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U.S. Government Information: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
FAQ
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How can I get a copy of a bill?
How can I tell whether a charity is registered with the government?
How do I cite these resources in my paper?
When does Daylight Saving Time/Standard Time begin?
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I'm filling out my student financial aid application and I need the institutional code for Delaware.
Where can I find the federal per diem travel rates?
What is PDF?
How can I get a copy of a Supreme Court opinion?
What is the current unemployment rate for the United States? for Delaware?
Where is the nearest federal government depository library?
Where is the nearest federal government regional depository library?
How can I get a copy of a bill?
You can find bills by bill number or by keywords on the Internet in various places, such as:
- Thomas (104th Congress, 1995-)
- Congressional Bills: GPO Access
- LexisNexis Congressional [restricted to UD users]
GPO Access offers copies of bills in Text format and PDF (Portable Document Format). PDF allows you to view or print the bill in an exact facsimile of the original bill including typefaces, graphics, pagination, etc.
How can I tell if a charity is registered with the government?
Charities which take in more than $25,000 a year are required to register with the IRS as a tax exempt organization, according to the Internal Revenue Code. (This does not apply to churches). Donations to these organizations are tax deductible. To see if a charity is listed by the IRS, use Search for Charities -- a searchable database of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. (Formerly available as a print publication: Publication 78, Cumulative List of Organizations Described in Section 170 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. This information is updated by: Recent Revocations of 501(c)(3) Determinations.
For more information on charitable organizations, see:
How do I cite these resources in my paper?
See Style Manuals / Bibliographic Citations for examples of how to cite government resources.
When does Daylight Saving Time/Standard Time begin?
The U.S. Department of Transportation is in charge of regulating time zones. But the question is answered on the FAQ page for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where they also answer other questions about time and measurement.
I'm filling out my financial aid application and I need the institutional code for Delaware.
The federal student aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education use Title IV School Codes to identify schools. You can find the codes using the Federal School Code Search. The University of Delaware's code is: 001431.
What is PDF?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format.
This is a proprietary file format developed by Adobe Systems for viewing electronic
copies of paper documents. This allows you to display (or print or download)
a text in exactly the same format as the original text, including typefaces,
graphics, and pagination. The Adobe Reader software 
is
available for free downloading on the company's website at:
Instructions for downloading Acrobat Reader
Several government Internet sites and CD-ROMs use PDF files, such as GPO Access. For more information on PDF, see the GPO PDF FAQ page on Thomas.
Where can I find the federal per diem travel rates?
Both U.S. and foreign per diem rates (and other travel information) can be found on the GSA website.
How can I get a copy of a Supreme Court opinion?
The U.S. Supreme Court Opinions database from FindLaw has Supreme Court decisions since 1893 (covering US Reports v. 150- , 1893- ). The database is browsable by year and US Reports volume number and searchable by citation, case title and any words in the full text.
Cornell University has a file of Supreme Court Opinions from 1990 to the present. The site also includes a collection of over 300 of the most important historical decisions of the Court.
LexisNexis Academic [restricted to UD users] has court decisions for federal and state courts.
Also see Oyez: U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia. This site provides information about major constitutional cases heard and decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition to details about the questions and opinions in these cases, also provides digital recordings of the Court's proceedings. The Court began to record its public sessions in October 1955.
Additionally the University of Delaware Library has print copies of many important legal reporters, including those for the Supreme Court. See the Case Law research guide.
What is the current unemployment rate for the United States?
Unemployment, employment, CPI and other useful labor data is available on the Economy at a Glance web page from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By the way, the dinosaur icon indicates archives.
Also see the Section titled “Labor Force, Employment, and Earnings” in Statistical Abstract of the United States.
For Delaware, see:
- Office of Occupational
and Labor Market Information (OOLMI) Department of Labor
OOLMI provides a system called ELMER - An interactive site that provides Employment, Labor Market & Economic Research. - State at a Glance-Delaware
Where is the nearest federal government depository library?
