U.S. federal government, and state & local agencies.
HathiTrust
Find digitized, scanned versions of nearly one million print documents through HathiTrust U.S. Federal Documents Collection.
Congress Guide
Find Congressional resources (bills, hearings, investigations, reports) using specialized search tools.
DiscoverGov
Explore official documents from the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). Search the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) and the GovInfo repository in one interface.
Federal Depository Library
What does it mean to be a Federal Depository Library?
This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the Government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code)
Explore Collections
135 years: UW as Depository
UW Libraries has been a federal depository for over 135 years.
Hanford: Public Information Repository
UW Libraries is a Public Information Repository for the Hanford Nuclear Site in Richland, WA.
International & Nongovernmental Organization Reports
UW Libraries subscribes to several databases providing access to IGO & NGO reports.