The Pottsville Library was designated a
Federal depository library in 1967, and we provide access to both United
States and Pennsylvania agency publications in print and online. If you
cannot find an agency or publication, please contact
us for assistance! For popular online federal publications,
go to the GOVERNMENT
PUBLICATIONS page on this site. For federal, state and local
elected officials, go to our Legislative
Directory page.
Americans
with Disabilities Act -- from the US Dept. of Justice, this site provides a
variety of standards, laws, and Q&As for those who need to know
what's required under the ADA.
Congress.gov
-- Legislative
Information from Congress
Attorney
directory from Martindale --
look for a lawyer by name, by area of practice, or by firm
Justia
-- "Law and
legal information for lawyers, students, business and the
public." Site explains legal practice areas, provides links for
legal research, and examines court cases that are in the news.
Pennsylvania
Code Online --
official regulations and other documents, which have the force of law
Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes and Unconsolidated
Statutes -- Each must be
searched separately; from the PA General Assembly web page. These
statutes are available in print in the Reference Department.
General resources, search
services and basic starting points:
Benefits.gov
-- this site
provides a way to search for federal benefits, including direct
payments, loans, insurance, training or other assistance. You
can search for specific programs, or answer questions about your
situation to find all the benefit programs you may be eligible to
receive.
FDsys
-- "Federal
Digital System, America's Authentic Government Information". One of
the best places to find federal publications: choose from one of the
featured collections like "Congressional Hearings", or click on
"Browse Collections" for a more complete list.
Grants.gov
-- excellent
starting point for any organization seeking a federal grant! (Note:
individuals should use the Benefits.gov
site, not the grants page.)
HealthCare.gov
-- Information
you need about health insurance availability
Oversight.gov
-- "a publicly accessible, searchable website containing the latest
public reports from Federal Inspectors General who are members of the
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency
(CIGIE)." For instance, you can find audits of federal grants to state
offices and programs.
USAGov
-- central
starting point for finding federal offices and programs
Politics,
Presidents, and Processes
Ballotpedia
-- "The Encyclopedia of American Politics" "Ballotpedia
covers
local, state and federal politics. Our content includes neutral,
accurate, and verifiable information on government officials and
the offices they hold, political issues and public policy,
elections, candidates, and the influencers of politics. "
FactCheck.org
-- How much of what you hear on
the news is true? You might be surprised about the facts!
"The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg
Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. We are a
nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to
reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S.
politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major
U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches,
interviews, and news releases."
Opensecrets.org--
just about
everything you wanted to know about politics and money, including
fundraising for presidential elections, the gender gap in funding, and
information on PACS and lobbyists; published by the Center for
Responsive Politics
Ben's
Guide to U.S. Government for Kids -- grade-appropriate resources for kids to
understand more about the federal government
League
of Women Voters --
an excellent source of information about candidates and their voting
or support records. Also check out the Pennsylvania
League for your area.
POTUS
-- Presidents
of the United States; gives brief biographical information for each
president up through the current administration, the cabinet members
and vice presidents, and sources for online biographies; hosted by IPL
(Internet Public Library).
Vote
Smart, Facts Matter --
one of the best sites for education about the candidates and for
finding out how your representatives have been voting
Specific federal agencies and other resources
Note: the words "Dept.", "Bureau", and "U.S." are
not included in the alphabetization. For example, "US Supreme Court"
would be found under "Supreme" with the S's, rather than under "US" with
the U's.
Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau -- The
CFPB "helps consumer finance markets work by making rules more
effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing those rules, and by
empowering consumers to take more control over their economic
lives."
Copyright
Office --
copyright basic information, fees, forms, and more; note that forms
must be filled out before being printed, blank forms are no longer
available.
EDGAR
Database --
searchable database of company reports that have been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission; includes addresses and other
useful information
FCC
-- Federal
Communications Commission; "charged with regulating interstate and
international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and
cable"
Internal
Revenue Service -
find information about tax breaks if you've suffered a disaster, print
out forms, or find free sites to file your federal income tax forms.
US
Mint --
features consumer alerts about collectible coins, a history of the
mint, and resources for kids and teachers (and anyone else curious
about coins!)
NASA
- National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, source of some of the coolest
photographs around.
Regulations.gov
-- use this site to find,
review and submit comments on Federal documents that are open for
comment and published in the Federal Register.
Science.gov
-- this site provides one-stop
searching for science-related publications and information from
federal agencies
Securities
and Exchange Commission -- the regulatory agency for publicly traded securities,
investment firms and related firms and professionals
Attorney
General -
consumer protection, Do Not Call List, identity theft, insurance
fraud; all are topics covered by this state office, along with many
others.
Governors
Center for Local Government Services -- provided by the PA Dept. of Community and Economic
Development, this page provides information on county, municipal and
school district tax rates, as well as county and municipal financial
statistics going back to 1994, and a listing of local government
officials for every county in the state
Dept.
of
Health -- information
on a wide variety of topics including birth and death certificates,
nursing homes, epidemics and public health, and statistics
PennDOT
-- Driver and
vehicle services, REAL ID, and current road conditions are just some
of what you'll find on this site
Foreign Governments
U.S.
Bilateral
Relations Fact Sheets -- basic information about countries'
governments, political and economic systems, and history of US
relations
United
Nations --
the organization responsible for peacekeeping world wide, as well as
addressing human rights, development, and international law issues
World
Fact
Book -- basic
information on every country and other world entities, plus an
excellent flag section; published by the CIA
World
Leaders: Chiefs
of
State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments; published by the CIA