Federal Publications Collection
Federal Documents Librarian
About the collection
The State Library is one of seven depository libraries in Alaska that receives Federal publications from the Government Publishing Office in Washington DC. Librarians select materials from federal agencies that have the greatest impact on Alaska. Federal publications are especially pertinent to state government. Many state programs are mandated by Congress and regulated by Federal agencies. In addition, the U.S. Government collects statistics from every state and subsequently creates standardized data comparisons between states.
All of the seven depository libraries in Alaska are part of the FDLP's West National Collection Service Area.
The Alaska State Library has been a Federal Depository Library since June 6, 1900, as a result of the passage of “An Act making further provision for Alaska” which became law as Public Law 56-786 as published at 31 Stat 321.
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(ALC) Alaska Library CatalogCheck the Alaska Library Catalog for all federal tangible publications at the Alaska State Library plus all online documents cataloged through December 2025.
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Digital Federal Collection at ASLAs of January 2026, online federal publications selected by the Alaska State Library can be found by browsing our online selections list.
Basic collection
| Resource | Description |
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| Assistance Listings | Provides detailed, public descriptions of Federal assistance listings available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); Federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi- public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups, and individuals. |
| Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government | Presents educational content for the public on the workings of the U.S. Government and U.S. history, with a focus on civics. |
| Budget of the United States Government |
Contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications issued throughout the fiscal year. ASL Local Holdings: Reference collection, HJ2051.A59, 2009-2024 |
| Catalog of U.S. Government Publications | A finding tool for publications from all three branches of the U.S. government. Updated daily, it contains descriptive records for current and historical publications and provides direct links to those online. |
| Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) |
The annual edition of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by departments and agencies of the U.S. Government. ASL Local Holdings:
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The official publications of materials released by the White House Press Secretary. |
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Provides information about legislative activities, publications, and other related materials for members of Congress and the public. ASL Local Holdings: The Alaska State Library has a large collection of federal legislative history materials on microfiche.Check with library staff for assistance. |
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The official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published daily when Congress is in session. (Note: This is the daily edition. There is also a bound edition.) ASL Local Holdings: Microfilm / microfiche, 1873- 2023 |
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| The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation |
Also known as the Constitution Annotated, includes the U.S. Constitution and analysis and interpretation, with in-text annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. ASL Local Holdings: Circulating collection, KF4527.U54 (check catalog for editions and supplements available) |
| Economic Indicators | Published monthly by the Council of Economic Advisors for the Joint Economic Committee, provides economic information on GDP, income, employment, production, business activity, prices, money, credit, security markets, Federal finance, and international statistics. |
| The Economic Report of the President to the Congress |
An annual report, issued by the Executive Office of the President and the Council of Economic Advisors, providing on overview of economic progress, with extensive data appendices. ASL Local Holdings: Reference collection, HC106.5.A272, 2019-2023 |
| Explore Census Data (also known as data.census.gov) | A source for population, economic, housing, and geographic information and data about the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island areas. |
| Federal Register |
The daily publication of the rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, along with executive orders. ASL Local Holdings: Microfiche, 1936-2022 |
| govinfo | A database providing authenticated access to official publications from all three branches of the U.S. Government. |
| Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) | A resource for occupational and career information, providing profiles on a majority of jobs in the United States. Profiles describe the work environment, education and training needed, a ten year outlook, and median pay for workers. |
| Official Congressional Directory |
Includes biographical and directory information about members of the House and Senate, committee memberships, terms of service, and related content. ASL Local Holdings: Reference collection, JK1012.U5, latest 5 years |
| Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States | Official publication of the President’s addresses, writings, and remarks. This series ended with the Obama administration. For post 2016 administrations, see Compilation of Presidential Documents listed above. |
| Social Security Handbook | Resource for the most common questions about Social Security. |
| United States Code |
The codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States, divided by broad subjects into 53 titles. ASL Local Holdings: Reference collection, KF62.A2. latest edition |
| The United States Government Manual | The official handbook of the U.S. Government, providing information on the agencies from all three branches, quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, boards, commissions, and committees. |
| United States Reports |
Contains the final version of the opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States. ASL Local Holdings: Reference collection, KF70.A3 |
| United States Statutes at Large |
Contains the permanent laws enacted during each session of Congress. ASL Local Holdings: Reference collection, KF50.U58 V.50, PT.1- 1937- |
| USA.gov | A subject-based portal to Federal services and resources online. A Spanish site is also available. |
For an additional list including historic cornerstone documents, see govinfo’s Other Resources, also known as Core Documents of Our Democracy
More sources for federal publications online
Below are just of the few sources for full-text government documents. Many agencies include their publications in topic or agency-specific indexes and catalogs, and these are too numerous to list here. To find them, try using USA.gov (see link in the list of Basic Collection Titles above).
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Congressionally Mandated Reports (GovInfo)Access to many reports that are required by statute to be submitted by Federal agencies to the Senate, the House of Representatives, or to congressional committees or subcommittees. Includes reports that are in scope of PL 117-263, sections 7241-7248. Browse by topic, department or download a spreadsheet of reports by Congress. For reports submitted to Congress after 2021.
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data.gov: U.S. Government's Open Data PortalIncludes data sets produced by federal agencies.
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DiscoverGovFrom the web site, "DiscoverGov provides simple, one-stop searching across multiple U.S. Federal Government databases including GPO's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) and GovInfo."
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HathiTrust Digital LibraryFrom the website: "HathiTrust is a not-for-profit collaborative of academic and research libraries preserving 17+ million digitized items." Among the collaborative's missions is an effort to "expand and enhance digital access to U.S. federal publications including those issued by GPO and other federal agencies."
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Military & Government CollectionIncludes periodicals, academic journals, and other content pertinent to the military and many government agencies. Includes publications of the U.S. Government as well as non-govermental and private entities.
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Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL)From the website: "The Technical Report Archive & Image Library (TRAIL) identifies, acquires, catalogs, digitizes and provides unrestricted access to U.S. government agency technical reports."
Other Federal Resources
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Military Resources: Military History (NARA)Collection of resources presented by the Archives Library Information Center (ALIC) at the National Archives (NARA). Guide is divided into the sections General, Department of Defense, Aviation history, Army history, and Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard history. Mix of NARA and other resources.