Government Information

Government Information includes documents, data, information and publications produced by governmental agencies. Many of these resources can be found online and at the U of A Library in various formats.

Prior to the widespread use of the internet, in the mid-1990s, government documents were primarily made available in print and often provided to libraries through depository services programs. From the 1990s on, government information was primarily, and now is almost exclusively, available online. For this reason, the time period from which you are looking for government information impact where you should start your search.

The following are recommend as best bets to begin searching for government documents and information:

Government documents were primarily produced in print and micro prior to the 1990s, so physical and digitized library collections are the best bet to search.

Note: When searching library catalogues and digitized collections, it is recommended to use advanced search functions, and to use the jurisdiction in the author field.

After the mid 1990s, government documents and information were primarily made available online. For this reason, searching government websites and archived versions of these websites is the best bet to start your search.

• Google Custom Search of Canadian Federal, Provincial, Territorial, and Municipal government websites. (code courtesy of MacOdrum Library, Carleton University)