LibGuides: Public Management and Administration: Federal, State & Local Gov't. Info.

Directories and Guides - Federal

Encyclopedia of Federal Agencies and Commissions
Reference JK9 .H536 2004
Organized by government branch, each entry provides a very detailed background and explanation of the agency, its purpose and structure.
Federal agency profiles for students
Also available in hard copy:
Reference JK421 .F42 1999
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Somewhat dated, but still useful, this one volume source has detailed information about each agency. Entries contain a mission statement, a description of the agency's structure, budget information and history. Bibliographies of books and articles on each agency are included as is a listing of publications published by that agency.
Oxford Guide to United States Government
Contains brief articles on concepts, agencies, biographies as well as major laws and court cases. Search the book using your own terms or browse alphabetically.
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Also available in book form in the Reference section of the Library.
Call Number: Reference JK 9 .P384 2001
United States Government Manual
Fairly detailed information on agencies, departments and bureaus of the US government. Each entry contains a listing of key personnel, a fairly detailed description of the agency, including its purpose and function as well as its structure and organization.
Washington Information Directory
Directory of governmental and non-governmental agencies devoted to public issues. Provides contact information as well as some descriptive information about each organization and agency. Search by broad topic or term.
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Directory is also available on the reference shelf. Call number: John Jay College - Reference - F192.3 .W33

Finding Profiles of Government Agencies

Once you have chosen the agency, bureau or department you want to profile:

Use the directories listed on this page for an overview of the history, organization and key personnel in that agency.
Use USA.gov or the NYS Government locator to find the agency's website.
Read about the agency on its Website (look for an "About Us" section on the Website). There you will generally find detailed budget, staffing and other relevant information about the agency.
Find recent articles by searching the Library's databases
Use the search box below to search for books about the agency.
If in doubt, ask a librarian!

Find books with OneSearch

Directories and Guides - City

Green book : official directory of the City of New York
A directory that lists New York City government agencies and departments (also directory information of some New York State agencies and bureaus located in NYC). Thumbnail information for each entry includes key personnel.

Federal, State, Local Statistics

Data and Statistics About the U.S.
Search across government agencies & departments or scroll down the page to a list of departments that produce statistics on specific topics.
US Government Spending, Expenditures, Revenue &Taxation Statistics from the US Census

Directories and Guides - State

Almanac of American Politics
Information on all states including in-depth biographies of key elected officials, a brief history of each state, congressional district maps as well as national and state election/voting statistics for each state and district, population and income information.
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Hard-copy also available:
Reference - JK1012 .A44
Note: Latest ed. at Reference Desk
Book of the States
Includes budgetary and financial information, state employment and population data, information on state agencies and government branches as well as up-to-date descriptions of new or noteworthy state policies and initiatives.
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Hard copy also available:
Reference JK2403 .B6
New York Red Book
Reference - JK3430 .N5
Detailed information on state agencies and departments, biographies of key officials, some historical information including biographies of past New York state governors.
New York State Directory
Reference - JK3430 .N52
Contact, telephone and address information for state government agencies and departments as well as some contact information for key people and agencies of county and municipalities. Also included are nonprofits and the individuals in those nonprofits who are lobbyists. There are short biographies of key elected officials as well as listings of chambers of commerce, school districts, colleges and universities and media outlets.
New York State government
Ward, Robert B
Reference - JK3416 .W37 2006
In-depth descriptions and analysis of every aspect of New York state government - its branches and bureaucracy and its history. The book also divides itself into policy chapters on health, education, transportation, etc. and examines the history and structure of state policy in these areas.
New York State Government Information Locator Service
A comprehensive and well-organized site for data and information on and by New York state government departments and agencies. This site also provides easy access to New York county, municipal and local government sites.