US government reference material information resources are extremely easy to find, access and use. Knowing what all is available the key. United States federal government reference materials start at one main government portal site and branch out by category. There are tens if not hundreds of millions of pages available for you to take advantage of.

United states government reference materials can range from personal to business to scientific and more, and keeping informed as to the latest in US trends and figures will help you stay abreast of what is imperative to know for yourself or your business.

To take advantage of US government resources:

1. Start at USA.gov and browse the available topics.

2. Use the Government Web search engine to narrow down your search.

3. Visit all of the available sites on your subject, as there are generally many US government resources from different departments on most topics.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate a wealth of US government reference materials for businesses

You can find a wide variety of helpful US government reference sites to aid in the set-up and proper maintenance of your business.

I recommend: Take advantage of the Businesses and Nonprofits portal from the USA.gov website. There you can do the following online: contract with the U.S. Government, get a state business license, file wage reports, get online training, obtain an employer ID number and more. Use the Economics and Statistics Administration. They provide daily information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. Find tax information for businesses from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Check out the Small Business Guide from the U.S. Small Business Administration. There you can find a wide variety of business topics on what regulation applies to your business, how to comply and how to grow your business while still staying compliant.

Find scientific US government resources

US government resources also include a wide variety of departments dedicated to scientific discovery and keeping our nation safe. Take advantage of these US federal government reference sites to find information for your business.

I recommend: Start at Science.gov for over 50 million pages of authoritative selected science information. The Department of Energy Data Explorer can provide you figures and plots, computer simulations, numeric data files, multimedia, interactive maps and scientific images. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) offers a National Center for Health Statistics division that offers surveys, data and more. Take advantage of the data and services from the Federal Geographic Data Committee.

Find helpful US government information for teachers

US government information isn't only for adults, parents and teachers can help their children learn about the US government as well.

I recommend: Check out the US Mint page for kids. There you can find games, cartoons, teacher resources and more. Children can also learn more about the White House. There they can find out about history, first pets, videos, sports and patriotism. Find out even more at The Department of the Treasury Bureau of Engraving and Printing. On that site for children, you can design your own bill, take treasury trivia, play a money match game as well as find puzzles, mazes and other challenging games. For students writing papers, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau offers historical information, statistics and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Other United States government information that may be of interest to you could involve intellectual property, business law, advertising and marketing, disaster preparedness and more. US government resources are abundant, so take advantage of them.