Earlier this
month, the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) announced that a new,
redesigned and expanded platform – govinfo – will replace FDsys as the go-to
source for federal primary law in 2017. The site is available at https://www.govinfo.gov and is now accessible online in beta
form, giving researchers the chance to familiarize themselves with the platform
and offer feedback to developers.
The
redesigned site will include new ways to browse content (alphabetically and by
category) and will incorporate improved search technologies. Perhaps most
interesting is the introduction of a “related documents” feature, which will be
continuously implemented in an effort to present like items on the same issue
together from different parts of the site. To learn more about the new features
and for a list of everything available on the new platform, visit the GPO’s helpful site inviting you to get to
know govinfo.
Here are the
major resources you’ll be able to search and browse on govinfo:
Executive
Branch Materials:
· The
Federal Register
· The
Code of Federal Regulations
· The
Federal Budget
Legislative
Branch Materials:
· The
U.S. Code
· House
and Senate Bills
· The
Congressional Record
· Congressional
Calendars, Hearings, and Reports
Judicial
Branch Materials:
· U.S.
Court Opinions
The GPO has
come a long way in recent years to make federal legal authorities available
online. In 2011, the GPO migrated to the current FDsys
platform from what
was then known as GPO Access. In 2012, the GPO created a standalone site for the
e-CFR. The GPO also made many Presidential documents
available in one place.
And just this past year, the GPO announced plans to offer digital
access to every copy of the Federal Register. While all of these resources have been available
through FDsys, the information existed in a multitude of places and without
strong browsing features, which is why a new “one-stop-shop” for federal
materials should make researchers breathe a sigh of relief.
Happy
searching!
Posted by Aaron S. Kirschenfeld on Wed. February 10, 2016 3:02 PM
Categories:
Uncategorized