These are the federal depository libraries in Delaware:
Delaware Division of Libraries (State Library)
43 S. DuPont Highway
Dover, DE 19901
Library Web page: http://state.lib.de.us/
Library Catalog: Delaware
Library Catalog
Phone: 800-282-8696 or (302) 739-4748
Depository Librarian: Steve Newton
Delaware State University
William C. Jason Library-Learning Center
Government Publications Department
Dover, DE 19901-2277
Phone: (302) 857-6184
Library Web page: http://www.desu.edu/library/
Documents Web page: http://www.desu.edu/library/GovernmentResources.php
Library Catalog: William
C. Jason Library Information Portal
Depository Librarian: S. Mark Jarrell
Delaware Technical & Community College Library (Owens Campus)
Stephen J. Betze Library
Georgetown, DE 19946-0610
Phone: (302) 856-9033
Library Web page: http://www.library.dtcc.edu/owenslib/index.html
Library Catalog: Delaware
Library Catalog
Depository Librarian: Mary Sue Drugash
University of Delaware
Hugh M. Morris Library
181 South College Avenue
Newark, DE 19717-5267
Phone: (302) 831-8671 or (302) 831-2965
Library Web page: http://www.lib.udel.edu/
Documents Web page: http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/godc/internet/
Library Catalog: DELCAT
Depository Librarian: John Stevenson
Widener
Law | Law Library (Delaware campus)
Box 7475
4601 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803-0475
Phone: 1-302-477-2114
Documents Web page: United States Government Information
Library Catalog
Depository Librarian: Mary Jane Mallonee
For depositories in other states, consult the Locate a Federal Depository Library feature on the GPO Access Web.
Where is the nearest federal government regional depository library?
University of Maryland, College Park is the nearest Regional Depository. The Free Library of Philadelphia also has an extensive documents collection.
University of Maryland, College Park (Regional Depository)
Government Documents/Maps Unit
McKeldin Library
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-7011
Phone: (301) 405-9165
Libraries Web page: http://www.lib.umd.edu/
McKeldin Library Web page: http://www.lib.umd.edu/MCK/mckeldin.html
Documents Web page: http://www.lib.umd.edu/GOV/
Depository Librarian: Cindy Todd
Free Library of Philadelphia
Government Publications Department
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
Phone: (215) 686-5330
Library Web page: http://www.library.phila.gov/
Jump to top of page.University of Delaware Library
Do documents circulate?
I checked in DELCAT and the document I wanted wasn't listed. Does that mean this library doesn't have it?
If this library doesn't have it, how can I get it?
Do documents circulate?
Yes, most government publications in print and in microfiche do circulate. Some government-issued CD-ROMs circulate.
Some documents do NOT circulate: those in the Reference Collection, those in the “CENSUS AREA” of the U.S. Documents Collection, court opinions, or any having a stamp on the back page or the inside back cover saying “Does not circulate.”
I checked in DELCAT and the document I wanted wasn't listed. Does that mean this library doesn't have it?
No, please don't assume that our Library doesn't have a government document just because it wasn't listed in DELCAT, our library catalog. The Library began adding all government documents to DELCAT in July 1994. Before that only selected materials are included. Ask at the Reference Desk (main floor of the Morris Library) for assistance in locating government publications.
If this library doesn't have it, how can I get it?
After you have consulted with the Reference Desk to determine that the Library does not have a publication you need and that there is not an Internet site for it, you should contact the Interlibrary Loan Department to obtain the publication for you. The Office is on the Main floor of the Morris Library or you may use the online request form. Note: Interlibrary Loan service through the University of Delaware Library is only available to you if you are currently affiliated with the University of Delaware (faculty, staff, or currently enrolled student). For more information, see the Interlibrary Loan web page.
If you are not currently affiliated with the University of Delaware you are entitled to Interlibrary Loan service at your school or company library or at the public library closest to you.
Other FAQ Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of the U.S. Government
- Frequently Asked Questions -- National Archives
- NIST: Frequently Asked Questions
- Questions About... (Federal Consumer Information Center)
- UD Library FAQ
Quick Reference Web Sources
- Federal Government Resources on the
Web
From the University of Michigan Library Documents Center. Highly recommended! - Ready Reference
Collection
From Columbia University Libraries. - Reference Center: USA.gov
